The association between range usage and tibial quality in commercial free-range laying hens

ABSTRACT

1. Bone tissue adapts continuously to metabolic calcium demands, as well as to external forces due to physical weight loading subject to hen movement. Limited calcium metabolism and, subsequently, its availability from the medullary bone, is a major factor contributing to reduced eggshell quality in hens in the late laying period (>60 weeks of age).

2. Increasing physical activity and biomechanical loading during hen rearing has been demonstrated to increase skeletal strength, enhancing bone mass as well as endocortical and periosteal bone metabolism. Presently, the consequences of range use during lay on bone quality characteristics in laying hens remain unknown.

3.The aims of this study were to characterise tibiotarsal bone indices and evaluate the impact of range access during lay on tibia bone quality in commercial free-range laying hens.

4. This exploratory study described and analysed the volumetric measurements, morphological mechanical and trabeculae indices of the tibiotarsal bone of 48 Lohmann Brown laying hens at 74 weeks of age. All bone parameters were obtained using micro-computed tomography and correlated with individual hen range use.

5. Range usage throughout lay was not associated with tibial trabecular architecture (bone volume and fraction, trabecular thickness, trabecular connectivity density and structural model index), or any other morphological characteristics (breaking strength, diaphyseal diameter, bone weight and bone mineral density) of the tibia (P > 0.05) when hens were 74 weeks of age.

6. The results demonstrated a large variation in individual bone characteristics and suggested that range usage was not associated with bone quality in commercial free-range laying hens used in this study. In conclusion, the bone health of free-range commercial laying hens may be positively impacted by other features, such as hen genetics, feed, the quality of pullet rearing, perch availability or other shed equipment, and the benefits of these variables exceed the benefit of range use.

KEYWORDS:

• Calcium
• bone
• health
• metabolism
• poultry
• welfare

Acknowledgments

This research was conducted within the Poultry CRC, established and supported under the Australian Government’s Cooperative Research Centres Program. We thank Australian Eggs for providing financial support under sub-project 1UN151. We thank the commercial farm involved for outstanding support in all areas including the use of infrastructure, excellent communication and teamwork.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.