Riber Anja B, Wurtz Kaitlin E, Thodberg Karen
Department of Animal and Veterinary Sciences, Aarhus University, Tjele, Denmark.
Department of Animal Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, USA.
Vet Rec. 2025 May 17;196(10):e5323. doi: 10.1002/vetr.5323. Epub 2025 May 14.
Multiple factors, including genetics and management practices, are known to influence the walking ability of broilers. This field survey aimed to assess the walking ability of broilers in two different production systems.
Thirty flocks of conventional (Ross 308) and 26 flocks of welfare-labelled (Level 1; Ranger Gold/Rustic Gold) broilers were evaluated, with maximum stocking densities of 40 and 38/38 kg/m and growth rates of 62-63 g/day and 43-45/47-51 g/day, respectively. Gait scores were obtained for approximately 120 birds/flock prior to slaughter using the six-point Bristol scale, with scores ranging from 0 (no detectable abnormality) to 5 (complete lameness). Data on broiler age, target bodyweight on day of assessment and genotype were collected.
The odds of birds having gait scores greater than 0 (p = 0.011), 1 (p < 0.001) and 2 (p = 0.033) increased significantly with a 100 g increase in bodyweight for conventional broilers, whereas no such effect was found for level 1 broilers. Within the level 1 system, the slower-growing Ranger Gold birds had lower odds of having gait scores greater than 1 than the faster-growing Rustic Gold birds (p = 0.022).
Data on the bodyweight of individual birds were not collected.
The results obtained in this study are in line with previous research showing that walking ability is negatively associated with growth rate.
已知包括遗传学和管理措施在内的多种因素会影响肉鸡的行走能力。本次实地调查旨在评估两种不同生产系统中肉鸡的行走能力。
对30群传统（罗斯308）肉鸡和26群贴有福利标签（1级；游侠金/质朴金）的肉鸡进行了评估，其最大饲养密度分别为40和38/38千克/平方米，生长速度分别为62 - 63克/天和43 - 45/47 - 51克/天。在屠宰前，使用六点布里斯托尔量表对每群约120只鸡进行步态评分，评分范围从0（无明显异常）到5（完全跛行）。收集了肉鸡年龄、评估当天的目标体重和基因型数据。
对于传统肉鸡，体重每增加100克，步态评分大于0（p = 0.011）、1（p < 0.001）和2（p = 0.033）的鸡的几率显著增加，而对于1级肉鸡则未发现这种影响。在1级系统中，生长较慢的游侠金肉鸡步态评分大于1的几率低于生长较快的质朴金肉鸡（p = 0.022）。
未收集个体鸡的体重数据。
本研究获得的结果与先前的研究一致，表明行走能力与生长速度呈负相关。
