Red chickens from the neck up standing in a row within a commercial livestock setting Red chickens from the neck up standing in a row within a commercial livestock setting

Layer Hen Keel Bone Health Program

Bone fractures, which cause pain and decrease egg production, are one known challenge to raising hens in cage-free housing systems and are particularly prevalent in the keel, or breastbone. To address this issue, the Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research (FFAR) and Open Philanthropy are launching the Keel Bone Health program to decrease the occurrence of keel bone injuries and improve welfare in commercial laying hens.
Bone fractures, which cause pain and decrease egg production, are one known challenge to raising hens in cage-free housing systems and are particularly prevalent in the keel, or breastbone. To address this issue, the Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research (FFAR) and Open Philanthropy are launching the Keel Bone Health program to decrease the occurrence of keel bone injuries and improve welfare in commercial laying hens.

Scientific Program Director

Nikki Dutta
ndutta@foundationfar.org

Development Contact

Lauren Hershey
lhershey@foundationfar.org

This program is not accepting applications.

About the Layer Hen Keel Bone Health Program

Keel bone damage (KBD) is deviations or fractures of a hen’s breastbone. KBD is a complex problem caused by housing design problems, genetics, behavior, rearing practices, feed and nutrition and other factors.

Continuous high egg production in commercial hens may cause increased bone fragility and susceptibility to fractures due to the high calcium requirement to produce eggs. The keel bone is prone to fractures due to the anatomical position. Collision with housing structures combined with the weakened bone strength is considered the major risk factors for keel bone fractures in layer hens.

This program is a continuation of FFAR and the Open Philanthropy’s 2017 initial call for research to reduce keel bone fractures in egg-laying hens. However, FFAR and Open Philanthropy recognize the need for additional investment to address this wide-ranging issue and to significantly improve keel bone health at commercial scale.

Through the Keel Bone Health Program, FFAR and Open Philanthropy are seeking larger, cross-disciplinary approaches in which scientists and economists collaborate with egg farmers, breeding companies, equipment manufacturers and other stakeholders to develop interventions and measure progress on this issue.

Awarded Grants for the Layer Hen Keel Bone Health Program

A holistic approach to improving keel bone health of breeders and commercial layer hens

Year Awarded  2023

FFAR award amount   $1,499,686

Total award amount   $2,999,372

Location   Davis, CA

Program   Layer Hen Keel Bone Health Program

Matching Funders   Hy-Line International; Open Philanthropy

Grantee Institution   University of California, Davis

Using the power of functional genomics and genetics to reduce keel bone damage

Year Awarded  2023

FFAR award amount   $1,489,326

Total award amount   $3,991,105

Location   Edinburgh, United Kingdom

Program   Layer Hen Keel Bone Health Program

Matching Funders   Hy-Line International; Lohmann Breeders GmbH; Open Philanthropy; Roslin Institute, University of Edinburgh; Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences; Universidad de Granada; University of Alberta

Grantee Institution   University of Edinburgh

FFAR Awards $1.4 Million to Purdue University, University of California, Davis and University of Edinburgh Researchers to Improve Health and Productivity of Egg-Laying Hens

Year Awarded  2018

FFAR award amount   $486,594

Total award amount   $486,594

Location   Midlothian, SC

Program   Layer Hen Keel Bone Health Program

Matching Funders   Open Philanthropy Project

Grantee Institution   University of Edinburgh

See all Layer Hen Keel Bone Health Awarded Grants 

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The Latest

News

The latest news and updates from FFAR.

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Improving Layer Hen Welfare with Better Bone Health

Breakthroughs

Tools, technologies and strategies from the research we fund.

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Radiography could transform poultry breeding

Breakthrough for FFAR Awards $1.4 Million to Purdue University, University of California, Davis and University of Edinburgh Researchers to Improve Health and Productivity of Egg-Laying Hens

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