Application of Ultrasonic Nondestructive Testing for Breeding of Meat Pigeons

The aims of this study were to assess the correlation of breast muscle thickness (BMT) with the breast muscle weight (BMW), body weight (BW), breast width, and breast depth (BD) of meat pigeons, and to explore the feasibility of ultrasonic nondestructive testing (UNDT) for non-invasive measurements of BMT. It has been proven that using ultrasonic nondestructive testing specifically for evaluating the pectoral musculature yield in other poultry species such as Peking ducks and Yangzhou geese is feasible. The BMT of Carneau and Silver King pigeons (n = 103 each; age, 28 days) was measured at two points by UNDT. The correlation between the BMT at two points and BMW was analyzed. The results demonstrated that the correlation coefficients between BMT at point A and BMW were 0.907 and 0.897 in Carneau and Silver King pigeons, respectively, with significant regression relationships (p < 0.01). Variety and sex had little effect on BMT measurements. Six optimal univariate linear regression equations were established. The regression relationship was very significant, as determined by the F-test (p < 0.01), indicating an actual regression relationship between the variables of each equation and that UNDT can be applied for the breeding of meat pigeons. This represents the first application of ultrasonic nondestructive testing specifically for evaluating pectoral musculature yield in pigeons intended for meat production.