A longitudinal study of woody breast in broiler condemnations and associated risk factors from an Alberta abattoir

Woody breast (WB) is a prominent growth-related defect affecting chicken meat quality and animal welfare and may contribute to economic loss through carcass condemnation. This study aimed to characterize truckload-level patterns involving WB-type condemnation during whole-bird inspection at a federally inspected abattoir in Alberta, Canada, and to further examine its associations with other rejection causes and potential contributing factors. Data from 13,849 truckloads representing 112 growers (April 2021-March 2024) were analyzed. Rejections due to dead-on-arrival (DOA) and condemnations recorded during postmortem inspection totaled 1.56% of broilers, with subcutaneous issues (0.77%), DOA (0.36%), WB-type condemnation (0.18%), ascites (0.11%), and dark-colored carcasses (0.08%) being the primary causes. Liver conditions (0.05%) and respiratory issues (0.03%) frequently co-occurred with WB-type condemnation, DOA, and ascites, with their within-load proportions often exceeded the respective medians when occurring together. These conditions were more common during cold seasons and in raised without antibiotics (RWA) systems, whereas subcutaneous issues were more prevalent during warm seasons and in systems not strictly limited to RWA. Higher average body weight and relatively younger age were associated with increased DOA, ascites, and WB-type condemnation even within the commercially targeted range. Greater within-load weight heterogeneity was also associated with condemnation causes, particularly respiratory and liver conditions. Clear-off loads showed higher proportions of WB-type condemnations and dark-colored carcasses, but lower rates of subcutaneous issues. These findings describe truckload-level patterns of association and may help inform management strategies to reduce condemnation burden, including WB-related defects.