Keel bone fractures affect the majority of laying hens in enriched colony cages and aviary systems, causing chronic pain throughout a hen life.
Keel bone fractures represent a chronic welfare problem affecting the majority of commercially kept laying hens in many welfare-certified systems. The irony is acute: aviary systems were promoted as a welfare improvement over conventional cages because they allow hens to move freely — yet that freedom of movement, without adequate infrastructure design, causes the fractures that cause chronic pain. The solution is not to return to cages but to design aviaries that minimise fracture risk: padded landing areas beneath perches, perch heights that allow controlled descent, and calcium supplementation to maintain bone density. Research in this area is active and solutions are available but not yet universally implemented.