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Feathering in commercial poultry I. Feather growth and composition

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 September 2007

S. Leeson  and
T. Walsh
S. Leeson*
Affiliation:
Department of Animal & Poultry Science, University of Guelph, Guelph, OntarioCanadaN1G 2W1
T. Walsh
Affiliation:
Novus International, 530 Maryville Ctr. Drive, St. Louis, MO 63141, USA
*
*Corresponding author: e-mail: [email protected]
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Abstract

Feather growth, structure and patterns of moulting are important characteristics of poultry in commercial environments. As the market age for broilers continues to decline, the “maturity” of feather cover becomes even more important for protection of the skin and underlying tissue. Feather growth begins at around day 5 of incubation while keratinisation is complete 2 – 3 d prior to hatch. Feathers do not grow randomly over the skin surface, but rather in distinct tracts, which cover at most 75% of the skin surface. Broiler chickens will have about 50 g of feathers by market age, although at this early age some feathers will have already been lost by sequential moulting. Although most modern strains of poultry have white or brown feathers, there are various colour schemes that are again dictated during embryo development. In a subsequent paper, we will detail factors affecting feather growth, moulting and the Occurrence of various abnormalities.

Keywords

feathersbroilerslayersgeneticsnutritionenvironment
Type
Reviews
Information
World's Poultry Science Journal , Volume 60 , Issue 1 , March 2004 , pp. 42 - 51
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2004

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