Assessing keel health in commercial laying hens and potential methods for improvement
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Bristol
Department Name: Clinical Veterinary Science
Abstract
Abstracts are not currently available in GtR for all funded research. This is normally because the abstract was not required at the time of proposal submission, but may be because it included sensitive information such as personal details.
Organisations
Publications
Buijs S
(2018)
Behavioural and physiological responses of laying hens to automated monitoring equipment.
in Applied animal behaviour science
Casey-Trott T
(2015)
Methods for assessment of keel bone damage in poultry.
in Poultry science
Harlander-Matauschek A
(2019)
Causes of keel bone damage and their solutions in laying hens
in World's Poultry Science Journal
| Description | The international workshop attended by key UK and US researchers in the field of poultry welfare and bone biology constituting the major opinion leaders in the field, was convened in Bern Switzerland. The major outcome from this was a technical leaflet, endorsed by all the delegates, detailing the nature and extent of the problem, how best to assess this, and defining all the terms associated with the field. This is now used as a reference document for research groups internationally. |
| Exploitation Route | The guidelines established as part of this award are used by principle researchers and opinion leaders in the field. |
| Sectors | Agriculture, Food and Drink |
| Description | A collaboration between US Partnering Grant members (specifically Michigan State University and Purdue University), University of Bristol, and University of Bern, and a US based nutrition company (Alltech) to fund a trial using a specific omega-3 product in an effort to reduce keel bone damage. Alltech Nutrition contributed 29,688 USD, plus their specialty omega-3 product, valued at an additional 1,000 USD. - Work on the project is completed. - Funds were used for a 2014 Collaborative meeting in Bern, Switzerland Prof Tarlton (PI) and Dr Toscano (Co-I) organised a NE1442 Scientific meeting in Bern, Switzerland, Bringing 18 US collaborators together with 24 UK and other EU collaborators, co funded by USDA education grants and The Federal Government of Switzerland, alongside BBSRC funding for UK and US delegates. Dr. Toscano (Co-I) organized and chaired a symposia on Keel Bone Damage at the US Poultry Science meeting in July 2015 where Partnering Funds were used to support travel fees of the various participants Dr. Tarlton (grant PI) and gave a keynote presentation at the symposia. Additional funding (4,000 USD in total plus travel expenses for 1 speaker) was also received from two industrial partners for the symposia (Alltech Nutrition, Hendrix Genetics) This project, and the collaboration it involved , has led to a major Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research grant in collaboration with UC Davis of £310,000. |
| Sector | Agriculture, Food and Drink |
| Impact Types | Societal,Economic |
| Description | Data-driven housing design to improve bone health and welfare in laying hens |
| Amount | £82,600 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | BB/L016842/1 |
| Organisation | Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 09/2014 |
| End | 08/2018 |
| Description | Development, validation and refinement of protocols to improve the welfare of pullets and laying hens |
| Amount | £32,100 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | BB/N021959/1 |
| Organisation | Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 06/2016 |
| End | 05/2019 |
| Description | Functional housing systems for high welfare in laying hens: promoting natural behaviors in safe environments |
| Amount | £540,500 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | BB/N00860X/1 |
| Organisation | Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 07/2016 |
| End | 06/2019 |
| Description | Functional housing systems for high welfare in laying hens: promoting natural behaviours in safe environments |
| Amount | £540,600 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | BB/N00860X/1 |
| Organisation | Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 06/2016 |
| End | 05/2019 |
| Description | GENESIS: Modular Insect Bioconversion System for On-site Animal Feed Production |
| Amount | £572,566 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | 104387 |
| Organisation | Innovate UK |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 11/2018 |
| End | 09/2020 |
| Description | Health and Welfare Consequences of Maladaptation of High-Producing Cross-Bred Dairy Cattle to Environmental Stressors in India |
| Amount | £39,000 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | BB/M027767/1 |
| Organisation | Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 07/2015 |
| End | 06/2017 |
| Description | Identifying causes and solutions of keel bone damage in laying hens |
| Amount | € 520 (EUR) |
| Funding ID | CA15224 |
| Organisation | European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | Belgium |
| Start | 02/2016 |
| End | 01/2020 |
| Description | Impacts of the rearing environment on keel bone integrity, spatial awareness abilities of laying hens |
| Amount | $431,998 (USD) |
| Organisation | Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| Country | United States |
| Start | 11/2018 |
| End | 10/2022 |
| Description | Increasing insect consumption by laying hens in free range systems to reduce feed costs, enhance food quality and improve welfare |
| Amount | £20,000 (GBP) |
| Organisation | The Soil Association |
| Sector | Learned Society |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 06/2015 |
| End | 10/2015 |
| Title | Development of twin sensor triaxial accelerometer |
| Description | The tri-axial accelerometer has included an innovative hardware development of combining two sensors, one within the main body of the unit, and another on the end of a cable. This allows the specially designed firmware to exclude impact data from one sensor only, and only records data when both accelerometers register an event. Therefore trivial and irrelevant information, such as pecks to one of the sensors, to be excluded. Other firmware advances are an either/or threshold. |
| Type Of Material | Physiological assessment or outcome measure |
| Year Produced | 2015 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | The hardware and firmware innovations built into this technological development has allowed precise measurements of hen activity and exposure to hazards, whilst excluding irrelevant information. This has been utilised by groups in the US and Switzerland. |
| Description | Effect of an Omega-3 diet in reducing keel fractures in laying hens |
| Organisation | Alltech |
| Country | Global |
| Sector | Private |
| PI Contribution | The research was carried out by us |
| Collaborator Contribution | They funded the research |
| Impact | o Funds were used for a 2014 Collaborative meeting in Bern, Switzerland |
| Start Year | 2014 |
| Description | Examine keel bone damage in caged systems using the logger system |
| Organisation | United States Egg Industry Centre |
| Country | United States |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | We examined keel bone damage in caged systems using the logger system developed by Drs Tarlton and Toscano |
| Collaborator Contribution | They funded the research |
| Impact | None |
| Start Year | 2014 |
| Description | Study of keel fractures in laying hens |
| Organisation | SDC Trailers |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Private |
| PI Contribution | Performing on-farm assessment of keel fractures Research activities relating to externally funded garnts |
| Collaborator Contribution | Funding a study Providing access to farms Partner on a number of grant applications (two funded) |
| Impact | Two successful grant applications (BBSRC and Soil Association) |
| Start Year | 2013 |