The fracture of the sternum is affected, for example, by the strong and early laying of chickens.
Large some laying hens suffer from sternal fractures, recent studies say.
Because of their prevalence, sternal fractures are one of the worst welfare problems for laying hens in the poultry industry.
Danish researchers in the report in 2021, the prevalence of sternal fractures in laying hens and their mothers in their final stages of laying was examined.
The study looked at conventional floor channels, organic channels, outdoor channels and stimulus channels, as well as genetically diverse channel lines.
The incidence of fractures in stimulus cages ranged from 50% to 98%. In floor ducts, the incidence of fractures ranged from 53% to 100%.
The results also showed that it was common for one bird to have multiple sternal fractures. Between 5% and 81% of birds affected by the fracture had more than four fractures.
Asiaa has been studied extensively in recent years and similar information has been obtained from many different countries, says the university lecturer Eija Kaukonen From the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of the University of Helsinki.
In Finland, the prevalence of sternal lesions has not yet been precisely investigated, but the need for research has been recognized. According to Kaukonen, it can be assumed that the situation is similar here as well.
“The same processed products are used here, the structures of the hens are similar and the feeding takes place mainly according to the same instructions as in the rest of the world.”
As a result, the consumer is uncertain about the welfare of chickens with regard to sternal fractures when purchasing eggs.
Breast fractures have become more common worldwide in the last twenty years, which may also be partly due to changes in research methods, Kaukonen says.
In the earliest studies, chickens were often examined from above by palpation. Thus, fractures are more easily found in fractures, which are also common in laying hens.
“When various X-rays and carcass openings were added to the examinations, the fracture situation has become better.”
It was also previously thought that sternal fractures in chickens are caused mainly by external causes, when the chickens collide with, for example, chicken structures. However, recent studies have found that fractures occur regardless of habitat.
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“Fractures are painful and increase the severity of the problem.”
Exact the cause of the fractures is not yet known. According to Kaukonen, fractures are probably the sum of many factors.
“It is influenced by, among other things, the intensive laying of chickens, the laying of eggs at an early stage, the feeding factors, the behavior of the chickens and probably to some extent the structures of the hens as well.”
If laying is started early, the chicken’s lime reserves are used for laying and their sternum does not have time to ossify, making it more prone to fractures.
“Fractures are painful and increase the severity of the problem.”
Breast distortions have also occurred in hobby hens and jungle hens living in research institutes, Kaukonen says. The problems are therefore not due to processing alone.
“I take fractures and their prevalence very seriously. Much more research is needed into the factors that cause them, in order to be able to address the factors that can prevent them. ”
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