Early locomotor activity in broilers and the relationship with body weight gain.

ABSTRACT: Fast-growing broilers are relatively inactive and this is thought to be a result of selection for high growth rates. This reduced activity level is considered a major cause of leg weakness and associated leg health problems. Increased activity, especially early in life, is suggested to have positive effects on leg health, but the relationship between early activity and growth is unclear. A clearer understanding of the relationship between activity early in life and body weight gain could help determine how selecting on increased early activity could affect body weight gain in broilers. Here, a radio frequency identification (RFID) tracking system was implemented to record daily individual broiler activity throughout life, in 5 production rounds. As mean activity levels alone do not capture

SUBMITTER: van der Sluis M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9445389 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature