1. Possible risk factors for keel bone damage in organic laying hens
- Author
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Stefan Gunnarsson, Christine Brenninkmeyer, Knut Niebuhr, Ute Knierim, Jasper Heerkens, L. K. Hinrichsen, P. Ferrari, M.W.P. Bestman, and Lisa Jung
- Subjects
PERCHES ,epidemiological study ,Sternum ,Health and welfare ,Spearman's rank correlation coefficient ,Laying ,0403 veterinary science ,Fractures, Bone ,Risk Factors ,STRENGTH ,Prevalence ,DEFORMITIES ,Animal Husbandry ,Organic Agriculture ,EGG-PRODUCTION ,04 agricultural and veterinary sciences ,Housing, Animal ,Animal culture ,Visual inspection ,Europe ,Female ,Underweight ,medicine.symptom ,keel bone deviation ,040301 veterinary sciences ,Biology ,Animal Welfare ,SF1-1100 ,PARAMETERS ,Bone and Bones ,Animal science ,FRACTURES ,SYSTEMS ,Linear regression ,medicine ,Animals ,Poultry Diseases ,0402 animal and dairy science ,040201 dairy & animal science ,keel bone fractures ,welfare ,Cross-Sectional Studies ,palpation ,Mann–Whitney U test ,INJURIES ,Animal Science and Zoology ,Flock ,Keel (bird anatomy) ,Chickens - Abstract
Keel bone damage (KBD) in laying hens is an important welfare problem in both conventional and organic egg production systems. We aimed to identify possible risk factors for KBD in organic hens by analysing cross-sectional data of 107 flocks assessed in eight European countries. Due to partly missing data, the final multiple regression model was based on data from 50 flocks. Keel bone damage included fractures and/or deviations, and was recorded, alongside with other animal based measures, by palpation and visual inspection of at least 50 randomly collected hens per flock between 52 and 73 weeks of age. Management and housing data were obtained by interviews, inspection and by feed analysis. Keel bone damage flock prevalences ranged from 3% to 88%. Compiled on the basis of literature and practical experience, 26 potential associative factors of KBD went into an univariable selection by Spearman correlation analysis or Mann–Whitney U test (with P
- Published
- 2019
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