Abstract
Two experiments were conducted to elucidate the effect of an increased density produced by increasing the number of birds placed in individual cages and by increasing the number of individual cages in the house on the performance of layers and on thedaily management operations. Two laying cage house (4m width, 20m depth, 3.5m height) of the same constraction locating in parallel with 4m distance were used.
In the first experiment, the comparison between the effects of two different densities of each cage was conducted on the layers of a commercial strain (Babcock B-300). Three hundred of the birds were housed at the density of one bird per cage in one laying cage house and in the other house 600 birds of the same strain were housed at the density of two birds per cage. Experimental period was 475 days starting from 125 days of age.
In the second experiment, the comparison between effects of two different arrangements of the cages (2- and 3-deck systems) in a laying cage house was conducted. In 2-deck cage house, 600 birds of two commercial strains (Babcock B-300 and Babcock B-305) were housed at the density of two birds per cage. In the other 3-deck cage house, 900 birds of the same two strains were housed at the same density. The birds were consist of equal numbers of two strains in both houses. Experimental period was 470 days starting from 134 days of age.
Egg production, egg weight, feed consumption, feed conversion and body weight were not significantly different between the two housing densities in the first experiment. And also no differences was observed in these performances and in the mortality between 2-deck and 3-deck systems of the second experiment. But percent of broken-shell egg increased in the house at the density of two birds per cage and in 3-deck cage system at the same density per cage. Egg shell weight and egg shell thickness were not influenced by the cage arrangement.
A higher density required more time for daily management, and the time per bird was minimal at the density of two birds per cage in the 2-deck cage arrangement.
