Haemorrhages in muscles of broiler chickens

Haemorrhages in the muscles of broiler chickens are major quality defects w hich occur in all types of muscles and muscle parts. They are closely relat ed to muscle injury and can be the result of trauma, strenuous muscle activ ity, exposure to extreme environmental conditions, restraining and electric al stunning. In this review the different types of haemorrhages are classif ied. A brief introduction on muscle morphology and blood supply is given to discuss the mechanisms that may cause haemorrhages and a survey of these m echanisms is presented. Some of the mechanisms, together with factors likel y to affect the susceptibility of chickens to haemorrhages, are discussed i n relation to rearing, transport, slaughter and processing of broiler chick ens.