Performance of Broilers Reared on Rubber and Plastic Mats in a Cage System and on Litter in a Floor System

Three experiments were conducted comparing the performance of broilers reared in a cage system to broilers in a litter pen system. The caged broilers were compared on three different types of floor mats: plastic, soft rubber, and hard rubber. Broilers reared in litter pens were significantly heavier (P<.05) than the caged broilers in Experiments 1 and 2. Broilers reared on plastic mats had significantly more (P<.05) swollen feather follicles than did broilers reared in litter pens or on rubber mats. The occurrence of abnormal legs was approximately equal among the live broilers reared in cages or in litter pens. There were significantly more (P<.05) processed broilers with missing skin on the breast for broilers reared in litter pens than in cages in Experiment 2 but not in Experiment 1. No difference was found for missing skin on the breast between the broilers reared on plastic and rubber mats in cages in Experiment 3. There were significantly fewer (P<.05) processed broilers with missing wings for broilers reared in litter pens compared to those reared in cages. At the end of the three experiments the plastic mats were still in good condition, while the rubber mats showed considerable deterioration.