Constant heat stress reduces skeletal muscle protein deposition in broilers.

Background: This experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of constant heat stress on growth performance and protein metabolism in skeletal muscle of Arbor Acres broilers.

Results: Two hundred and seventy 21-day-old Arbor Acres broilers with similar body weight (1298 ± 28 g) were selected for a 3-week trial (29-49 days of age). The broilers were randomly assigned to three groups including the control group, constant heat stress group and pair-fed group.