The objective of the experiment was to determine the biochemical, morphometrics and biomechanical aspects of femur bones of broilers. It was used six hundred male and female broilers at one day of age from three different lines (Hb1 and Hb2 - UFV and Hb3 - commercial). They were fed ad libitum on starter (1 to 21 days), grower (22 to 35 days) and finisher (36 to 42 days) rations. The experimental design was completely randomized, in a factorial arrangement 3 × 2 (three lines and two sexes) with 5 replicates and 10 birds per experimental unit (box). The weight, length, cross-sectional area, moment of inertia, maximum load, modulus of elasticity, bending strength, collagenous and non collagenous proteins and body weight of the broilers were evaluated in the femur. At 21, 28, 35 and 42 days of age, one male and one female of each line were randomly selected per box, in a total of five boxes per line. Among lines, Hb3 presented higher superior body weight in all ages, and among sexes, the males were heavier. The strength of maximum load was higher for the males and lines HB3 was higher than HB1and equal to HB2 at 42 days of age. The worst results of elasticity and bending strength at 42 days of age were observed in males from line HB2, which did not differ from HB3 regarded to bending at 42 days of age and to elasticity measured in all ages, which characterizes low bone quality of the males and line HB3. Biomechanical aspects of femurs bones, as modulus of elasticity and bending strength, to correct and avoid bone damages of broilers due to their heavier weight.
femur; hybrids; mineral; sex
