Abstract
The aim of this study was to evaluate egg production and quality of Rhode Island Red (RIR) laying hens in an outdoor system in the subhumid tropic. Eighty RIR laying hens were measured in two periods and housed randomly under three treatments: outdoor (O), indoor (I) and in conventional cages (C). Egg weight (55.88, 53.76 and 57.16 g, for O, I and C, respectively), food intake/hen/day (138.94, 129.74 and 162.90 g, for O, I and C, respectively) and food efficiency (3.13, 3.22 and 3.96 for O, I and C, respectively) were significantly (P < 0.05) influenced by housing system; however, both egg production and final body weight were not different (P > 0.05). Yolk colour (10.76, 9.94 and 10.08 colour scale, for O, I and C, respectively), albumen weight (92.63, 92.28 and 90.08 g, for O, I and C, respectively) and yolk weight (15.19, 14.61, 15.48 g for O, I and C, respectively) were significantly (P < 0.05) influenced by housing system, but albumen height, Haugh units and egg shell weight remained similar (P > 0.05). Under the conditions of this study, outdoor egg production seems to be a sustainable system comparable to the commercial type based on wired cages.
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Acknowledgements
This study was part of the requisites for MSc. degree in Tropical Animal Production at the Autonomus University of Yucatan. Authors thank to CONACYT-Mexico for the scholarship granted to the first author.
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Varguez-Montero, G., Sarmiento-Franco, L., Santos-Ricalde, R. et al. Egg production and quality under three housing systems in the tropics. Trop Anim Health Prod 44, 201–204 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11250-011-0006-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11250-011-0006-z