Differences in Tibia Strength and Bone Ash Among Strains of Layers

Abstract

Three experiments were conducted utilizing 12 strains of egg production-type pullets to determine if tibia breaking strength and tibia ash varied among strains. The data indicate that there was a significant strain difference in tibia strength but that there was no apparent difference in tibia ash among strains. It was found that caged hens had a significantly lower tibia breaking strength when compared to floor hens of the same strain; there were, however, some strains of pullets that were maintained in cages that had a higher breaking strength than other strains maintained on the floor. Floor hens were observed to lay at a slightly higher rate than the caged birds and in the third experiment had higher tibia ash values.