﻿ PoultryWorld - Manchester scientists work on Christmas turkeys' health


Manchester scientists work on Christmas turkeys' health

Dr Jonathan Codd and Peter Tickle at the University's Faculty of Life Sciences of Manchester are researching how changes in breathing mechanics in developing birds may be able to be used to ensure that turkeys stay healthy.

Turkeys are constantly being bred to grow more efficiently, so with a better health they will be able to take their top billing in the Christmas dinner.

Cooperation with Aviagen
The team, who worked in collaboration with Aviagen Turkeys and whose findings are published in the leading avian biology journal Poultry Science, have found that the levers are essential to the breathing mechanism of birds as they facilitate movements of the ribs and sternum.
Tool in selection
Dr Nick French, from Aviagen, said: “Understanding the changes that occur during development in birds is an essential component to allow the selection of larger turkeys without compromising their health”.

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