COMPARATIVE DEVELOPMENT OF ANTITROCHANTERIC DISEASE IN MALE AND FEMALE TURKEYS OF A TRADITIONAL LINE AND A CONTEMPORARY SIRE-LINE FED AD-LIBITUM OR WITH RESTRICTED QUANTITIES OF FOOD

The prevalence of musculoskeletal disease at eight, 16, 24, 34, 44 and 54 weeks of age in male and female turkeys was determined by dissecti ng 688 limbs from traditional lines and sire-line turkeys fed to achie ve different bodyweights. Traditional turkeys were fed ad libitum and sire-line turkeys were fed ad libitum or restricted to 0.5 during rear ing and subsequently to 0.8 of ad libitum-fed bodyweight of birds of t he same strain and sex. A group of male sire-line turkeys was also fed ad libitum to 18 weeks and 0.8 of ad libitum thereafter. Lameness dur ing the rearing period was usually associated with joint infection. Ru ptured ligaments were an occasional finding in sire-line turkeys befor e sexual maturity. The major finding at 34, 44 and 54 weeks of age was degeneration of the antitrochanter in both sexes of the sire-line. Th e prevalence and severity of disease increased with age but was not ge nerally associated with lameness. Antitrochanteric degeneration in the sire-line was diminished by decreasing bodyweight through food restri ction. Antitrochanteric degeneration did not occur in traditional turk eys.