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Do laying hens with keel bone fractures experience pain?
Mohammed A F Nasr1, Christine J Nicol, Joanna C Murrell
1School of Veterinary Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom.
Plos One
|August 29, 2012
Summary
Keel bone fractures in laying hens, common in cage-free systems, may cause pain. Analgesic treatment improved mobility, suggesting hens experience pain from fractures, impacting their welfare.
Area of Science:
- Animal Welfare Science
- Veterinary Medicine
- Animal Physiology
Background:
- European ban on battery cages led to increased use of non-cage systems.
- Non-cage systems are associated with a higher prevalence of keel bone fractures in laying hens.
- The impact of keel bone fractures on bird welfare and pain perception is not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To provide proof of concept that analgesic drugs improve mobility in laying hens with keel bone fractures.
- To contribute to the debate on birds' capacity to experience pain.
- To investigate if keel bone fractures are associated with pain in laying hens.
Main Methods:
- Administration of butorphanol (an analgesic) and saline to laying hens with and without keel bone fractures.
- Measurement of latency to land from perches at different heights (50, 100, 150 cm).
- Assessment of mobility indices before and after treatment.
Main Results:
- Butorphanol significantly decreased landing latency in hens with keel bone fractures compared to saline treatment.
- Mobility indices remained largely unchanged in hens without keel bone fractures after butorphanol administration.
- Improved ability to perform complex behaviors suggests butorphanol's analgesic effect.
Conclusions:
- This study provides evidence that laying hens with keel bone fractures experience pain.
- Analgesic treatment can improve mobility in hens with keel bone fractures.
- Findings have significant implications for the welfare of laying hens in non-cage and furnished cage systems.
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