Growth of the femur and tibia of a commercial broiler line

Abstract

The objective of this experiment was to characterize the relationship between growth and skeletal development in commercial broilers as a function of both age and BW. From hatch through 43 d, birds were randomly selected weekly from the same commercial flock for measuring BW, tibia, and femur characteristics. Final BW was 1.8 kg for females and 2.1 kg for males. The fat-extracted weight of the tibia and femur increased proportionately with BW through 43 d of age. Length and width measures as a proportion of their final values at 43 d increased more rapidly than relative changes in BW. The length of the femur as a function of BW reached a plateau at 1.5 kg (35 d of age), whereas the length of the tibia did not plateau through 43 d of age. Differences in width measures between the two long bones were not apparent as BW increased through 43 d of age. The ash percentage of the diaphyseal region (mid-10% of bone) was consistently greater in the tibia than the femur from 15 to 43 d (P < or = 0.05). Differences in mineralization rates and growth characteristics suggest that the functionality and integrity of the femur should not be assumed solely from tibia measurements.

Bone Morphometric Parameters of the Tibia and Femur of Indigenous and Broiler Chickens Reared Intensively

“…Although when the polynomial function of tibia and femur weights was calculated, R-value of 88 % for tibia and 91 % for femur are results of variations of the body weight for indigenous Venda chickens. Applegate and Lilburn (2002) and Buckner et al (1950) observed that > 98 % of the variations in tibia and femur weights are function of the body weight for broiler chickens aged 43 days and New Hampshire chickens aged 23 weeks. Tibia and femur width of the male and female Ross 308 in the current study tended to follow a similar trend as the bone weights and lengths.…”

“…The epiphyseal region of the bone is responsible for the linear increase in bone growth and this process amongst others includes mineralization (Van Wyhe et al, 2012; Applegate and Lilburn, 2002 broiler chickens are more sensible to changes in diet than tibia bone. The Seedor index that is also known as bone weight/bone length index is an indication of bone density (Seedor, 1995;Ameida and Bruno, 2006).…”

“…A fast growing broiler chicken is characterised by higher body weight gain, its skeleton (mainly femur and tibia bones) plays a major role as the supporting structure for its body weight (Applegate and Lilburn, 2002). Proper structure and function of skeletal system are among the important factors in animal management; information on bone morphometric will address this factor.…”

Follow-up of the Development of Femoral Degeneration Lesions in Broilers

“…Modern genetic strains of poultry are selected for rapid growth, affecting the mineral composition of bones and cartilage, which may cause locomotion problems. According to Applegate & Lilburn (2002), the growth rate of leg bones of broilers is slower than muscle growth rate. The incidence of locomotion problems can also be influenced by housing density, and has increased in the last few years (Sorensen et al, 2000).…”

The growth stage study on the femur and tibia of Korean native chicken after hatching

“…최근 축산물 개방이 이뤄지고 있기 때문에 우리나라에서는 축산업의 보 호와 진흥을 위하여 재래닭의 복원 및 계통 조성 연 구를 통해 지속적으로 품종 특성을 유지하고 세포유 전학적 특성 구명을 위한 연구를 활발히 수행하고 있 다 (최 등, 1997;김, 2001;장, 2003;Oh 등, 2005). 조류에 있어서 긴뼈의 출생 후 발달양상 변화에 관 한 연구는 성장률 및 발육에 있어 중요한 기준점이다 (Applegate와 Lilburn, 2002). 우리나라 재래닭은 비육 이 잘 되지 않아 성장률이 낮은 것으로 추정하고 있 을 뿐이며, 이에 관한 구체적인 수치가 제시되지는 않았고 (Lilburn, 1994;Oh, 1996) Pearson correlation coefficient is significant at P＜0.001 (bilateral).…”