Keel bone fractures affect the majority of laying hens in cage-free systems and are a leading source of pain. Understanding and addressing this often-overlooked welfare problem is a research priority.
Keel bone fractures in laying hens represent an underappreciated welfare problem that complicates the cage-free transition narrative. The welfare improvements from cage-free systems - freedom of movement, nesting, dustbathing, perching - are real and important. But the simultaneously high rates of painful keel bone fractures in the same systems represent a welfare cost that must be addressed rather than ignored. A hen with a fractured keel bone experiences pain during normal activities including perching, reaching the feeder, and nesting. The transition to cage-free systems, while the right direction for welfare, must be accompanied by serious effort to reduce keel fractures through system design, perch placement, genetics, and nutrition. Better welfare is the goal - not just cage-free as an end point.