RESUMEN
1. The aetiology of scabby hips was studied in broilers by scratching the skin with chicken claws, clipping the birds' claws and varying the effects of stocking density and food trough allocation. 2. Gentle scratching twice a week resulted in skin lesions that could not be distinguished from clinical scabby hips at slaughter. Interaction between birds appeared to be a prerequisite for the skin condition to develop. 3. Clipping of the claws at day 25 could almost completely prevent scabby hips at day 45 when the birds were slaughtered. 4. No positive correlation was found between feather condition and the severity of scabby hips at slaughter at day 45. 5. Decrease in stocking density and an increase in feeding space resulted in a reduction of skin lesions at day 25 and resultant scabby hips after slaughter.
Asunto(s)
Pollos , Dermatitis/veterinaria , Enfermedades de las Aves de Corral/etiología , Animales , Dermatitis/etiología , Dermatitis/prevención & control , Ingestión de Alimentos , Pie/cirugía , Densidad de Población , Enfermedades de las Aves de Corral/prevención & control , Piel/lesionesRESUMEN
The effect of replacing dietary sodium chloride by sodium bicarbonate on leg weakness, osteochondrosis and growth in young fattening pigs was studied in two experiments using 104 and 126 animals. The experimental pigs were fed 0.43% dietary sodium bicarbonate, which replaced the sodium chloride (0.30%), was present in the diets of the control groups. It was found that the clinical symptoms of leg weakness could be improved significantly in the experimental group which received bicarbonate. No positive effects on osteochondrosis, however, could be shown. The treated animals even tended to have more severe osteochondral lesions. Reasons for the negative tendency are discussed. Daily weight gain and food conversion were not influenced by the experimental bicarbonate diet excluding a chloride deficiency. Differences in carcass grading were not significant, although barrows fed the NaHCO3-containing diet tended to score better, while the carcass quality of the experimental gilts was slightly less in comparison to the control animals.