Skeletal variation in bird domestication: limb proportions and sternum in chicken, with comparisons to mallard ducks and Muscovy ducks.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Domestication, including selective breeding, can lead to morphological changes of biomechanical relevance. In birds, limb proportions and sternum characteristics are of great importance and have been studied in the past for their relation with flight, terrestrial locomotion and animal welfare. In this work we studied the effects of domestication and breed formation in limb proportions and sternum characteristics in chicken (Gallus gallus), mallard ducks (Anas plathyrhynchos) and Muscovy ducks (Cairina moschata).

Methods

First, we quantified the proportional length of three long bones of the forelimb (humerus, radius, and carpometacarpus) and the hind limb (femur, tibiotarsus, and tarsometatarsus) in domestic chickens, mallard ducks, and Muscov

SUBMITTER: Herrera-Castillo CM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9055999 | biostudies-literature | 2022

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature