Keel bone fractures affect a majority of laying hens in most production systems worldwide, causing chronic pain. Understanding this widespread welfare issue drives improvements in housing design, genetics, and management.
Keel bone fractures cause chronic pain in a majority of laying hens across all production systems. The welfare significance of this near-universal condition is profound — most eggs produced globally come from hens experiencing ongoing skeletal pain. Pain assessment research confirms that hens with fractures show pain-related behaviours and preferentially consume analgesic-containing food. Addressing keel bone welfare requires a combination of genetic selection for stronger bones, better housing design, and perch modifications. This is one of the most important unsolved welfare problems in commercial poultry production.