Genetics of digital phenotypes of keel bone in layer chickens and correlations with keel bone fractures and deviations
Automated methods were developed for measuring keel bone radiopacity and geometry. Keel concave area was found to be a reliable and heritable phenotype that breeding companies can use to reduce keel deviations and fractures. These methods can also be adapted to measure other bones (e.g., tibiotarsal) or objects (e.g., eggs), allowing breeders to quickly compute phenotypes for keel, tibia, and egg size from the same radiographic image. The developed methods are well-suited for large-scale studies to assess different housing environments and nutrition strategies aimed at improving keel bone conditions.
Authors
- Dirk‐Jan de Koning (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6343-8155)
- Moh Sallam (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4485-7626)
- Anne Larsen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7938-331X)
- Stefan Gunnarsson (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9126-1905)
- Martin Johnsson (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1262-4585)
- Helena Wall (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4442-6826)
- L. Göransson (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9664-6487)
- Wael Alhamid
Institutions
- Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SE)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Genetics Selection Evolution
- Published
- 2025-11-27
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1186/s12711-025-01016-7
- Citations
- 1
- Primary Topic
- Animal Nutrition and Physiology
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 1.19
Funders
- Vetenskapsrådet
- Sveriges Lantbruksuniversitet
- Science for Life Laboratory