“The immaturity of the skeletal structure just struggles to support the muscle weight of the growing bird,” she added. “Modern strains of meat chicken grow incredibly quickly and although poultry breeding companies now include leg strength among the traits they breed for, it is still a huge challenge to rear birds without lameness issues. At present, lameness is recorded in about 4% of the 50 billion birds produced globally each year.ĭr Emily Burton, head of the Poultry Research Unit, said: “The skeletal challenges associated with the fast growth of modern strains of meat chicken make them a natural target for this new silicon feed supplement. Published in Scientific Reports, the team say the supplement could be valuable for the welfare of all chickens, including layers. And the researchers found that not only did the amount circulating in the blood directly correspond with the amount offered in the feed, but the bones of the birds fed the supplement were stronger than those who were not.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |