ADVANTAGES OF

REARING LAYER PULLETS IN CAGE

Harish GarwareManaging Director

GARTECH EQUIPMENTS PVT. LTD.

WHAT IS BROODING?• Rearing in absence of mother

• Continuation of incubation

• Helping chicks to develop

tissues and organs

• Become fully functional and

efficient, to meet demands

1. Rapid growth

2. Feed consumption

3. Digestion

4. Feed conversion

5. Immunity

6. Uniform weekly body weight gain

To grow a healthy and efficient Layer, start by helping it to develop all the systems and organs during the first three weeks.

Purpose of brooding is to ensure:

1.Maintaining the right body temperature

for chicks

2. Lighting such that chicks are active and

seek out food and water sources.

3. Clean, fresh and readily available water is an essential nutrient that impacts virtually all physiological functions

4. Well-balanced starter diet for proper growth and development.

3 weeks: First 7 days are very critical in terms of anatomical completeness and hence need to be taken care of.

AIM OF BROODING

TO MAKE A EGG LAYING MACHINE

From day old to layer

BROODING PROBLEMS 1-7 Days

•The largest percentage of weight gain occurs during the first week

•Growth of skeletal system is significant in this phase. 

•Chicks cannot regulate their own body temperature

•If air temperature and air velocity, are not optimum, it will have a direct affect on the chicken's body temperature

•Highly prone to infections

•Deaths due to dehydration

•Health issues: Spraddle Leg, Pasty Butt, Pecking

•Not controlling the brooding period leads to high first week mortality

WEEK 2 - WEEK 7

•It is crucial that chick reaches to a constant and stable body temperature in the first 3 weeks.

•Growth of skeletal system significant in initial 3 – 4 weeks. 

•Improper feed control can cause metabolic diseases and leg problems.

•Feathers start growing and if unhealthy feathers, would lead to wrong body temperature and in turn, deregulate other body functions

BROODING CHICKS - GROWTH

(Photos of Buff Orphington chicks)

Development and Maturation of :

•Thermoregulatory system

•Gastro- Intestinal system

•Immune System

SENSITIVE BROODING PERIOD: FIRST 7 DAYS OF BROODING LIFECYCLE

1. a. Absence of Mother

b. From Protected environment (Hatchery)

2. All functions in the Chick – Not fully developed

Body Temperature Digestion

Defense Mech. Metabolism

Blood Circulation Secretions

Instincts & Capacity to compete

3. Layer Chicks after hatch are delicate and

sensitive.

WHY BROODING IS SO CRITICAL POSTHATCH?

• This frame work decides the quality and rate of body weight gain .

• Growth of skeletal frame work starts early and completed early in the growing stage.

• For the egg laying cycle the skeletal framework has to be developed.

SKELETAL FRAMEWORK

GASTRO-INTESTINAL TRACT

• Highest growth rate during the first week

• Metabolic adaptations

• 83 % of the input in a chicken is feed.

• The only place feed can be efficiently converted into body tissues is the digestive systems.

• Develop and take care of the digestive systems

THE IMMUNE SYSTEMS

• Newly born chicks have a limited immune system

• Day old chicks develops immunity by absorbing maternal immunoglobulins of the residual yolk which avoids impairment of immune system

• It takes six weeks before the immune system can reasonably function. This covers most of the brooding period.

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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25

AGE IN WEEKS 1 TO 17

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SSTANDARD WEIGHT GAIN / WEEK CHART

FLOOR– dirty litter

CAGE– clean

FLOOR– dirty water

CAGE– clean water

FLOOR– uneven

temperature

CAGE– even temperature

FLOOR– feed contamination

CAGE– clean access to feed

FLOOR– Possibility of accidental mortality / piling during

feeding / walking

- Maintaining hygiene & biosecurity is an issue

CAGE– Easy to feed from outside

FLOOR24 hrs - 45% Feed intake

CAGE24hr - 95% Feed intake

FLOOR– Due to population

unnecessary competition

CAGE– less birds, enough feed space for

each bird, no competition

FLOOR– Over all low performance – high

mortality

CAGE– Better hygiene, less mortality

CAGE BROODING• Uniformity in feed and water

consumption and temperature results in even growth of birds.

• Variable growth: Because of more activities, feed contamination with litter.

• Multiple population can reduce the uniformity in Floor brooding

DEEP LITTER BROODING

• Flock grading is possible: Due to some problems if varying growth occurs, grading of flock is possible

• No chance of feed contamination

• Vaccination easy and secured

• Flock grading is very difficult.

• Chance of feed getting contaminated with litter (indigestible material) affecting the growth

• Vaccination difficult and possibility of missing few chicks

CAGE BROODINGDEEP LITTER BROODING

COLD STRESS –IN FLOOR BROODING …

Low water & temperature Sufficient Water with easy access

Controlled Heating system

CAGE BROODING

• Body weight gain is more in Cages due to better FCR.• Feed wastage is less in cages.• Birds are free from worm infestation

• Lesser growth and body weight due to increased activity of birds in deep litter resulting in lesser FCR.

• Feed wastage is more• Birds are always under the problem of worm infestation

DEEP LITTER BROODING

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BODY WT GAIN % STD Vs CAGE Vs FLOOR REARING

FIELD RESULT – WEIGHT GAIN PER WEEK

Standard

Floor: At the end of 25 weeks, Ideal body weight could be achieved but erratically, internal anatomy is weak, body weight achieved contains high body fat percentage.

Cage: At the end of 25 weeks, Ideal body weight is achieved, Internal anatomy is strong and well developed.

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STD

CAGE BODY WT

FLOOR BODY WT

FIELD RESULT – BODY WEIGHT COMPARISON

Standard

Floor: Body weight remains level off from the desired range

Cage: Body weight grows steadily to the desired limit right from the onset of brooding lifecycle

0.00%1.00%2.00%3.00%4.00%5.00%6.00%7.00%8.00%9.00%10.00%11.00%12.00%13.00%14.00%

18 20 22 24 26 28 30 32 34 36 38 40 42 44 46 48 50 52 54 56 58 60 62 64 66 68 70 72 74 76 78 80

Age In Laying Weeks 18 to 80 weeks

FIELD RESULT – MORTALITY

Cage: Negligible rate of mortality

Floor: Rate of mortality keeps increasing as the bird grows, mortality shoots up from 40 th week onwards

0.000%0.050%0.100%0.150%0.200%0.250%0.300%0.350%0.400%0.450%0.500%0.550%0.600%0.650%0.700%0.750%0.800%0.850%0.900%0.950%

18 20 22 24 26 28 30 32 34 36 38 40 42 44 46 48 50 52 54 56 58 60 62 64 66 68 70 72 74 76 78 80Age in Weeks 18 to 80 weeks

FIELD RESULT – LIVEABILITY

Floor: Livability never improved throughout the entire life cycle.

Cage: Livability shows a repeating sawtooth like pattern up to 40th week although it improves in later ages and keeps increasing significantly.

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STD

CAGE BODY WT

FLOOR BODY WT

FIELD RESULT – HEN DAY %

Cage: Uniform growth and comfortable environment rebetter production.

Floor: Less and unstable productivity due to high stress level and uneven growth.

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Age in Laying Weeks 18 to 80

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FIELD RESULT – EGG WEIGHT

Cage: Healthy bird – quality egg productionFloor: Weak bird – small and low weight eggs with weak egg shell

ECONOMICAL BENEFITS OF CAGE BROODING

• Mortality is less in cages because they are free from coccidiosis infection and piling mortality

• Feed intake during laying is less in cage brooding than the birds reared on the floor. The birds reared on the floor usually consume more feed due to unnecessary hyper activity and the same characteristics of consuming more feed is transferred to the laying bird. It consumes 5-10 grams/b/day more than cage reared birds.

ECONOMICAL BENEFITS OF CAGE BROODING

• Because of better body weight in cages, it lays more Hen housed Eggs per bird than birds reared on floor.

SUMMARY OF BENEFITS IN CAGE BROODING

• Lesser mortality during rearing period

• Uniform growth

• Lesser feed intake compared to flocks reared on floor

• Excellent performance and productivity

THANK YOU