Abstract
This study investigated lipid metabolism in broilers with spontaneous femoral head necrosis (FHN) by determining the levels of markers of the blood biochemistry and bone metabolism. The birds were divided into a normal group and FHN group according to the femoral head scores of 3-, 4-, and 5-week-old chickens with FHN, and a comparative study was conducted. The study showed that spontaneous FHN broilers had a lipid metabolism disorder, hyperlipidemia, and an accumulation of lipid droplets in the femur. In addition, there were significant changes in the bone parameters and blood bone biochemistry markers, and the expression of genes related to lipid metabolism in the femoral head was also significantly increased. Therefore, FHN may result from dyslipidemia, which affects the bone growth and development of broilers.
Highlights
In the past few decades, substantial progress has been made in improving the feed efficiency and growth rate in fast-growing broilers, and the growth rate and body weight at market age have increased almost threefold (Havenstein et al, 2003)
The body weight of the normal broiler chickens increased from the 3th to the 5th weeks, but the body weight of the chickens with femoral head necrosis (FHN) decreased significantly in the 4th and 5th weeks (P < 0.05)
Most broilers suffering from FHN showed an abnormal gait
Summary
In the past few decades, substantial progress has been made in improving the feed efficiency and growth rate in fast-growing broilers, and the growth rate and body weight at market age have increased almost threefold (Havenstein et al, 2003). Femoral head necrosis (FHN) is one of the most common leg problems, and it leads to lameness and affects the growth and development of broilers. According to investigations and studies, at a high stock density, the incidence of leg problems is about 2%, and the detection rate of FHN is as high as 13.33% (Applegate and Lilburn, 2002; Li et al, 2015), which often affects broilers at 5 to 6 weeks of age. Due to the limited access to feed, FHN drastically reduces the production performance of broiler chickens, giving rise to a poor bird welfare, and causes considerable economic losses (Julian, 2005)
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