Table 2.

Effects of eggshell temperature in week 2 and week 3 of incubation on tibia biophysical characteristics at day 41 or 42 of age in male broiler chickens.

Variable	Tibia osseous volume (cm3)	Tibia pore volume (cm3)	Tibia total volume (cm3)	Tibia volume fraction (BV/TV, %)	Tibia mineral content (g)	Tibia mineral density (g/cm2)
EST week 2
37.8°C	25.6b	5.1b	30.8b	85	16.0	0.29
38.9°C	30.6a	5.8a	36.5a	85	16.7	0.31
SEM	0.5	0.2	0.7	0.6	0.2	0.01
EST week 3
36.7°C	27.9	5.6	33.6	84b	16.5	0.30
37.8°C	28.2	5.4	33.7	86a	16.2	0.30
SEM	0.5	0.2	0.7	0.6	0.2	0.01
EST week2 × week3
37.8 × 36.7°C	25.7	5.5	31.4	83	16.6a	0.30a
37.8 × 37.8°C	25.4	4.7	30.2	87	15.3b	0.27b
38.9 × 36.7°C	30.2	5.6	35.8	85	16.4a	0.29a,b
38.9 × 37.8°C	31.0	6.0	37.1	86	17.0a	0.32a
SEM	0.7	0.3	0.9	0.8	0.3	0.01
P-values
EST week 2	<0.001	0.05	<0.001	0.74	0.006	0.03
EST week 3	0.72	0.61	0.94	0.008	0.18	0.91
EST week 2 × week 3	0.45	0.12	0.17	0.14	0.001	0.002

^a-b Values within a column and factor lacking a common superscript differ (P ≤ 0.05).

Abbreviations: EST, eggshell temperature.