Study to reduce bone fracture rate
A new three-year study into keel bone fractures has been given a grant of £532,000 by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC).
The study is to be led by researchers from the University of Bristol, and hopes to reduce bone fracture rates in laying hens, which is a major economic and welfare problem, with some free range systems seeing 80 per cent of hens suffering bone breakages.
With the 2012 EU ban on battery cage systems, as many as 30 million hens will be housed in alternative systems, largely free range. This could equate to around 24 million hens suffering bone breakages every year in the UK.
Collisions are thought to be the main cause of keel bone fractures in free range systems, but the difficulty in observing the breaks as they happen prevents a complete understanding of the issue.
Egg marketing company Noble Foods are to play a key role in overcoming this problem for the new research, by providing open and free access to their varied housing systems.
The study will begin by creating a mathematical model, replicating bird characteristics such as weight, age and the mechanical properties of the keel bone, as well as collision factors such as impact energy. The model will predict the likelihood and severity of fractures by helping to understand how these elements interact.
The model will then use live birds wearing specially designed vests fitted with tri-axial accelerometers, to measure the energy and frequency of impacts the birds experience. These will then be used to compare the frequency and severity of breakages within different housing systems.
Lead researcher Dr John Tarlton hopes that as a result of the findings, producers will be able to modify key elements of bird housing or physiology to "substantially reduce fracture rates."
He added: "If successful, this study will greatly improve the health and welfare of laying hens, enhance consumer attitudes to egg production, and promote the sustainability of the UK egg industry.”
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