Keel bone fractures affect the majority of laying hens in most production systems. This painful, underdiagnosed condition represents one of the most significant welfare challenges in egg production.
Keel bone fractures represent a massive, largely invisible welfare crisis in egg production. Unlike lameness (visible in movement) or feather pecking (visible on the body), keel bone fractures are internal injuries that require palpation or imaging to detect — meaning they go undiagnosed and untreated in the vast majority of cases on commercial farms. Yet affected hens show clear behavioral evidence of pain: reduced perch use, altered wing posture, avoidance of physical contact, and grimace scale changes. The chronic nature of the pain — fractures in laying hens rarely heal properly during the production cycle — means that the majority of hens in most egg production systems are living with ongoing pain. Addressing keel bone fractures requires both better system design (lower perch heights, softer landings, better feed for bone density) and selective breeding for fracture resistance.