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Abstract
This paper describes the effects of various cage designs on health characteristics
such as skeleton strength, plumage and foot condition, mortality, and some production
traits such as egg quality and feed consumption. Three major steps in improving cage
design and in developing new cage designs are described. Firstly, cage design in general
has been improved by comparing different conventional commercial cage designs under
the same experimental conditions. Secondly, unconventional design features, such as
an abrasive strip to reduce excessive growth of claws or a perch to improve the behavioral
repertoire for the hens as well as to strengthen skeletal structure, are described.
Thirdly, the effects of fully furnished cages that also include a nest and dustbath
for smaller or larger groups of birds are discussed. These designs create an environment
in which the problems of conventional cages, such as behavioral restriction, are reduced
and the shortcomings of large litter aviaries, such as cannibalism, parasites, and
a poor working environment, are improved. Cages with one perch level containing groups
of 4 to 10 hens seem more likely alternatives to conventional cages on larger scale
farms than litter systems or colony cages for more than 10 birds. This is due mainly
to the higher predictability of production, the decreased risk of cannibalism, and
improved hygienic conditions.