Hostname: page-component-5c6d5d7d68-lvtdw Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-08-16T00:37:11.887Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

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: sleeson@uoguelph.ca
Get access

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

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Andrews, D.K., Berry, W.D. and Brake, J. (1987) Effect of lightning program and nutrition on feather replacement of molted SCWL hens. Poultry Sci. 66: 635–1639.Google Scholar
Angel, S., Hyams, M. and Levinger, L.M. (1982) Scanning electron microscope study of the feather follicle wall attachment in chickens. Br. Poultry Sci. 23: 47–250.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Beckingham-Smith, K. (1973) The proteins of the embroyonic chick epidermis. I. During normal development in ovo. In: Dev. Control of Nuclear Activity. Ed. Goldstein, . Publ. Prentice Hall N.J. USA.Google Scholar
Block, R.S. and Weiss, K.W. (1956) In: Amino Acid Handbook. Publ. C.C. Thomas, Springfied. Mo. USA.Google Scholar
Bohren, B.B., Conrad, R.M. and Warren, W.C. (1943) A chemical and histological study of the feather pigments of the domestic fowl. Amer. Naturalist 77: 81–518.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bradley, O.C. (1972) In: Structure of the fowl. 3rd ed. Publ. Oliver and Boyd, Edinburgh.Google Scholar
Carr, J.G. (1957) Internal structure of avian melanin granules: An electron microscope study. Quart. J. Micros. Sci. 98: 159–162.Google Scholar
Dunnington, E.A. and Siegel, P.B. (1986) Feather weight of early and late feathering adult broilers. Poultry Sci. 65: 1863–1865.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ede, D.A. (1964) In: Bird Structure 120 p. Publ. Hutchison Educational Ltd., London.Google Scholar
Fisher, M., Leeson, S. and Morrison, W.D. (1981) Feather growth and composition of broiler chickens. Can. J. Anim. Sci. 61: 769–773.Google Scholar
Graham, C.E., Waitkoff, H.K. and Hier, S.W. (1949) The amino acid content of some scleroproteins. J. Biol. Chem. 177: 529–532.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hutt, F.B. and Ball, L. (1938) Number of feathers and body size of passerine birds. Auk 55: 651–657.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Levinger, I.M. (1975) Some factors influencing the feather-skin connection. Br. Poultry Sci. 16: 553–557.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lucas, A.M. and Stettenheim, P.R. (1972) In: Avian Anatomy. Integument. Parts I & II. Publ. USDA Agric. Handbook #362.Google Scholar
Matulionis, D.H. (1970) Morphology of the developing down feathers of chick embryos. A descriptive study at the ultrastructural levels of differentiation and keratinization. Z. Anat. Entwickl. Gesh. 132: 107–157.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
McCcaslaud, W.E. and Richardson, L.R. (1967) Methods of determining the nutritive value of feather meals. Poultry Sci. 45: 1231–1236.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McCdougald, L.R. and Keshavarz, K. (1984) The effect of polyether inophore anticoccidial drugs on feather growth in genetically slow-feathering broilers. Poultry Sci. 63: 1322–1326.Google Scholar
Merat, P. and Coquerelle, G. (1991) The effects of slightly higher or lower than normal incubation temperatures on embryo mortality, post-hatching performance and feathering. Annales de Zootechnie. 40: 67–72.Google Scholar
Merat, P. (1990) Major genes in fowls: Genes other than those affecting size. Productions- Animales 3: 355–368.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Moran, E.T., Summers, J.D. and Slinger, S.J. (1966) Keratin as a source of protein for the growing chick. Poultry Sci. 45: 1257–1266.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nitsan, Z., Duarin, A. and Nir, I. (1981) Composition and amino acid content of carcass, skin and feathers of the growing gosling. Br. Poultry Sci. 22: 79–84.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Nitzsch, C.L. (1840) In: System de Prerylographie. Ed. Burmeister, H. p. 228. Publ. Halle.Google Scholar
Ostmann, O.W., Ringer, R.K. and Tetzlaff, M. (1963) The anatomy of the feather follicle and its immediate surroundings. Poultry Sci. 42: 957–969.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Smith, W.K. and Bath, H.M. (1995) Growth and composition of feathers in male broilers. Br. Poultry Sci. 36: 874.Google Scholar
Spearman, R.I.C. (1966) The keratinization of epidermal scales, feathers and hair. Biol. Dev. 41: 59–96.Google Scholar
Spearman, R.I.C. (1971) Integumentary System. In: Physiology and Biochemistry of the Domestic Fowl. Ed. Bell, and Freeman, . Publ. Academic Press, London.Google Scholar
Stilborn, H.L., Moran, E.T., Gous, R.M. and Harrison, M.D. (1997) Effect of age on feather amino acid content in two broiler strain crosses and sexes. J. Appl. Poultry Res. 6: 205–209.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Trinkaus, J.P. (1953) Estrogen, thyroid hormone and the differentiation of pigment cells in the Brown Leghorn. In: Pigment Cell Growth. Ed. Gordon, Publ. Academic Press, N.Y.Google Scholar
Voitkevich, A.A. (1966) In: The feathers and plumage of birds. Publ. Sidgwick and Jackson, London.Google Scholar
Yalcin, S., Seltar, P., Ozkan, S. and Cahaner, A. (1997) Comparative evaluation of three commercial broiler stocks in hot vs. temperate climates. Poultry Sci. 76: 921–929.CrossRefGoogle Scholar