A Mathematical Modelling approach to defining factors which cause keel fractures in free range laying hens

定义导致散养蛋鸡龙骨骨折的因素的数学模型方法

• 批准号: BB/K001906/1
• 负责人: John Tarlton
• 金额: $ 68.53万
• 依托单位: University of Bristol
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Research Grant
• 财政年份: 2013
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2013 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=BB%2FK001906%2F1
• 关键词: Mathematical; Modelling; approach; defining; factors

Skeletal health in laying hens is a major problem, reducing profitability, creating a poor public perception of egg production, and influencing consumer choice. Recent studies showed up to 80% of free range hens suffer keel bone breakage. Thus, despite many welfare benefits over battery cages, free range systems present unique and urgent economic and welfare problems. The 2012 EU ban on battery cage systems required that 18 million birds be "transferred" to alternative systems, mostly free range - equating to a potential 14 million more hens suffering bone breakage each year in the UK. The industry views this as unsustainable, and DEFRA regards this as a major welfare concern. Egg production in the UK is an important wealth creator, worth £868 million/year, but its narrow profit margins make it particularly vulnerable to market forces. The UK is entirely compliant with the 2012 battery cage ban, however this is not the case for most EU countries, and it is forecast that 23% of EU eggs will be produced illegally, with cheap imports a particular threat to the UK industry. Therefore resolution of these welfare and productivity problems is particularly timely, and falls within the BBSRC priority areas of Food Security, Animal Health, Welfare of Managed Animals, Data Driven Biology, Collaborative Research with Users, Systems Approaches to the Biosciences, Livestock Production and Research to Inform Public Policy.Collisions within housing structures are believed to be the principle cause of keel fractures. However, difficulties in observing breaks as they happen prevent a clear understanding of the critical factors associated either with the hen or the particular impact which determines the occurrence or severity of a fracture. A lack of knowledge as to which factors are causal in keel fractures, prevents steps being taken to alleviate these in an informed and objective manner.This study will replicate keel fractures in an ex-vivo impact testing system, allowing precise quantitation of bird factors such as weight, age, keel strength and compliance, and collision factors such as impact energy and material compliance, and directly relate these to the occurrence and severity of keel fractures. We will use a novel mathematical modelling approach that will define which factors influence fracture occurrence and provide a "risk assessment" of fractures in an individual bird or housed flock of given characteristics. The model will be validated using live birds placed in two contrary housing environments designed to provide low and high energy flights. Birds will be fitted with "impact loggers" (already correlated with the impact testing system) to determine the energies associated with arrested flights. Individual bird factors will be determined (as described above) at the end of the housing period, and keel breaks assessed. In this way the model predictions will be tested against actual fractures at individual bird and housing system level. On-farm studies will determine kinetic energy profiles of particular commercial housing types which we have previously shown to have widely differing fracture rates. Our impact monitors will provide a physical measure of housing risk, and allow us to test the model in predicting fractures in commercial settings.The outcomes from this study will allow commercial housing systems to be functionally assessed for their projected keel breakage risk, and will identify key elements of housing design or bird physiology that may be targeted by producers or policy makers to reduce fracture rates. Such a prospective "risk assessment" could be used to evaluate effects of housing changes within days rather than months. Therefore this study has the potential to greatly improve the health and welfare of laying hens, the public attitudes to egg production, and the profitability and sustainability of the UK egg industry in the face of difficulties arising from the EU ban on battery cage systems.

蛋鸡的骨骼健康是一个主要问题，它会降低盈利能力，造成公众对产蛋量的不良认知，并影响消费者的选择。最近的研究表明，高达 80% 的散养母鸡发生龙骨骨折。因此，尽管散养系统比笼舍有许多福利优势，但它却带来了独特而紧迫的经济和福利问题。 2012年欧盟对笼式笼系统的禁令要求将1800万只鸡“转移”到替代系统，其中大部分是自由放养——相当于英国每年可能有1400万只母鸡遭受骨折。业界认为这是不可持续的，DEFRA 认为这是一个主要的福利问题。英国的鸡蛋生产是重要的财富创造者，每年价值 8.68 亿英镑，但其狭窄的利润率使其特别容易受到市场力量的影响。英国完全遵守 2012 年的笼式笼禁令，但大多数欧盟国家的情况并非如此，预计 23% 的欧盟鸡蛋将是非法生产的，廉价进口产品对英国产业构成特别威胁。因此，解决这些福利和生产力问题尤为及时，并且属于 BBSRC 的优先领域：粮食安全、动物健康、管理动物福利、数据驱动生物学、与用户的合作研究、生物科学系统方法、畜牧生产和为公共政策提供信息的研究。住房结构内的碰撞被认为是龙骨骨折的主要原因。然而，观察断裂发生的困难阻碍了对与母鸡相关的关键因素或决定断裂发生或严重程度的特定影响的清晰理解。由于缺乏对哪些因素导致龙骨断裂的了解，无法采取措施以知情和客观的方式缓解这些问题。这项研究将在离体冲击测试系统中复制龙骨断裂，从而可以精确定量鸟类因素，如体重、年龄、龙骨强度和顺应性，以及碰撞因素，如冲击能量和材料顺应性，并将这些因素与龙骨断裂的发生和严重程度直接联系起来。我们将使用一种新颖的数学建模方法，该方法将定义哪些因素影响骨折的发生，并提供给定特征的个体鸟类或圈养鸡群骨折的“风险评估”。该模型将使用放置在两个相反的住房环境中的活鸟进行验证，这些环境旨在提供低能量和高能量飞行。鸟类将配备“冲击记录仪”（已与冲击测试系统相关）以确定与拦截飞行相关的能量。个体鸡只的因素将在饲养期结束时确定（如上所述），并评估龙骨断裂情况。通过这种方式，模型预测将在个体鸟类和住房系统层面上针对实际裂缝进行测试。农场研究将确定特定商业住房类型的动能分布，我们之前已经证明这些住房类型的断裂率差异很大。我们的冲击监测仪将提供住房风险的物理测量，并允许我们测试预测商业环境中骨折的模型。这项研究的结果将允许对商业住房系统的预计龙骨破损风险进行功能评估，并将确定生产者或政策制定者可能针对的住房设计或鸟类生理学的关键要素，以降低骨折率。这种前瞻性的“风险评估”可用于评估几天而不是几个月内住房变化的影响。因此，这项研究有可能大大改善蛋鸡的健康和福利、公众对鸡蛋生产的态度，以及面对欧盟禁止笼式笼系统带来的困难时英国鸡蛋产业的盈利能力和可持续性。

项目成果

Modeling collisions in laying hens as a tool to identify causative factors for keel bone fractures and means to reduce their occurrence and severity

对蛋鸡碰撞建模作为识别龙骨骨折致病因素的工具以及减少其发生和严重程度的方法

• DOI: 10.7892/boris.125716
• 发表时间: 2018
• 作者: Toscano M

Using tri-axial accelerometers to determine energies of hazardous movements for laying hens in aviaries

使用三轴加速度计确定鸟舍中蛋鸡危险运动的能量

• 发表时间: 2016
• 作者: Mackie N

Causes of keel bone damage and their solutions in laying hens

• DOI: 10.1017/s0043933915002135
• 发表时间: 2015-09-01
• 期刊: WORLDS POULTRY SCIENCE JOURNAL
• 影响因子: 2.7
• 作者: Harlander-Matauschek, A.;Rodenburg, T. B.;Toscano, M. J.
• 通讯作者: Toscano, M. J.

Use of an impact tester to assess the likelihood of fractures occurring against key bird and motion-related factors

使用冲击测试仪评估关键鸟类和运动相关因素发生骨折的可能性

• 作者: Toscano M

Modeling collisions in laying hens as a tool to identify causative factors for keel bone fractures and means to reduce their occurrence and severity.

• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0200025
• 发表时间: 2018
• 期刊: PloS one
• 影响因子: 3.7
• 作者: Toscano M;Booth F;Richards G;Brown S;Karcher D;Tarlton J
• 通讯作者: Tarlton J