Table 7.
LS Means of the effects of system, density and week of age on lymphoid organs of commercial-line broilers 1.
| Item | Spleen Weight (g) | Spleen RW (%) | Bursa Weight (g) | Bursa RW (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| System | ||||
| Outdoor access | 3.17 ± 0.64 b | 0.09 ± 0.02 b | 4.18 ± 1.05 b | 0.12 ± 0.03 |
| Indoors | 3.73 ± 0.85 a | 0.10 ± 0.02 a | 4.96 ± 1.06 a | 0.14 ± 0.03 |
| Density | ||||
| Low | 3.67 ± 0.89 | 0.10 ± 0.02 | 4.38 ± 1.02 | 0.12 ± 0.03 |
| High | 3.24 ± 0.67 | 0.09 ± 0.02 | 4.76 ± 1.20 | 0.14 ± 0.04 |
| Main effect, p-value | ||||
| System | 0.003 | 0.02 | 0.009 | 0.08 |
| Density | 0.08 | 0.17 | 0.32 | 0.15 |
| Interaction, p-value | ||||
| Sys × Den | 0.75 | 0.76 | 0.15 | 0.046 |
1 Based on a total of 32 samples. RW = Relative weight; Sys = System; Den = Density; Week = Week of age. LS Means in the same column with different superscript letters indicate statistically significant differences (Tukey’s HSD test; p ≤ 0.05).