Variations in the Incidence of Tibial Dyschondroplasia Associated with Different Environmental Conditions

Experiments were designed to study environmental factors that affect incidence of tibial dyschondroplasia (TD) in broiler chickens. A significant higher frequency of TD was observed in birds reared in floor pens vs. those maintained in a battery brooder with wire floors and fed the same diet. Incorporating either 5% raw or autoclaved broiler litter in the diet produced no significant effect on the incidence of the disease in chicks reared in floor pens covered with wood shavings or wire frames. During the first six months of 1979, the incidence of TD declined markedly in market-age broilers of the same strain fed similar diets and maintained on litter in the same broiler house.