ABSTRACT

1. This experiment determined the effect of increasing mobility in broiler chickens by placing barrier perches between feeders and drinkers. In addition, the limitation of early weight gain by dietary energy and protein dilution on some welfare parameters, tibiotarsus measurements, fear and mobility level was examined.

2. A total of 504 male, one-day-old broiler chickens (Ross 308) were randomly allocated to four treatments with three replicate pens per treatment and 42 broiler chickens per pen as a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement. Treatments included feeding the basal control diet between 0–42 days or a diet diluted by 10% energy and 20% crude protein fed between 0–21 d, with the control diet fed between 22–42 d. The second factor was the presence or absence of barrier perches. All treatments were allocated as a completely randomised design. Welfare parameters (foot pad dermatitis, hock burn, gait score, feather score, breast blister), tibiotarsus measurements (bone mineral content, bone mineral density, fluctuating asymmetry and relative fluctuating asymmetry), tonic immobility and mobility level were recorded.

3. Results showed that access to a barrier perch and the diluted diet increased the mobility in broiler chickens. However, access to a barrier perch had no significant effect on tibiotarsus and welfare parameters. Broiler chickens had better gait scores (P < 0.05) and lower foot pad dermatitis incidence (P < 0.01) in groups fed the diluted diet. The diluted diet had no significant effect on bone mineral density but reduced the tibiotarsus bone mineral content (P < 0.05).

4. In conclusion, the diluted diet provided positive effects in terms of leg health due to weight gain limitations in the early period, thus improving broiler chicken welfare.

摘要

1. 本实验通过在喂食器和饮水器之间放置屏障栖息地来确定增加肉鸡活动性的效果。此外，研究了饮食能量和蛋白质稀释对一些福利参数、胫跗骨测量、恐惧和活动水平的早期体重增加的限制。

2. 将 504 只雄性 1 日龄肉鸡 (Ross 308) 随机分配到 4 个处理，每个处理 3 个重复栏，每个栏 42 只肉鸡，按 2 × 2 因子排列。处理包括在 0-42 天之间饲喂基础对照日粮或在 0-21 天饲喂 10% 能量和 20% 粗蛋白稀释的日粮，在 22-42 天饲喂对照日粮。第二个因素是障碍栖木的存在与否。所有治疗均分配为完全随机设计。记录福利参数（足垫皮炎、飞节烧伤、步态评分、羽毛评分、乳房水疱）、胫骨测量值（骨矿物质含量、骨矿物质密度、波动不对称和相对波动不对称）、强直不动和活动水平。

3. 结果表明，获得屏障栖木和稀释日粮增加了肉鸡的活动能力。然而，进入屏障鲈鱼对胫跗骨和福利参数没有显着影响。在饲喂稀释日粮的组中，肉鸡有更好的步态评分（P < 0.05）和较低的足垫皮炎发生率（P < 0.01）。稀释日粮对骨密度无明显影响，但降低了胫跗骨骨矿物质含量（P < 0.05）。

4. 总之，由于早期体重增加的限制，稀释日粮对腿部健康产生了积极影响，从而改善了肉鸡的福利。