MLBA8: April / May 2009
Leg weakness and disorders in poultry
It is now focused on increased growth rate and production, but the accelerated growth is not accompanied by skeletal development, therefore more strains are pressurised on the skeleton of birds.
The leg bones are the fastest growing bones in the body. Rapid growth rate accompanied by adequate mineral and vitamin nutrition, proper management, an optimum lighting and temperature program, a disease-free environment prevents weakness or disorders in birds. The absence of any of the above factors combined with the increased weight of birds give rise to the different degrees of leg disorders.
Leg weakness can be classified as infectious, developmental/metabolic and degenerative disorders, and represents animal welfare concern. Young rapidly growing broiler chicks are commonly affected with disorders affecting the bone growth while young adult breeding stock of meat-type birds suffer from degenerative joint disorders.
Leg weakness can lead to high incidence of morbidity than mortality. In general, they have an incidence varying from 2 percent to 15 percent, which could inflict a considerable monetary loss to the producer in terms of culling on the farm or processing.
