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Related Experiment Videos

Osteoporosis in cage layers.

C C Whitehead1, R H Fleming

  • 1Roslin Institute, Roslin, Midlothian, Scotland. colin.whitehead@bbsrc.ac.uk

Poultry Science
|July 20, 2000
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Osteoporosis in laying hens causes bone fragility and fractures. Selective breeding shows promise in developing hens with stronger bones, reducing fracture incidence.

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Area of Science:

  • Animal Science
  • Veterinary Medicine
  • Bone Biology

Background:

  • Osteoporosis in laying hens leads to significant bone fragility and fractures, impacting commercial conditions.
  • Bone loss is exacerbated by inactivity in caged environments, though aviary systems may improve bone quality without reducing fractures.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate strategies for combating osteoporosis in laying hens.
  • To evaluate the effectiveness of nutrition and selective breeding in improving bone health and reducing fracture incidence.

Main Methods:

  • Assessed the impact of nutritional strategies, including calcium supplementation timing and form, and feed withdrawal practices.
  • Implemented divergent selection for osteoporosis resistance and susceptibility over three generations.

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  • Evaluated bone quality traits such as keel bone mineral density and humerus/tibia breaking strength.
  • Compared fracture incidence across selected lines under commercial breeding conditions and different housing systems.

    • Main Results:

    • Nutritional adjustments can minimize, but not prevent, osteoporosis.
    • Selective breeding resulted in distinct lines with significant differences in bone mineral density and breaking strength (up to 25%).
    • Selected lines exhibited a sixfold difference in fracture incidence, demonstrating the heritability of bone strength traits.

    Conclusions:

    • Selective breeding is a highly effective strategy for combating osteoporosis in laying hens.
    • Genetic selection for bone strength traits can lead to substantial improvements in bone quality and reduced fracture rates, irrespective of housing systems.