Egg Industry - May 2013 - 11
EggIndustry 13 most important to you or to the hen?" This project attempts to provide information on a diverse group of measurements for birds in three housing alternatives all collected at the same time. Then it will be a matter of evaluating the pros and cons of each system to determine which holds the most promise for the future. Birds housed in both the aviaries and the enriched cages used more feed per 100 birds than did the hens in conventional cages, which Karcher said came in very close to the expected results based on the genetic guide. He said that the increased room to move around was a primary reason for the increased feed consumption per 100 layers in the alternative housing systems. Feed conversion, measured as pounds of feed consumed per pound of egg produced, was best for the enriched colony hens and was worst for the aviary housed hens, with conventional cage hens in between the other two. The highest water consumption was in the conventional cages. Karcher explained that the Read more about cage-free egg production in the US. www.WATTAgNet.com/154254.html conventional cages were in operation prior to the beginning of this study, but the aviary and enriched colonies were new construction. He speculated that some of the increased water usage in the conventional cage houses was due to the age and condition of the equipment. Hen behavior Hens housed in the enriched colonies utilized the nest area for laying eggs. Karcher said that 93 Breeding for 500 Eggs! www.isapoultry.com www.WATTAgNet.com May 2013
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