PRODUCTIVITY AND PRESERVATION OF EGG-CROSS HENS DEPENDING ON THE STOCKING DENSITY IN CAGES OF MULTI-TIERED BATTERIES

Abstract

Over the past decades, egg poultry farming has undergone significant intensification, which has led to significant changes in the main production processes, including the use of increased stocking density, which is a technological stimulus for hens and in one way or another affects the welfare of the birds and the efficiency of the production of edible eggs. Therefore, the aim of the work was to study the efficiency of the production of edible eggs based on the standard and slightly increased density of keeping egg-cross hens. For this purpose, in the conditions of a modern complex for the production of edible eggs, 4 groups of hens of the industrial crossbreed "Hy-Line W-36" were formed, each of which was kept for 34 weeks of the productive period in a separate poultry house similar in area and cage equipment. The initial stocking density of hens of the 1st group, 13.3 birds/m2, corresponded to European standards and the requirements of the cross developer (13-20 birds/m2), the 2nd group, 24.0 birds/m2 - domestic standards (22-25 birds/ m2), and the hens of the 3rd and 4th groups were kept under experimental overcrowding to 25.3 birds/m2 and 26.7 birds/m2, respectively. It was found that keeping chickens at an experimental initial density increased to 25.3 birds/m2 ensures the production of 3.5 million eggs (5.5%) more during the experiment period than at a density of 24 birds/ m2 in accordance with domestic norms The highest level of profitability of egg production, 67.1%, and the amount of net profit, 71.0 million UAH obtained precisely in the case of planting hens in cages of 12-tier batteries at an experimental density of 25.3 birds/m2. An increase in the initial density of keeping hens to 26.7 birds/m2 led to a decrease in the level of profitability of their production to 62.1% and the amount of net profit by UAH 2.8 million, and a decrease to 13.3 birds/m2 in accordance with the normative EU requirements – to decrease the level of profitability to 58.4% and decrease the amount of net profit by UAH 36.6 million.