Plumage Condition, Feed Consumption, and Egg Production Relationships in Laying Hens

The relationship between plumage condition, feed consumption, and egg production was investigated with brown-egg layers housed in single cages in two successive years. Hens were assigned to one of four plumage classes according to damage and loss of feathers at 40 and 60 wk of age. Individual records on egg number, egg mass, feed consumption, and body weight were available. Only minor differences between performance trait measures were found for plumage classes in pullets (21 to 40 wk), with a slight superiority of hens with considerable feather damage. Distinct differences were found in the second age period (41 to 60 wk). Hens with slight to moderate feather loss produced more eggs and also more egg mass than hens without any feather damage. Feed consumption of these better hens was higher, probably owing to their higher egg production. Thus, hens with poor feather condition required less feed per kilogram of egg mass and also less feed per egg than hens with good feather condition. The better feed efficiency resulted in 4.4% lower production costs.