Floor Eggs: Management to make layers lay fewer eggs on the floor

Photo 1. The behavior of the birds before laying includes multiple visits to examine nesting sites before selecting the final nest.

After selecting the site, the bird returns several times, exhibiting nest-building behavior. If there is loose material like sawdust, the bird spends more time making the nest. Just before laying the egg, the hen spreads its neck and body feathers.

• Some birds stop to lay the egg.
• The time to lay an egg is variable between 10 and 90 minutes.
• After laying the egg, the hen vocalizes (cackles) and wants to sit on the egg for a while or just leave the nest.

The onset of pre-laying behavior is caused by the last ovulation of the hen (release of the ovarian follicle in the oviduct) and not by the presence of an egg ready to be laid. Previous ovulation releases hormones, estrogen, and progesterone, responsible for the bird’s behavior before laying.

• Any stressful event that elicits a fear response could cause the hen to suspend nest selection and delay laying. If the pre-laying stimulus passes before the egg is laid, then the hen may lose interest in looking for a nest, resulting in more eggs laid on the floor.

• During the rearing period, the social hierarchy of individual dominant / dominated relationships is established in a group of birds.
• High-ranking birds have the first access to feed, water, and nesting sites.
• Dominant high-ranking birds will occupy the preferred nesting sites excluding birds of a lower rank.
• If the number of preferred nesting sites is limited, then dominated birds may be forced to seek alternative nesting sites, resulting in more eggs laid outside the nests.

Hens prefer comfortable nests in dark, secluded, warm areas.

• Nests with loose material such as wood chips, rice husks, or straw are preferred so that the birds can better express their behavior in building their nests.
• In commercial cage-free production systems, it is common to use nests for automatic collection of eggs, with a rubber mat, (plastic) or artificial grass on the floor of the nest.

Birds prefer nests with solid floors over wire floors. Birds prefer nests located in corners or at the end of lines. They also generally prefer nests in elevated locations compared to nests at ground level. Young inexperienced birds may prefer nests occupied by other hens (gregarious nesting; this behavior tends to decrease with the age of the bird (Photo 2).

Photo 2. The gregarious behavior of layers is more common in young inexperienced birds.

In aviary systems, birds will select the most isolated nests located along the wall before using nests located in other parts of the aviary.

Nesting is a learned behavior, but once established, it is difficult to change. Birds tend to return to the same nesting sites every day.

Layers that consistently lay eggs in nests or layers that lay eggs on the floor can be identified in a flock.

For egg producers, the management challenge is to make designated nests attractive to birds and to eliminate alternative nesting sites where birds can lay eggs outside the nest.

Behavior of the bird