Reduction of wing area affects estimated stress in the primary flight muscles of chickens.

R Soc Open Sci

Campbell Centre for the Study of Animal Welfare, Department of Animal Biosciences, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road E, Guelph, Ontario Canada, N1G 2W1.

Published: November 2023

AI Article Synopsis

  • In flying birds, the pectoralis and supracoracoideus muscles are crucial for generating flight power, while wing feathers aid in aerodynamics, but their functions in domestic laying hens are not well understood.
  • A study assessed how removing different amounts of wing feathers impacted muscle properties and estimated muscle stress in white-feathered laying hens, comparing three treatments: Unclipped, Half-Clipped, and Fully-Clipped.
  • Results showed that while the muscles' mass and architecture didn't significantly change with feather removal, muscle stress was highest in unclipped hens, indicating that intact wings enhance the muscles' response to external forces.

Article Abstract

In flying birds, the pectoralis (PECT) and supracoracoideus (SUPRA) generate most of the power required for flight, while the wing feathers create the aerodynamic forces. However, in domestic laying hens, little is known about the architectural properties of these muscles and the forces the wings produce. As housing space increases for commercial laying hens, understanding these properties is important for assuring safe locomotion. We tested the effects of wing area loss on mass, physiological cross-sectional area (PCSA), and estimated muscle stress (EMS) of the PECT and SUPRA in white-feathered laying hens. Treatments included Unclipped ( = 18), Half-Clipped with primaries removed ( = 18) and Fully-Clipped with the primaries and secondaries removed ( = 18). The mass and PCSA of the PECT and SUPRA did not vary significantly with treatment. Thus, laying hen muscle anatomy may be relatively resistant to changes in external wing morphology. We observed significant differences in EMS among treatments, as Unclipped birds exhibited the greatest EMS. This suggests that intact wings provide the greatest stimulus of external force for the primary flight muscles.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10685109PMC
http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rsos.230817DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

laying hens
12
wing area
8
primary flight
8
flight muscles
8
pect supra
8
reduction wing
4
area estimated
4
estimated stress
4
stress primary
4
muscles chickens
4

Similar Publications

Following a request from the European Commission, EFSA was asked to deliver a scientific opinion on the safety and efficacy of an essential oil from the leaves of L. (sage oil) when used as a sensory additive in feed and in water for drinking for all animal species. The EFSA Panel on Additives and Products or Substances used in Animal Feed (FEEDAP) concluded that sage oil is considered safe up to the maximum proposed use levels in complete feed of 20 mg/kg for ornamental fish.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Finding effective ways to monitor laying hen welfare is challenging as UK flock sizes can reach 16,000 birds. Eggs provide potential for welfare monitoring, as they are a daily output with previous evidence of links to stress. We explored the associations between stressors and eggs using two complementary studies.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Impact of comb type on production performance, egg production quality, reproductive performance, and blood biochemical indexes in Tianfu chickens.

Poult Sci

November 2024

State Key Laboratory of Swine and Poultry Breeding Industry, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China; Farm Animal Genetic Resources Exploration and Innovation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China; Key Laboratory of Livestock and Poultry Multi-omics, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, College of Animal and Technology (Institute of Animal Genetics and Breeding), Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China. Electronic address:

The comb, as a secondary sexual characteristic in chickens, serves as an important indicator of sexual maturity and potential reproductive. This study explored the relationship between comb types and production performance in Tianfu G01 chickens. Single-comb hens exhibited significantly lower laying rates compared to rose-comb hens during specific weeks (24-26, 27-28, 30, 32-34, and 38-43) but had higher average egg weights at 22, 23, 33, and 36-43 weeks.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of cage size on the natural behavior, serum biochemistry, production performance and hypothalamic transcriptome profiles of laying hens. A total of 360 79-week-old hens were selected and randomly assigned to three groups (with five replicates each) with different cage sizes: large cages (LCs), medium cages (MCs), and small cages (SCs). The stocking density remained consistent across all groups throughout the experimental period.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Carotenoids from Halophilic Archaea: A Novel Approach to Improve Egg Quality and Cecal Microbiota in Laying Hens.

Animals (Basel)

December 2024

Key Laboratory of Conservation and Utilization of Biological Resources in the Tarim Basin, Alar 843300, China.

Carotenoids from different sources have different structures and functions, and their dietary components benefit the health of various organisms. The effects of halophilic Archaea-derived C50 carotenoids on poultry egg quality and gut microbiota remain largely unexplored. In this study, we isolated a carotenoid-secreting strain of , TRM89021, from the Pamir Plateau.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!

A PHP Error was encountered

Severity: Notice

Message: fwrite(): Write of 34 bytes failed with errno=28 No space left on device

Filename: drivers/Session_files_driver.php

Line Number: 272

Backtrace:

A PHP Error was encountered

Severity: Warning

Message: session_write_close(): Failed to write session data using user defined save handler. (session.save_path: /var/lib/php/sessions)

Filename: Unknown

Line Number: 0

Backtrace: