Hostname: page-component-7b7567c8c-lpg2g Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2026-11-15T14:07:38.369Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Dehydration and Lameness in a Broiler Flock

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 January 2023

A Butterworth,
C A Weeks,
P R Crea and
S C Kestin
A Butterworth*
Affiliation:
Department of Clinical Veterinary Science, University of Bristol Veterinary School, Langford, N Somerset BS40 5DU, UK
C A Weeks
Affiliation:
Department of Clinical Veterinary Science, University of Bristol Veterinary School, Langford, N Somerset BS40 5DU, UK
P R Crea
Affiliation:
Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Quantock House, Taunton, Somerset TA1 3NX, UK
S C Kestin
Affiliation:
Department of Clinical Veterinary Science, University of Bristol Veterinary School, Langford, N Somerset BS40 5DU, UK
*
† Contact for correspondence and requests for reprints
Get accessRights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

A case study is described in which a high incidence of lameness in broiler chickens (Gallus gallus domesticus) is associated with rearing to 84 days of age; broilers are normally slaughtered at less than 50 days of age. A sample of 185 birds was scored for walking ability, and 24 birds from this group were assessed for dehydration by measuring plasma osmolality. The proportion of the group having gait abnormalities was compared with that recorded during a recent survey of Danish flocks and was found to be higher. A relationship is established between the degree of gait impairment and the level of dehydration. The degree of dehydration is related to the findings for plasma osmolality from previous research, and the results indicate that some of the birds in this case may have been deprived of access to water for periods in excess of 60 hours.

Keywords

animal welfarebroiler chickenleg weaknesslamenessdehydrationslaughter age

Information

Type
Short Communication
Information
Animal Welfare , Volume 11 , Issue 1 , February 2002, pp. 89 - 94
Copyright
© 2002 Universities Federation for Animal Welfare

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Article purchase

Temporarily unavailable

References

Arad, Z, Amason, S S, Chadwick, A and Skadhauge, E 1985 Osmotic responses to heat and dehydration in the fowl. Journal of Comparative Physiology 155: 227–234CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Butterworth, A 1999 Infectious components of broiler lameness: a review. World's Poultry Science Journal 55: 327–352CrossRefGoogle Scholar
COBB 1995 COBB 500 Broiler Management Guide: East Hanningfield, Chelmsford, Essex CM3 8BY, UKGoogle Scholar
European Commission 2000 The welfare of chickens kept for meat production (broilers). Report of the Scientific Committee on animal health and animal welfare. European Commission Report B3, R15, 2000. Produced by Unit B3, Directorate B of the European CommissionGoogle Scholar
Farm Animal Welfare Council (FAWC) 1992 Report on the welfare of broiler chickens. FAWC Secretariat: 5th Floor, la Page Street, London SW1P 4PQ, UKGoogle Scholar
Hester, P Y 1994 The role of environment and management on leg abnormalities in meat-type fowl. Poultry Science 73: 904–915CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kestin, S C, Adams, S J M and Gregory, N G 1992 Leg weakness in broiler chickens: a review of studies using gait scoring. Proceedings of the 9th European Poultry Conference, Glasgow UK, Vol II: 203–206Google Scholar
Kestin, S C, Gordon, S, Su, G and Sorensen, P 2001 Relationship in broiler chickens between lameness, liveweight, growth rate and age. Veterinary Record 148: 195–197CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kestin, S C, Su, G and Sorensen, P 1999 Different commercial broiler crosses have different susceptibilities to leg weakness. Poultry Science 78: 1085–1090CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Knowles, T G, Warriss, P D, Brown, S N, Edwards, J E and Mitchell, M A 1994 Responses of broilers to deprivation of food and water for 24 hours. British Veterinary Journal 151: 197–202CrossRefGoogle Scholar
MAFF 1987 Codes of recommendations for the welfare of livestock — domestic fowls. PB0076, DEFRA Publications: Admail 6000, London SW1A 2XX, UKGoogle Scholar
McNamee, P T, King, D C, Spratt-Davidson, S, Ball, H and Smyth, J 2000 Guidelines for the investigation of lameness in commercial broiler fowl. Irish Veterinary Journal 53(4): 191–194Google Scholar
Pattison, M 1992 Impacts of bone problems on the poultry meat industry. In: Whitehead, C C (ed) Bone Biology and Skeletal Disorders in Poultry pp 329–338. Carfax: Oxford, UKGoogle Scholar
Robinson, B, Koike, T I, Kinzler, S L and Nekdon, H L 1990 Arginine vasotocin and mesotocin in the anterior hypothalamus, neurohypophysis, proventriculus and plasma of leghorn cockerels during dehydration. British Poultry Science 31: 651–659CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Singh-Sanotra, G S 1999 Registrering af aktuel benstyrke hos slatekyllinger (Velfaerdsmoniteringsprojekt). Dyrenes Beskyttelse, Alhambravej 15, 1826 Frederiksberg C, Denmark [Title translation: Recording of broiler leg problems seen at slaughter age]Google Scholar
Singh-Sanotra, G S, Lund, J D, Ersboll, A K, Petersen, J S and Vestergaard, K S 2001 Monitoring leg problems in broilers: a survey of commercial broiler production in Denmark. World's Poultry Science Journal 57: 55–69CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sorensen, P 1992 The genetics of leg disorders. In: Whitehead, C C (ed) Bone Biology and Skeletal Disorders in Poultry pp 213–229. Carfax: Oxford, UKGoogle Scholar
Sorensen, P, Su, G and Kestin, S C 1999 The effect of photoperiod: scotoperiod on leg weakness in broiler chickens. Poultry Science 78: 336–342CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sorensen, P, Su, G and Kestin, S C 2000 Effects of age and stocking density on leg weakness in broiler chickens. Poultry Science 79: 864–870CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Stallone, J N and Braun, E J 1986 Regulation of plasma arginine vasotocin in conscious water-deprived domestic fowl. American Journal of Physiology 250: 644–685Google ScholarPubMed
Su, G, Sorensen, P and Kestin, S C 1999 Meal feeding is more effective than early feed restriction at reducing the prevalence of leg weakness in broiler chickens. Poultry Science 78: 949–955CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Williams, B, Solomon, S, Waddington, D, Thorp, B and Farquharson, C 2000 Skeletal development in the meat-type chicken. British Poultry Science 41: 141–149CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed