Performance of Laying Hens in Different Housing Systems Under Tropical Conditions

This study was conducted to determine the effect of different housing systems on the performance of laying hens under tropical conditions. A total of 120 Lohman Brown hens, aged 13 weeks were randomly divided into 2 housing system groups, each containing 6 replicates of 10. The first group was kept in cage-free hens (CF) and the second was kept in battery cage system (BC). Data were collected daily from each group and monitored from 21 weeks to 30 weeks of age. The results showed that feed consumption of cage-free and battery-cage-laying hens did not differ (P>0.05). Body weight and egg weight of laying hens reared with cage-free hens were higher than battery cage system (P<0.05). However, battery cage laying hens had higher day production and lower Feed conversion ratio (FCR) than cage-free (P<0.05). The income over feed cost for cage-free hens was higher than battery cage in weeks 27-30. In conclusion, cage-free laying hens have low performance but high income over feed costs. 2025 by the authors. Licensee ResearchersLinks Ltd, England, UK.