LAYING AND PRESERVATION OF HENS OF THE INDUSTRIAL FLOCK DEPENDING ON THE DENSITY OF THEIR PLACEMENT IN CAGE BATTERIES

Abstract

The relevance of this study is conditioned upon the lack of experimentally based data on optimising the density of laying hens of modern egg crosses in cage batteries of new multi-tiered structures. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of the density of keeping chickens of an industrial herd in cages of 12-tier batteries on their egg production and safety. For this purpose, laying hens of 3 groups of the Hy-Line W-36 industrial flock of crossbreeds were kept in separate similar poultry houses, but at different densities. In particular, the hens of the 1st group were placed in cages at a density of 23 heads/m2 according to the norms, and the 2nd and 3rd groups – at 26 and 28 heads/m2, respectively, i.e., at a density of 13.0% and 21.7%. According to the characteristics of this cross, the laying capacity of hens of an industrial flock should be at least 262.2 eggs per initial laying hen for 62 weeks of life. However, in hens of Group 1, it was 231.4 pcs./head, i.e., it was 11.7% against the background of 5.1% lower preservation, which, if optimal paratypic conditions of existence were created, would correspond to the normative level (96.0%). When the density of housing was increased to 26 heads/m2 (Group 2) and to 28 heads/m2 (Group 3), the laying ability of hens was 220.8 pieces/head and 227.2 units/head with retention of 91.1% and 88.4%, respectively. An increase in the planting density of chickens of the 2nd and 3rd groups led to a decrease in egg production and safety but yielded more production per 1 m2 of production areas. Additionally, 3.9-12.9 million eggs were obtained during the 43 weeks of the productive period, including 1.6-5.3 thousand per 1 m2 of their area. Thus, the specified compaction can be applied as a technological method of rapidly increasing the production of edible eggs without the construction of new or reconstruction of existing farms in case of an added need for this product in the Ukrainian or foreign food markets