Resonant frequencies of broiler chickens

Abstract

AbstractMotion is one of the many stressors experienced by broiler chickens during transport. If the resonant frequency of the viscera or whole body corresponds to that of the transporter, the welfare of the birds is likely to be compromised. A vibrating beam technique was used to measure the resonant frequencies of 22 birds which increased in weight from 0·75 to 4·5 kg over 32 days. For a 2-kg bird, the frequencies of 14·6 (s.e. 0·6) Hz when sitting and 3·7 (s.e. 0·8) Hz when standing lie close to the measured resonances of transporters making it likely that bird welfare is compromised due to vibration and motion during transport.