Keel bone fractures affect laying hens' mobility, but no evidence for reciprocal effects.

ABSTRACT: Keel bone fractures (KBF) are prevalent in commercial laying hens and are considered one of the greatest welfare concerns in the egg-production industry. While clear associations exist between KBF and animal mobility, suggesting that KBF impair mobility, the effect of mobility on KBF remains unclear. We combined data from three studies that assessed keel bone fracture severity through radiographs and monitored hens' transitions between different zones of a multi-tier aviary system (the three tiers, a littered floor, and a winter garden) the week prior to radiograph. For each hen, we extracted two daily movement behaviours: the vertical distance travelled and the mean number of zones crossed within one transition; and two daily space-use behaviours: the time spent in the top tier and the un

SUBMITTER: Montalcini CM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11226069 | biostudies-literature | 2024

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature