Dietary supplementation with glycosaminoglycans reduces locomotor problems in broiler chickens

Abstract This study aimed to assess the influence of glycosaminoglycan (chondroitin and glucosamine sulfates) supplementation in the diet on the performance and incidence of locomotor problems in broiler chickens. A completely randomized design was carried out in a 3 × 3 factorial scheme (three levels of chondroitin sulfate – 0, 0.05, and 0.10%; and three levels of glucosamine sulfate – 0, 0.15, and 0.30%). Each treatment was composed of six replications of 30 broilers each. The performance of broilers (average weight, weight gain, feed intake, feed conversion, and productive viability) were assessed at 7, 21, 35, and 42 days of age, while the gait score, valgus and varus deviations, femoral degeneration, and tibial dyschondroplasia were assessed at 21 and 42 days of age. Increasing levels of glucosamine sulfate inclusion linearly increased the weight gain from 1 to 35 and 1 to 42 days of age of broilers (P = 0.047 and P = 0.039, respectively), frequency of broilers with no femoral degeneration in the right and left femurs, and the proliferating cartilage area of proximal epiphysis at 42 days of age (P = 0.014, P