Managing health issues in broilers: leg health and leg problems

For more than 50 years, the feed efficiency, growth rate, and the amount of musculature, absolute and relative, of broilers have continued to increase. This rapid generation of muscle mass places increasing load on a relatively immature skeleton which has changed broiler locomotion and increased the incidence of leg problems. In this chapter the causes and consequences of leg problems are discussed. Bone development in the embryonic and early post-hatch broiler is described, followed by an outline of changes that are observed with leg disorders, grouped as metabolic, infectious, developmental, and traumatic aetiologies. Mechanisms for assessing broiler mobility and leg problems are tabulated. Some approaches that may improve broiler leg health, including breeder flock characteristics, in-ovo delivery of nutrients, egg incubation conditions, environmental enrichment, and broiler diet, growth rate, and health, are reviewed. Reducing, alleviating, and potentially preventing leg problems will improve broiler welfare and the sustainability of the industry.