author(s)
M Sarma, R Islam, KP Kalita, JD Mahanta, BK Sarmah and BN Bhattacharyya

abstract
Carcass characteristics of commercial broiler chickens were studied in five agro-climatic zones of Assam during different seasons from March 2017 to February 2018. A total of 30 broiler farms with a minimum two hundred broilers (6 farms in each of 5 selected agro-climatic zones) were selected randomly. The birds were fed with ad-libitum commercial broiler feed and were reared under standard management condition. A total of twenty birds from each zone in each season were slaughtered at 42^nd days of age to study the carcass characteristics. The results showed that higher dressing percentage during monsoon season (72.81±0.17) and lowest in winter season (70.15±0.21). The overall mean per cent yields of drumstick among different seasons did not differ significantly (P>0.05), however numerically higher per cent yield of drumsticks were recorded during monsoon season. Breast yield percentage was highest in winter (34.41±0.10) and lowest in monsoon (29.34±0.07) and intermediate in pre-monsoon and post-monsoon season. Significant differences (P≤0.05) in wings yield percentage were found among the seasons with lowest in winter season. The results also showed that overall mean per cent yield of giblet of broilers among different seasons did not differ significantly ((P>0.05).