Effect of housing system on performance and egg quality characteristics in laying hens
2003
Tumova, E. | Ebeid, T. (Ceska Zemedelska Univ., Prague (Czech Republic). Katedra Chovu Prasat a Drubeze)
The housing system plays an important role in the hens' welfare, performance and egg quality characteristics. The alternative systems (litter systems) provide a more comfortable environment for laying hens and consequently hens can enjoy comfort behaviours, such as head shaking, head scratching, ruffling, trail wagging, wing flapping, wing and leg stretching, ground scratching and dust-bathing, more freely than in battery cages. Although the data related to laying performance are conflicting, however, it is generally recommended that egg production, egg weight and feed conversion efficiency are mostly better in caged hens than in alternative systems. In contrast, body weight and mortality rates in alternative systems are higher than in cages. A lot of studies have reported an improvement in eggs that graded A in caged birds rather than in birds reared in alternative systems and this is due to the highest proportion of dirty, cracked and broken eggs in the alternative systems. Moreover, eggshell thickness, shape index, albumen height, Haugh units, shell color score and yolk index have been higher in birds housed in cages than birds on deep litter. Thus, there is no system currently under consideration as ideal.
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