Reproductive Performance of Aged Layers Translocated from Cage to Floor

Three experiments were conducted in which 885 aged layers (housed in individual cages from approximately twenty weeks of age) were used. The aged hens were translocated and housed in individual cages or floor pens (nine or ten birds/pen). The results indicated that translocation of aged layers from cage to floor had a definite influence on reproductive performance. The floor-housed birds produced more eggs with better shells, consumed more feed, produced smaller eggs, had increased serum calcium values and greater bone breaking strength than the cage-housed birds.