ABSTRACT

Selection for rapid growth has consistently been implicated in the susceptibility of broilers and turkeys to leg weakness (Wise, 1970a; Nestor, 1984; Kestin et al., 1999, 2001; Sorensen, 1992; Nestor and Anderson, 1998). The highest incidences of leg weakness typically occur in flocks with the fastest growth, and lameness incidences usually are reduced by management strategies that decelerate early growth rates (Riddell, 1983; Havenstein et al., 1994; McNamee et al., 1999; Williams et al., 2000; Kestin et al., 2001; Bradshaw et al., 2002; Julian, 2005).