Morphological, densitometric and biomechanical evaluation of the bone strength in broilers

Objective: The main aim of this study was to determine the morphological, densitometric and biomechanical properties of the long bones of the broiler. Material and Methods: The long bones (humerus, radius, ulna, femur, and tibia) of wings and legs of 32 broiler chickens were dissected out and stored in the freezer. The bone morphometric measurements showing general and cross-sectional geometry were obtained using computed tomography images. Except for the radius and ulna, bone densities were measured by the DEXA. For biomechanical testing, three point bending was performed on right side and shear testing was conducted on the left side. Results: There was no statistically significant difference between the morphometric features of the right and left side bones. Cortical thickness indices were seen highest in the radius and lowest in the femur. The 95% confidence interval value of maximum bending strength, elastic modulus and maximum shear strength was highest for the radius (84.23-97.68 MPa, 3.64-4.36 GPa and 14.94-17.6 MPa) and lowest for the femur (25.30-30.43 MPa, 0.46-0.56 GPa and 6.09-7.65 MPa), respectively. The coefficients of variation for different biomechanical test calculations showed that generally, the variability of the three-point bending test was lower than the shear test. Conclusion: This study gives information about the cross-sectional geometry, mineral density and biomechanical properties of all the long bones of broiler obtained by different techniques. These data can be used in broilers' breeding and feeding studies for evaluation of the bone strength, by applying the most suitable method and comparing with the provided normal values.