GENOTYPE INTERACTION X SEASONS OF THE YEAR ON MEAT PRODUCTION CHARACTERS ON CAMPERO CHICKEN

Campero c INTA is a meat type of chicken raised in semi-intensive systems. In Argentina it is distributed by the Pro-Huerta Program for the self-production of food and the sale of surpluses by sectors of the population in a situation of food vulnerability. It also represents a potential productive alternative for a market linked to the demand for natural products and respect for animal welfare. In the case of the Pro-Huerta Program, Campero chickens are distributed to areas with a very different impact of environmental variables, particularly climatic, in which the genotype x environment interactions take on particular importance. The aim of this work was to evaluate the effect of the climatic season on the productive variables routinely analyzed as outputs in these production systems, in male Campero chickens derived from two genetic models of terminal crosses: the three-way experimental cross Campero Casilda and the single-cross Campero INTA. The evidence indicates that Campero Casilda presents greater stability than Campero INTA in the face of the change of season in terms of efficiency of food use. Birds reared in spring have a higher proportion of valuable cuts and a lower fat content than those reared in autumn, a response associated with their lower body weight attributable to the detrimental effects of temperature