Effect of incubation temperature on leg bone development in broiler hatchlings

Carla van der Pol*†, Conny Maatjens*†, Inge van Roovert-Reijrink*, Bas Kemp†, Henry van den Brand†

*HatchTech B.V., P.O. Box 256, 3900 AG Veenendaal, the Netherlands. †Adaptation Physiology Group, Wageningen University, P.O. Box 338, 6700 AH Wageningen, the Netherlands.

At slaughter age, leg problems (pathologies that result in impaired walking ability) are highly prevalent in broilers. Poor skeletal leg health in later life may be related to suboptimal bone development during incubation (Oviedo-Rondón et al, 2009). The present experiment aimed to investigate the effect of eggshell temperature (EST) throughout incubation on leg bone development in broiler hatchlings.