Hock burns

[2] The condition has been found to be a source of pain for birds, can cause mobility issues, and may increase the risk of bacterial diseases.

[6] Higher rates of hock burns are often used by observers as an indicator of what they see as worse animal welfare conditions.

[9] The industry standard target is to have no more than 15% of a flock showing hock burns, but independent studies have found that incidents are more common.

After talking with veterinary inspectors, they were told that some slaughterhouses only record large hock burns and do not pay attention to anything smaller.

For instance, in Brazil, hock burns are one of the most frequent causes of carcass condemnation (inspector rejection of meat).

[17] This method puts cases on a five-point scale from zero to four, with zero being no evidence of hock burns and four showing the most severe lesions.