Nutrition and Skeletal Problems in Poultry

Abstract

Several excellent reviews regarding nutrition and skeletal disorders have appeared in the last 20 yr. This review will cover several areas of vitamin D research, the area of feed deprivation, and bone abnormalities, because there has been considerable interest in these areas during the past 10 yr. Studies indicate that the quantitative requirement for cholecalciferol (D3) for broiler chickens is much greater than previously thought. Ascorbic acid may play a role in stimulating 1-hydroxylation of 25-hydroxycholecalciferol [25-(OH)D3], but the evidence is not clear under exactly what conditions this relationship is important in practical prevention of tibial dyschondroplasia. Studies indicate that dietary supplementation with 1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol [1,25(OH)2D3] will reduce the incidence of tibial dyschondroplasia in three different strains of broilers bred to develop a high incidence of the disease. But it did not prevent the disease totally in the strains, unless high enough levels of 1,25-(OH)2D3 were fed to reduce growth rate. These studies indicate that these high tibial dyschondroplasia strains have a defect(s) in vitamin D metabolism. Studies continue to elucidate the role of ultraviolet light in preventing leg abnormalities. Only a few studies have been conducted on the efficacy of various vitamin D3 derivatives to prevent tibial dyschondroplasia. Feed deprivation continues to be an intriguing method of preventing tibial dyschondroplasia, and examination of exactly how this prevents the bone abnormality could open avenues for explaining the disease.

Effects of ascorbic acid and lighting schedule on tibiotarsus strength and bone characteristics in broilers

“…Increased body activity of the animals during intermittent period may be an explanation for the improved tibiotarsus weight. AA supplementation affected the weight of tibiotarsus in broilers; this is similar to those reported by EDWARDS (2000).…”

“…Nonetheless, some researchers (ORBAN et al 1993, DOAN and GIANG 1998, EDWARDS 2000, LOHAKARE et al 2005a reported that tibiotarsus breaking force and modulus of elasticity were improved in birds fed with AA. In this study, AA has no influence on mechanical properties except stress and breaking force of proximal section of tibiotarsus.…”

“…The Ca and P are primary inorganic nutrients in the bone that may be important for bone strength (KNOWLES and WILKINS 1998). In recent years, there has been increasing interest over the relationship of feeding with bone strength and skeletal disorders in broilers (FLEMING et al 1998, EDWARDS 2000, AFSHARMANESH and POURREZA 2005. Field data and test results show that supplementation with AA is necessary for decreasing the incidence of bone breaking strength (DOAN and GIANG 1998).…”

Tetramethylpyrazine Mitigates Toxicity and Liver Oxidative Stress in Tibial Dyschondroplasia Chickens

“…TD along with ascites and sudden death are regarded as the three nutritional and metabolic diseases that severely affect broiler industry (Julian, 1999). The occurrence of TD leads to huge economic loss to broiler industry worldwide (Edwards, 2000;Li and Bi, 2008). Normal broilers growth plate cartilage is circular arc with edge tidy, uniform thickness, and edge smooth (Tian et al, 2013).…”

Calcium requirement and vitamin D supplementation in meat-type quail at second stage of growth

“…Thus, calcium content in the body of chicks increases quickly in the starter stage, so that at the end of the first month of age the chicks have 80% of the total calcium of an adult bird (Edwards Jr, 2000).…”