| dc.description.abstract | A study lasting six months was conducted to determine
the effect of housing systems on poultry egg production
and egg quality. It was found necessary to embark on the
subject because often poultry producers have a preference
for one housing system or the other without sufficient
experimental support.
The design was completely randomised with three
treatments, replicated four times. The treatments were
deep litter, wire floor and cage systems. 216 brown egg
laying type of birds "Ross Browns" were used at 72 layers
per treatment. They were fed a commercial layers mash
ad libitum.
Egg production, egg size, internal egg spots, egg
cleanliness, egg shell thickness, feed efficiency, liveweight
gains and mortality were recorded during the study.
Collection, ,weighing, candling, and grading of eggs were
done everyday. Heasurement of egg shell thickness was done
once a week from the 11th to the 16th week of the study
period. Weighing of the birds was done at the beginning
and end of the experimental period.
Results showed that caged birds were superior
(P <0.05) to those in other systems in egg production,
egg size and feed efficiency, and only to birds on wire
floor system in liveweight gains. Hens on deep litter
system demonstrated a significant superiority (P< 0,05)
to those in other systems in production of thicker shelled
eggs and the lowest percentage of eggs with internal spots.
Birds on the wire floor system produced the cleanest (P< 0.05)
eggs. Differences in liveweight gains between layers on
deep litter and those on wire floor systems were not
significant (P> 0.05).
It was concluded that the cage system could be the
most favoured. However it could successfully be substituted
by the deep litter system. The wire floor system
could not be recommended as it demonstrated inferiority
in almost all the characters measured. It was also concluded
that with, proper management housing systems have no effect
on mortality of birds. | en |
