Nutrition management of layers in floor operations

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The percentage of floor – aviaries and access to outdoors – operations has increased considerably in both the EU-28 and globally in recent years. Given the objectives of current legislation, consumer preferences and the commercial pressure of supermarket chains, this trend can be expected to continue in the future.

Floor laying does not modify the production objectives in terms of productivity and egg quality but affects the behavior of the birds and the uniformity of the flock, which in turn complicates the feeding program.

From a nutritional point of view, floor egg production differs from cage production in six fundamental ways:

1. Increased conservation needs due to increased physical activity.
2. Less relative importance of the size of the egg since the consumer tends not to pay extra for excessive grammages.
3. Importance of the quality of excreta affecting the percentage of unmarketable dirty eggs
4. Increased incidence of bone problems with broken keel and long bones. The problem is aggravated in the case of poorly designed aviaries or sheds.
5. Greater difficulty in maintaining the uniformity of the flocks, which requires better management and often greater safety margins in relation to the nutrients of the feed.
6. Need to maintain the welfare of the birds, without stress situations, in order to avoid problems of biting and cannibalism.

The farmer’s work could have a greater impact on the productivity of the flock than the nutritionist’s work.

A serious but frequent problem is the excessive density of birds, having possible access to “winter” parks, but due to climatic or other reasons, are kept inside the building. Under these conditions, the work of the nutritionist is complex and ineffective.

Birds eat to meet their energy needs, and therefore it is expected that laying hens will consume around 5-10% more feed – depending on temperature, feather formation and physical activity – than their caged counterparts. Since the size of the egg is not key and the feed consumption is higher, it seems advisable to reduce the level of Met and the rest of the essential AA by at least 8-10%.