Restricted Feeding Regimes and Subsequent Reproductive Performance in Cage and Floor Housed Turkey Hens

One hundred turkey hens in floor pens and 108 turkey hens in cages were used to compare four feeding regimes: (1) full-fed during rearing and laying; (2) full-fed during rearing and restricted during laying; (3) restricted during rearing and full-fed during laying; and (4) restricted during rearing and laying. The restricted hens were fed 80% of the feed consumed by the full-fed group the previous week in all cases. Egg production was higher (P<0.05) in cages than in floor pens with 52.27 and 41.12 percent egg production, respectively. Cages hens also had less cracked eggs than the floor hens. The group of floor housed hens that were full-fed during rearing and laying produced more eggs (P<0.05) than any of the other three groups. Also, caged hens produced more eggs in the full-fed group during rearing and laying than any of the other three groups but was not different (P<0.05) from the group restricted during rearing and full-fed during laying. Caged hens were more persistent in egg production for the six 28-day periods and had less feed consumed per egg produced than the floor hens.