Physiological condition and productivity of hens, depending on the provision area for keeping in cages
Vitaliy Kychmistov
Резюме: The minimum required level of egg cross-laying area has been determined for keeping hens in
multi-tier cage batteries. The research was conducted in the conditions of the modern industrial
complex of Ukraine on production of food eggs on laying hens of 3 groups of cross ”Hy-Line W-36”,
created in the USA. Each group of hens was kept in a separate poultry house with an area of 2640
m2 (110 × 24 m, h = 13.5 m), equipped with 12-tier cage batteries (”Salmet”, Germany). The batteries
consisted of 18,144 cages with an area of 7506 cm2 (120.00 × 62.55 cm). Hens of the 1st group were
placed 18 birds in each cage, the 2nd – 19, in the 3rd – 20. Therefore, their initial number in the 1st
group was 326592 hens, in the 2nd – 344736 hens, in the 3rd – 362880 hens, or 18144 and 36288 hens
more. The provision of hens with the area was 417,395 and 375 cm2/bird. In the 1st group it met the
normative requirements in Ukraine (400–450 cm2/bird), and in the experimental ones (2 and 3 gr.) – it
was slightly lower. The experiment lasted 44 weeks, namely until the laying hens reached 62 weeks
of age. Hens of 1st and 2nd groups surpassed their counterparts of 3rd group (239.8 eggs, p < 0.05), in
terms of the number of eggs obtained per initial laying hen at 62 weeks of age (249.4 eggs). They
surpassed them in the level of preservation (93.4–94.2% and 85.4%). 31837 eggs were received from
laying hens of 1st group from 1 m2 of the area of a poultry house for the period of experiment, from
the 2nd group – 32918 eggs, from the 3rd group – 32832 eggs. Egg mass was obtained from 1 m2 area: 1st
group – 2002.6 kg, 2nd group – 2073.8 kg and 3rd group – 2071.7 kg. The efficiency of egg production
in 1st group was 21.2 c.u., in the 2nd – 21.5 c.u., in the 3rd – 20.5 c.u. The conclusion was made about
the possibility of making adjustments to the regulations governing the provision of the area of laying
hens of egg-laying crosses. In particular, the lower limit of security should be set at 395 cm2/birds for
their content in 12-tier cage batteries. It has been suggested that the excess of the reference values of
aspartateaminotransferase and lactatedehydrogenase activity in the blood of hens is associated with
a decrease in their safety and productivity, which is due to insufficient provision of their space for
multi-tier cage batteries.
multi-tier cage batteries. The research was conducted in the conditions of the modern industrial
complex of Ukraine on production of food eggs on laying hens of 3 groups of cross ”Hy-Line W-36”,
created in the USA. Each group of hens was kept in a separate poultry house with an area of 2640
m2 (110 × 24 m, h = 13.5 m), equipped with 12-tier cage batteries (”Salmet”, Germany). The batteries
consisted of 18,144 cages with an area of 7506 cm2 (120.00 × 62.55 cm). Hens of the 1st group were
placed 18 birds in each cage, the 2nd – 19, in the 3rd – 20. Therefore, their initial number in the 1st
group was 326592 hens, in the 2nd – 344736 hens, in the 3rd – 362880 hens, or 18144 and 36288 hens
more. The provision of hens with the area was 417,395 and 375 cm2/bird. In the 1st group it met the
normative requirements in Ukraine (400–450 cm2/bird), and in the experimental ones (2 and 3 gr.) – it
was slightly lower. The experiment lasted 44 weeks, namely until the laying hens reached 62 weeks
of age. Hens of 1st and 2nd groups surpassed their counterparts of 3rd group (239.8 eggs, p < 0.05), in
terms of the number of eggs obtained per initial laying hen at 62 weeks of age (249.4 eggs). They
surpassed them in the level of preservation (93.4–94.2% and 85.4%). 31837 eggs were received from
laying hens of 1st group from 1 m2 of the area of a poultry house for the period of experiment, from
the 2nd group – 32918 eggs, from the 3rd group – 32832 eggs. Egg mass was obtained from 1 m2 area: 1st
group – 2002.6 kg, 2nd group – 2073.8 kg and 3rd group – 2071.7 kg. The efficiency of egg production
in 1st group was 21.2 c.u., in the 2nd – 21.5 c.u., in the 3rd – 20.5 c.u. The conclusion was made about
the possibility of making adjustments to the regulations governing the provision of the area of laying
hens of egg-laying crosses. In particular, the lower limit of security should be set at 395 cm2/birds for
their content in 12-tier cage batteries. It has been suggested that the excess of the reference values of
aspartateaminotransferase and lactatedehydrogenase activity in the blood of hens is associated with
a decrease in their safety and productivity, which is due to insufficient provision of their space for
multi-tier cage batteries.
Ключови думи: area provision; cage batteries; egg-laying; hens productivity; normative requirements; рreservation
Дата на публикуване: 2022-11-02
Свали пълен текст