Veterinary advice should be sought from your local veterinarian before applying any treatment or vaccine. Not sure who to use? Look up veterinarians who specialize in poultry using our directory listing. Find me a Vet

Keel Bone Injury

Keel bone injuries are a major welfare problem in free range laying hens and are reported to affect between 56 to 97% of hens per flock. The keel bone is a prominent bone in chickens that extends outward from their breast, serving as the point of attachment for their wing flight muscles.

Hens with keel bone injuries often suffer from long-term chronic pain, depending on the severity of the injury and extent of damage to the sensory nerves. Keel bone injuries may prevent hens from perching with other flock members or taking them longer to fly down from perches.

Causes of Keel Bone Injuries

Keel bone injuries are caused by collisions with other hens, solid objects, and falling from any height.

Which Chickens are Most at Risk of Keel Bone Injuries

Keel bone injuries are more likely to occur in hens with weak bones, or existing deviations caused by long-term pressure on the keel bone, such as a poorly designed perch.

Clinical Signs

Reluctance to move

Decreased activity

Muscle atrophy

Lameness

Loss of appetite

Depression

Weakness

Diagnosis

History
Clinical signs
Physical exam
Radiographs

Treatment

Name	Summary
Supportive care	Isolate injured bird from the rest of the flock, in a quiet, warm, comfortable recovery area for 3-4 weeks. Perform a body wrap using bandage material, to minimize wing movement. Make sure to wrap above and below at least one wing in order to prevent the bandage from slipping.
Lower perch height

Support

Prevention

Install perches lower to the ground (less than 30 in (77 cm) above the ground)
Design perches so that inter-perch distances are less than 24 in (60cm) apart
Supplementing diet with Omega-3 fatty acids
Using soft perches
Let hens of plenty of daily physical activity during growth, to help them increase their bone strength.

Scientific References

Armstrong, E. A., et al.. Keel bone fractures induce a depressive-like state in laying hens Scientific Reports 10.1 (2020)
Baker, Sydney L., et al.. Keel impacts and associated behaviors in laying hens Applied animal behaviour science 222 (2020)
Thøfner, Ida, et al. Pathological characterization of keel bone fractures in laying hens does not support external trauma as the underlying cause PloS one 15.3 (2020)
Baur, Sarah, et al.. Radiographic Evaluation of Keel Bone Damage in Laying Hens—Morphologic and Temporal Observations in a Longitudinal Study Frontiers in Veterinary Science 7 (2020)
Eusemann, Beryl Katharina, et al. The Role of Egg Production in the Etiology of Keel Bone Damage in Laying Hens Frontiers in Veterinary Science 7 (2020)
Regmi P, Nelson N, Steibel JP, Anderson KE, Karcher DM.. Comparisons of bone properties and keel deformities between strains and housing systems in end-of-lay hens. Poult Sci. (2016)
Stratmann A, Fröhlich EK, Gebhardt-Henrich SG, Harlander-Matauschek A, Würbel H, Toscano MJ.. Genetic selection to increase bone strength affects prevalence of keel bone damage and egg parameters in commercially housed laying hens. Poult Sci. (2016)
Heerkens JL, Delezie E, Rodenburg TB, Kempen I, Zoons J, Ampe B, Tuyttens FA.. Risk factors associated with keel bone and foot pad disorders in laying hens housed in aviary systems. Poultry Science (2015)
Gebhardt-Henrich SG, Fröhlich EK.. Early Onset of Laying and Bumblefoot Favor Keel Bone Fractures. Animals (2015)
Casey-Trott T, Heerkens JL, Petrik M, Regmi P, Schrader L, Toscano MJ, Widowski T.. Methods for assessment of keel bone damage in poultry. Poultry Science (2015)
Toscano MJ, Booth F, Wilkins LJ, Avery NC, Brown SB, Richards G, Tarlton JF.. The effects of long (C20/22) and short (C18) chain omega-3 fatty acids on keel bone fractures, bone biomechanics, behavior, and egg production in free-range laying hens. Poult Sci. (2015)
Petrik MT, Guerin MT, Widowski TM.. On-farm comparison of keel fracture prevalence and other welfare indicators in conventional cage and floor-housed laying hens in Ontario, Canada. Poultry Science (2015)
Stratmann A, Fröhlich EK, Harlander-Matauschek A, Schrader L, Toscano MJ, Würbel H, Gebhardt-Henrich SG.. Soft perches in an aviary system reduce incidence of keel bone damage in laying hens. PLoS One (2015)
Nasr MA, Nicol CJ, Wilkins L, Murrell JC.. The effects of two non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs on the mobility of laying hens with keel bone fractures Vet Anaesth Analg (2015)
A O'Connor, R Dzikamunhenga, S Totton, D Wolfe, J Sargeant, J Glanville, H Wood. Systematic Review of the effect of perch height on keep bone fractures, deformation and injuries, bone strength, food lesions and perching behavior European Food Safety Authority (2015)
Petrik MT1, Guerin MT, Widowski TM.. Keel fracture assessment of laying hens by palpation: inter-observer reliability and accuracy Veterinary Research (2013)
Nasr MA, Murrell J, Nicol CJ.. The effect of keel fractures on egg production, feed and water consumption in individual laying hens British Poultry Science (2013)
Nasr MA, Nicol CJ, Murrell JC. Do laying hens with keel bone fractures experience pain? PLoS One (2012)
Wilkins LJ, McKinstry JL, Avery NC, Knowles TG, Brown SN, . Influence of housing system and design on bone strength and keel bone fractures in laying hens. Veterinary Research (2011)
Käppeli S, Gebhardt-Henrich SG, Fröhlich E, Pfulg A, Stoffel MH. Prevalence of keel bone deformities in Swiss laying hens British Poultry Science (2011)
W Clark, W Cox, F Silversides. Bone Fracture Incidence in End-of-Lay High-Producing, Noncommercial Laying Hens Identified Using Radiographs Poultry Science Vol 87 Issue 10 Pp. 1964-1970 (2008)
Wilkins LJ, Brown SN, Zimmerman PH, Leeb C, Nicol CJ.. Investigation of palpation as a method for determining the prevalence of keel and furculum damage in laying hens Veterinary Research (2004)
Fleming RH1, McCormack HA, McTeir L, Whitehead CC. Incidence, pathology and prevention of keel bone deformities in the laying hen British Poultry Science (2004)

Age Range

Hens have an increased risk of keel bone deformities with age

Risk Factors

High perches
Improperly designed perch layout
Rough handling