EN
The experimental materials comprised 600 BIG-6 turkeys (360 ♂ and 240 ♀). Females were raised to a maximum of 16 weeks of age and males to 22 weeks of age in accordance with universally accepted standards. All birds were weighed at 14-day intervals. Males were slaughtered at 16, 18, 20 and 22 weeks of age, and females at 12, 14 and 16 weeks of age; 24 males and 24 females were slaughtered each time. Chilled carcasses were divided into parts and dissected. Pairwise comparisons (correlated observations) were performed. Pairs of females and males with similar body weight, slaughtered at different ages, were formed. The results of this study indicate that the percentage content of breast muscles, leg muscles and total lean meat in the carcasses of heavy-type male and female turkeys is influenced by body weight at slaughter and carcass weight rather than by age