Is there a poultry system best suited for egg production? In this article we review a study that compared 3 poultry systems by egg production rates, costs and mortality. The compared systems were traditional cages, aviary, and enriched cage.
In a nutshell, the 3 systems compare as follows.
Of course, poultry housing systems are not merely egg production houses. You should consider other factors including animal welfare and applicable regulations, in your choice of poultry system.
Poultry system – a quick overview
There are at least 8 types of poultry housing systems, under two umbrella categories: extensive and intensive. These are: free range, semi-intensive, folding units, deep litter, slatted floor, aviary, and cage systems.
Cage poultry systems are nowadays broken into two. Firstly is the traditional cage system, also known as battery cage system. Second, is an enriched or furnished cage system which was developed as alternative to the first system.
Keep in mind that different systems favor different poultry breeds and even purpose. For instance, extensive systems may be suited for meat and multi-purposes chicken. On the other hand, intensive systems may be best suited for single purpose chicken.
Furthermore, be aware that certain breeds are developed to do well in intensive poultry systems.
3 Poultry systems compared
Method
In this article, we look at a one paper that contrasted egg production rates in 3 poultry housing systems. In other words, we attempt to answer the question whether one poultry system is more suitable for hens.
Paper
For the purpose of this article, we took a particular interest in a paper published by Mathews and Sumner entitled: Effects of housing system on the costs of commercial egg production.
One reason we were particularly interested in this paper was that it has been widely published in various journals. We took this as an indicator of the quality and trustworthiness of the study and its authors.
Matthews and Sumner compared egg production costs between traditional cage, aviary, and enriched colony systems.
3 Poultry systems compared over 2 flock cycles
- Traditional cage
- Aviary
- Enriched colony
Notably, the authors collected data from 2 flock cycles in each system and compared them by at least 6 cost types. These included feed, labor, pullet, energy, capital and operating costs.
Comparison results
Costs
According to Mathews and Sumner, an aviary system had the highest egg production costs. Respectively, enriched colony and traditional cage systems were second and third.
The enriched colony system had 4% higher operating costs and 13% more total costs than the traditional cage system.
Moreover, the aviary system had on average 23% higher operating costs and on average 36% higher total costs than traditional cage system.
Total capital investments per hen-capacity were higher for the aviary and enriched colony. Essentially, traditional cage system had the least capital investments.
Egg production rates
According Mathews and Sumner “on average over the 2 flocks, hens in the enriched housing system produced about 1.5% more eggs per pound of feed consumed than hens in the traditional cage system.”
Furthermore, the enriched cage system had about 3.3% higher egg production than traditional cage system. However, hens in aviary system produced 5% fewer eggs than hens in traditional cage system.
However, the authors noted that it is still unclear why enriched cage system had the highest egg production rate. “The greater number of eggs per hen in the enriched housing system is a topic of ongoing research among poultry production specialists.”
The greater number of eggs per hen in the enriched housing system is a topic of ongoing research
Mathews and Sumner
The authors also noted that by the end of a flock cycle, egg productivity in aviary system fell significantly in comparison. Effectively egg productivity dropped to about 10% below the average of traditional cage, and 15% below the enriched cage system.
Mortality
You should be particularly interested in how liveability scored across the 3 poultry systems. According to Mathews and Sumner, mortality rate was highest in the aviary system.
While the aviary had a mortality rate of 13.3%, enriched cage had 5.2% and traditional cage 4.8%. That is over a 2 flock cycle.
Surprisingly, enriched cage system had a lower liveability rate than traditional cage system. Since enriched cages have improved animal welfare than traditional cages, one would expect the opposite.
Conclusion
To briefly summarize Mathews and Sumner, the aviary had significantly higher mortality rate than enriched and traditional cage systems.
Hens in the enriched cage system had the highest egg production rate on average. Traditional cage system came in second and aviary third. In addition, the aviary system also had the highest cost of egg production. Enriched came second and traditional cages had the least. Enriched cage system had a lower feed conversion ratio in comparison to traditional cage system
Comparatively, we think enriched cage system was the best of the 3 systems. While it has higher mortality and egg production costs than traditional cage, it has the highest egg production rate. Additionally, when you factor in improved animal welfare, it comes of as a clear winner.
Traditional cage system comes in second, but closely to enriched cage. Lastly is the aviary system which scores lowest in all 3 comparison factors.
Discussion
It is our recommendation that you take these results with a grain of salt as you do your boiled or fried egg. Of course, this should be the case for a number of reasons.
Firstly, this study was done several years ago.
Secondly, these results will not necessarily be representative of poultry farming worldwide. Obviously, feed and labor costs among others are expected to differ by region, and country.
Moreover, other factors such as climate, poultry breed, even feed quality may play a role. In order for us to generalize these outcomes, a global study would be required.
Thirdly, there has been several changes in the world of poultry since the publication. For instance, we can assume that various innovations that tilt the outcome have been made. Such innovations can be in the area of breed development and refinement or feed production, or formulation.
Definitely, you will find that each poultry system has its own pros and cons. That being the case, it is up to you to figure out which system would be best for you. Consult certified vets and poultry regulatory farming bodies respectively.
While you may result to enriched colony as an alternative to traditional cage system, both have come under increased scrutiny.
How to pick a poultry system
From a poultry welfare point of view, note that traditional cages have already banned in the EU and other countries. Furthermore, you can expect all cage systems to be banned in many countries by 2030.
Consequently, consider extensive poultry farming systems as alternative to intensive systems.
If you’re setting up poultry farming for the long term, it is recommendable that you pick a system that can last long into the future. Take animal welfare a basis for your choice, even if you incur a high initial cost.
One factor that remains constant in spite of the poultry system is that feed costs are the highest cost incurred.
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Also see our article on how natural vs artificial chicken egg fertilization compare.