Plasma alkaline phosphatase as a screening test for low zinc status in broiler hybrid chickens affected with 'clubbed down'.

Broiler chickens affected by 'clubbed down' on a number of Victorian farms had low liver zinc concentrations and low plasma alkaline phosphatase activities. The results indicated that the zinc status of affected flocks should be considered in future studies and that measurement of plasma alkaline phosphatase activity may be a useful means of screening large numbers of samples. Nutritional and genetic factors may be involved in the aetiology of 'clubbed down'.