Commercial Poultry Production and Hatchery Management

CAGE SYSTEM

• This system involves rearing of poultry on raised wire netting floor in smaller compartments, called cages, either fitted with stands on floor of house or hanged from the roof.
• It has been proved very efficient for laying operations, right from day-old to till disposal.
• At present, 75% of commercial layers in the world are kept in cages.
• Feeders and waterers are attached to cages from outside except nipple waterers, for which pipeline is installed through or above cages.
• Auto-operated feeding trolleys and egg collection belts can also be used in this rearing system.
• The droppings are either collected in trays underneath cages or on belts or on the floor or deep pit under cages, depending on type of cages.

Advantages

• Minimum floor space is needed
• More number of eggs per hen can be received
• Less feed wastage
• Better feed efficiency
• Protection from internal parasites and soil borne illnesses
• Sick and unproductive birds can be easily identified and eliminated.
• Clean eggs production
• Vices like egg eating, pecking is minimal.
• Broodiness is minimal
• No need of litter material
• Artificial Insemination (AI) can be adopted.

Disadvantages

• High initial investment cost.
• Handling of manure may be problem. Generally, flies become a greater nuisance.
• The incidence of blood spots in egg is more
• Problem of cage layer fatigue. (It is a condition, in which laying birds in cages develop lameness. It may be due to Ca and P deficiency but the exact reason is not known)
• In case of broilers, incidence of breast blisters is more, especially when the broilers weight is more than 1.5 kg.