Possible Relationship Between Bone Strength and Rib Breakage: A Case Study

Reduced bone strength was thought to be a contributing factor to a high incidence of rib breakage noted at a commercial broiler processing plant. In two studies, percent bone ash determinations were made on birds exhibiting either intact or broken ribs. No indication was found that reduced bone strength was associated with the broken ribs, which clarified the overall review of possible causes. The approach employed in this study might be considered in similar situations where bone weakness is suspected as a single or contributing cause of a field problem.