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Related Experiment Videos

Subcutaneous feather tract denervation does not alter feather retention force ante- and postmortem in broilers.

R J Buhr1, G N Rowland

  • 1Poultry Processing and Meat Quality Research Unit, Richard B. Russell Agricultural Research Center, USDA, Athens, Georgia 30604-5677, USA. jbuhr@ars.usda.gov

Poultry Science
|May 7, 1999
PubMed
Summary

Feather retention force (FRF) in broilers is not affected by the presence or absence of cutaneous innervation. Denervation did not significantly alter FRF, indicating nerve presence is not a key factor in feather retention.

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Area of Science:

  • Animal Science
  • Physiology
  • Poultry Science

Background:

  • Feather retention force (FRF) is a critical factor in poultry processing.
  • Understanding factors influencing FRF, such as innervation, is important for optimizing processing.
  • Previous research has not definitively established the role of cutaneous innervation on FRF.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the influence of cutaneous innervation on feather retention force in commercial broilers.
  • To determine if severing nerve trunks affects FRF in pectoral and sternal feather tracts.
  • To assess FRF both antemortem and postmortem following denervation procedures.

Main Methods:

  • Nerve trunks for pectoral and sternal feather tracts were unilaterally severed in 6-wk-old broilers (Trial 1).

Related Experiment Videos

  • Sternal subcutaneous nerve trunks were severed unilaterally or bilaterally (Trial 2).
  • Feather retention force was measured bilaterally, antemortem and postmortem, 4 days after denervation.

    • Main Results:

    • In Trial 1, denervated sternal tracts showed a 13% higher FRF (44 g) compared to innervated tracts, but this could not be statistically partitioned.
    • In Trial 2, no significant differences in FRF were observed related to innervation, side, or sample time (antemortem vs. postmortem).
    • Overall, the presence or absence of cutaneous nerve innervation did not significantly influence feather retention force.

    Conclusions:

    • Cutaneous innervation does not appear to be a significant factor influencing feather retention force in broilers.
    • Antemortem treatments disabling the central nervous system may lower FRF indirectly through metabolic changes, not direct innervation effects.
    • These findings suggest that nerve presence/absence is not a primary determinant of postmortem FRF.