Abstract
Because leg injuries produce welfare concerns and impact production for broilers, numerous interventions have been suggested as potential solutions. One mineral which may affect bone quality is silicon. The objective of this study was to determine if supplementing bioavailable silicon could affect bone morphology, mineralization, and strength without negatively influencing welfare and meat quality. Male broilers were raised from d 1 after hatching until 42 d of age and randomly assigned to treatment groups for silicon supplementation in water: Control (no supplement, C; n = 125), Normal (0.011 ml supplement/kg bodyweight, N; n = 125) and High (0.063 ml supplement/kg bodyweight, H; n = 125). Toe damage, footpad dermatitis, hock burn, and keel blisters were assessed on d 42. Blood samples were collected from wing veins for serum osteocalcin, pyridinoline cross-links, and mineral analysis. Clinical QCT scans and analysis were conducted immediately before four-point bending tests of tibias. Texture analysis was performed on cooked fillets. Silicon supplementation tended to increase daily water consumption in N and H as compared to C (P = 0.07). Footpad dermatitis and hock burn scores were higher in H than in N or C (P < 0.05 for both comparisons). Supplementation altered serum minerals (P < 0.001), but bone density, morphology, and strength measures were similar among groups. The highest level of supplementation in the current study on a kg bodyweight basis was above recommended intakes but below previous amounts demonstrating silicon’s positive influence on bone, indicating that previously suggested minimum thresholds need to be reevaluated. Factors such as growth rate and mechanical loading likely play a greater role in developing bone quality than trying to supplement on top of good basic nutrition alone.
Highlights
20 million metric tons of broiler meat per year are produced by the United States alone [1]
Overall feed consumption was similar among groups (Fig 3), and both feed and water consumption increased over time (P < 0.001 for both)
While orthosilicic acid supplementation can increase osteoblast differentiation and osteocalcin concentration in vitro [41], the current study found no difference in osteocalcin concentrations in supplemented broilers as compared to controls, either due to the supplemental concentrations or differences in responses to silicon between sexes
Summary
20 million metric tons of broiler meat per year are produced by the United States alone [1]. Commercial broiler chickens have rapid growth rates and high feed efficiency. As producers seek to increase production while reducing costs, birds will grow from about 40 g a day after hatching to around 3 kg in 42 days. Silicon supplementation in broilers have any additional role in the study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. The specific roles of these authors are articulated in the ‘author contributions’ section
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