Pathogeny of Fatigued Walking Condition in Pekin Ducks

Centennial Review: History and husbandry recommendations for raising Pekin ducks in research or commercial production

By some accounts, ducks were domesticated between 400 and 10,000 yr ago and have been a growing portion of the poultry industry for decades. Ducks specifically, and waterfowl in general, have unique health, housing, nutrition and welfare concerns compared to their galliform counterparts. Although there have been many research publications in regards to health, nutrition, behavior, and welfare of ducks there have been very few reviews to provide an overview of these numerous studies, and only one text has attempted to review all aspects of the duck industry, from breeders to meat ducks. This review covers incubation, hatching, housing, welfare, nutrition, and euthanasia and highlights the needs for additional research at all levels of duck production. The purpose of this review is to provide guidelines to raise and house ducks for research as specifically related to industry practices.

The Role of Incubation Conditions in the Onset of Avian Myopathies

White striping, wooden breast, and spaghetti muscle have become common myopathies in broilers worldwide. Several research reports have indicated that the origin of these lesions is metabolic disorders. These failures in normal metabolism can start very early in life, and suboptimal incubation conditions may trigger some of the key alterations on muscle metabolism. Incubation conditions affect the development of muscle and can be associated with the onset of myopathies. A series of experiments conducted with broilers, turkeys, and ducks are discussed to overview primary information showing the main changes in breast muscle histomorphology, metabolism, and physiology caused by suboptimal incubation conditions. These modifications may be associated with current myopathies. Those effects of incubation on myopathy occurrence and severity have also been confirmed at slaughter age. The impact of egg storage, temperature profiles, oxygen concentrations, and time of hatch have been evaluated. The effects have been observed in diverse species, genetic lines, and both genders. Histological and muscle evaluations have detected that myopathies could be induced by extended hypoxia and high temperatures, and those effects depend on the genetic line. Thus, these modifications in muscle metabolic responses may make hatchlings more susceptible to develop myopathies during grow out due to thermal stress, high-density diets, and fast growth rates.