Abstract Keel bone fractures (KBF) in laying hens have been shown to cause pain and impair mobility under experimental conditions. However, it is not known how KBF relates to the mobility of individual hens housed in aviary systems. For the current study, 120 focal hens (60 Lohmann Brown (LB) and 60 Lohmann Selected Leghorn (LSL)) were kept in six identical pens equipped with a commercially relevant aviary system (20 LSL focal hens + 205 LB or 20 LB focal hens + 205 LSL per pen, respectively). Data on hen mobility were recorded at 21, 24, 27, 31, 35, 39, 44, 48, 52, 57 and 61 weeks of age. Infrared receivers were attached to the legs of focal hens. They recorded zone-specific codes between five zones (litter, lower tier, nest boxes, top tier, and wintergarden) at a frequency of 1 Hz for six consecutive days per week of age. At the end of each data collection period, hens were radiographed to assess keel bone fracture severity. Data were analysed using (generalized) linear mixed effect models. With increasing KBF severity, LB hens spent more time in the top tier (p = 0.005) and less time in the litter zone (p