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Strain differences and effects of different stocking densities during rearing on the musculoskeletal development of pullets

There are few published studies on the effect of stocking density (SD) of pullets, particularly between different genetic lines. The objectives of this study were to determine if strain or SD affects musculoskeletal development of pullets and determine any impact on the productivity and keel bone he...

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Autores principales: Fawcett, D.L., Casey-Trott, T.M., Jensen, L., Caston, L.J., Widowski, T.M.
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: Elsevier 2020
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7598119/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/32867958
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.psj.2020.05.046
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author Fawcett, D.L.
Casey-Trott, T.M.
Jensen, L.
Caston, L.J.
Widowski, T.M.
author_facet Fawcett, D.L.
Casey-Trott, T.M.
Jensen, L.
Caston, L.J.
Widowski, T.M.
author_sort Fawcett, D.L.
collection PubMed
description There are few published studies on the effect of stocking density (SD) of pullets, particularly between different genetic lines. The objectives of this study were to determine if strain or SD affects musculoskeletal development of pullets and determine any impact on the productivity and keel bone health of adult hens. Lohmann Selected Leghorn Lite (LSL), Dekalb White (DW), and Lohmann Brown (LB) pullets were reared at 4 different SD (247 cm(2)/bird, 270 cm(2)/bird, 299 cm(2)/bird, and 335 cm(2)/bird) in large cages furnished with elevated perches and a platform. At 16 wk of age, the keel bone, the muscles of the breast, wings, and legs, and the long bones of the wings and legs were collected to compare keel bone development, muscle growth, and bone breaking strength (BBS) between strain (adjusted for bodyweight) and SD treatments. Stocking density did not have an effect on the metasternum length, height, or area of the keel bone, the weights of the bicep brachii, pectoralis major or pectoralis minor, or the BBS of any of the selected bones. However, strain differences were found for all keel bone characteristics, all muscle weights, and the majority of BBS measures. The keel metasternum, height, and overall area of the keel bone were found to be smaller in LB pullets compared with LSL and DW pullets (P < 0.0001); however, cartilage length and overall percentage of the cartilage present on the keel bone was greatest in LB pullets (P < 0.0001). Leg muscles were heaviest in LB pullets (P < 0.05); however, breast muscles were heavier in LSL and DW pullets (P < 0.0001). Lohmann Brown pullets had lower BBS of the tibia (P < 0.0001) and femur (P < 0.0001) compared with LSL and DW pullets, whereas DW pullets had greater BBS of the humerus (P = 0.033). Additionally, there was a higher prevalence of keel bone fractures at 50 wk of age in LB hens compared with DW (P = 0.0144). Overall, SD during rearing used in this study had little impact on the musculoskeletal growth of pullets; however, significant differences were found between strains which may reflect strain-specific behavior. Additionally, differences in keel bone development between strains may lead to differences in keel bone damage in adult hens.
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spelling pubmed-75981192020-11-03 Strain differences and effects of different stocking densities during rearing on the musculoskeletal development of pullets Fawcett, D.L. Casey-Trott, T.M. Jensen, L. Caston, L.J. Widowski, T.M. Poult Sci Animal Well-Being and Behavior There are few published studies on the effect of stocking density (SD) of pullets, particularly between different genetic lines. The objectives of this study were to determine if strain or SD affects musculoskeletal development of pullets and determine any impact on the productivity and keel bone health of adult hens. Lohmann Selected Leghorn Lite (LSL), Dekalb White (DW), and Lohmann Brown (LB) pullets were reared at 4 different SD (247 cm(2)/bird, 270 cm(2)/bird, 299 cm(2)/bird, and 335 cm(2)/bird) in large cages furnished with elevated perches and a platform. At 16 wk of age, the keel bone, the muscles of the breast, wings, and legs, and the long bones of the wings and legs were collected to compare keel bone development, muscle growth, and bone breaking strength (BBS) between strain (adjusted for bodyweight) and SD treatments. Stocking density did not have an effect on the metasternum length, height, or area of the keel bone, the weights of the bicep brachii, pectoralis major or pectoralis minor, or the BBS of any of the selected bones. However, strain differences were found for all keel bone characteristics, all muscle weights, and the majority of BBS measures. The keel metasternum, height, and overall area of the keel bone were found to be smaller in LB pullets compared with LSL and DW pullets (P < 0.0001); however, cartilage length and overall percentage of the cartilage present on the keel bone was greatest in LB pullets (P < 0.0001). Leg muscles were heaviest in LB pullets (P < 0.05); however, breast muscles were heavier in LSL and DW pullets (P < 0.0001). Lohmann Brown pullets had lower BBS of the tibia (P < 0.0001) and femur (P < 0.0001) compared with LSL and DW pullets, whereas DW pullets had greater BBS of the humerus (P = 0.033). Additionally, there was a higher prevalence of keel bone fractures at 50 wk of age in LB hens compared with DW (P = 0.0144). Overall, SD during rearing used in this study had little impact on the musculoskeletal growth of pullets; however, significant differences were found between strains which may reflect strain-specific behavior. Additionally, differences in keel bone development between strains may lead to differences in keel bone damage in adult hens. Elsevier 2020-06-24 /pmc/articles/PMC7598119/ /pubmed/32867958 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.psj.2020.05.046 Text en © 2020 Published by Elsevier Inc. on behalf of Poultry Science Association Inc. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
spellingShingle Animal Well-Being and Behavior
Fawcett, D.L.
Casey-Trott, T.M.
Jensen, L.
Caston, L.J.
Widowski, T.M.
Strain differences and effects of different stocking densities during rearing on the musculoskeletal development of pullets
title Strain differences and effects of different stocking densities during rearing on the musculoskeletal development of pullets
title_full Strain differences and effects of different stocking densities during rearing on the musculoskeletal development of pullets
title_fullStr Strain differences and effects of different stocking densities during rearing on the musculoskeletal development of pullets
title_full_unstemmed Strain differences and effects of different stocking densities during rearing on the musculoskeletal development of pullets
title_short Strain differences and effects of different stocking densities during rearing on the musculoskeletal development of pullets
title_sort strain differences and effects of different stocking densities during rearing on the musculoskeletal development of pullets
topic Animal Well-Being and Behavior
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7598119/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/32867958
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.psj.2020.05.046
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