Effect of group size on performance and egg quality of laying hens during 20 to 36 weeks of age

Autor: Fulvia Bovera, Francesco Iannaccone, Giovanni Piccolo, Carmelo Di Meo, Fabrizio Russo, Daniela Piscitelli, Youssef A. Attia, Saber S.A. Hassan, Antonino Nizza
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2014
Předmět:
Zdroj: Italian Journal of Animal Science, Vol 13, Iss 1 (2014)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 1594-4077
1828-051X
DOI: 10.4081/ijas.2014.3148
Popis: The aim of this study was to improve knowledge on the effect of group size on productive performance and egg quality of hens raised in furnished cages equally designed. A total of 520, 15-week-old Lohmann Brown laying hens were divided into 2 groups to have a similar initial body weight (average 1392±16.3 g). The cages of S25 group (240 L x 78 W x 50 H cm, 749 cm2/hen) hosted a total of 200 hens, while those of S40 group (462 L x 65 W x 50 H, 751 cm2/hen) included 320 birds. Experimental data were recorded after an adaptation period of 5 weeks (20 to 36 weeks of age). Hens were submitted to 15 h of light/d. The average temperature inside the building was 24.6±2.5°C over the entire experimental period with higher values at 24, 26, 28 and 30 weeks of age. The relative humidity recorded inside the building was 55% at week 20 and 60% all through the experimental period. Hens raised from S40 group had lower percentage of egg production (84.91 vs 88.90%, Pvs 2.25, Pvs 0.19%, P
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