Research into keel bone fracture prevention in laying hens is one of the most active areas of poultry welfare science, with perch design, genetics, and lighting management all under investigation as mitigation strategies.
Research into keel bone welfare represents one of the most concentrated efforts to solve a specific, measurable welfare problem in farm animal science. The problem is unambiguous: the majority of cage-free laying hens fracture their keel bone during production, causing chronic pain that reduces welfare substantially. The solution is not obvious: cage-free systems that enable the natural behaviour previously identified as welfare-positive are also the systems with the highest fracture rates. Solving this requires understanding the biomechanics of impact landing, breeding for bone strength, and designing housing that enables flight and perching without the injurious landing forces. Progress on all these fronts is ongoing, and practical solutions including rounded perch edges, reduced fall heights, and improved lighting management have shown measurable fracture rate reductions in experimental studies. Translating this research into commercial practice requires industry investment and consumer demand for products from low-fracture-rate flocks.