The assessment of foot lesions at slaughter in laying hens

In laying hen farms, birds’ feet are exposed to prolonged contact with soil, litter, housing equipment such as wire floors or bad designed perches, pecking by conspecific, and may develop lesions. These foot lesions, linked to several factors, can cause discomfort and/or pain to the animals and may lead to mortality. Although well assessed on farm, foot lesions could also be observed after slaughter to assess laying hens’ welfare on-farm and the quality of their housing conditions. This factsheet details a scoring system to assess foot lesions, bumble foot and injured toes.