Differences in performance, body conformation, and welfare of conventional and slow-growing broiler chickens raised at 2 stocking densities

Consumer concern for broiler welfare has increased interest in chicken from slower growing (SG) broiler strains. Broilers from SG strains take longer to reach market weight, which may necessitate differences in management practices, such as stocking density. This study evaluated the effects of 2 sto...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Poultry science 2020-09, Vol.99 (9), p.4398-4407
Main Authors: Weimer, S.L., Mauromoustakos, A., Karcher, D.M., Erasmus, M.A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal Husbandry - methods
animal performance
Animal Welfare
Animals
body conformation
body length
Body Weight
Bone and Bones - anatomy & histology
bones
breasts
broiler
broiler chickens
Chickens - anatomy & histology
Chickens - growth & development
consumer attitudes
dermatitis
diet
Diet - veterinary
feed conversion
hock
Male
males
Management and Production
mortality
phase transition
Population Density
stocking density
stocking rate
strain
welfare
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Summary:Consumer concern for broiler welfare has increased interest in chicken from slower growing (SG) broiler strains. Broilers from SG strains take longer to reach market weight, which may necessitate differences in management practices, such as stocking density. This study evaluated the effects of 2 stocking densities on production performance, body conformation, and welfare of broilers from 2 strains. Broilers from strains that reach market weight at age 42 D (CONV; N = 284) and at 63 D (SG; N = 284) were exclusively stocked into pens at a density of either 29 kg/m2 or 37 kg/m2. Birds were provided the same starter, grower, and finisher diets with diet phase changes occurring when SG bird body weight (BW) matched CONV. Live BW, body length, pelvic width, shank length, shank width, keel length, breast width, and breast depth were collected at 4 phases: Phase 1—chick placement, Phase 2—starter, Phase 3—grower, and Phase 4—finisher. At Phase 4, footpad dermatitis (FPD), hock burn (HB), and toe damage (TD) were scored. Feed conversion ratio (FCR) and mortality for each pen were recorded throughout the study. Final BW was similar (2.68 kg) for both strains and stocking densities of birds (P > 0.05). CONV bird FCR was 35% more efficient than SG (P 
ISSN:0032-5791
1525-3171
DOI:10.1016/j.psj.2020.06.009