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Research Article

Productivity of laying hens in different production systems

Zofia Sokołowicz¹, Józefa Krawczyk² , Magdalena Dykiel³

¹Chair of Animal Production and Evaluation of Poultry Products, University of Rzeszow, Faculty of Biology and Agriculture, M. Ćwiklińskiej 2, 35-601 Rzeszów, Poland

²Department of Poultry Breeding, National Research Institute of Animal Production, Krakowska 1, 32-83 Balice, Poland

³State Higher Vocational School in Krosno, Department of Food Production and Safety, Rynek 1, 38-400 Krosno, Poland

1. Acta Sci. Pol. Zootechnica, 17(2), 2018, 23‒30
2. DOI: 10.21005/asp.2018.17.2.03

Abstract. The aim of the study was to evaluate the productivity of laying hens of different origin and breeding type (commercial hybrids, native breeds, Araucana) kept in the barn, free-range and organic systems. Three experiments were conducted with a total of 1200 hens, including native breed Greenleg Partridge (Z-11), Rhode Island Red (R-11) and Sussex (S-66) hens included in the gene pool protection programme in Poland; Araucana hens, kept by amateur breeders or raised organically; and Hy-Line Brown commercial layers, typically kept under intensive systems. It was found that the production system and hen genotype have a significant effect on productivity. The Hy-Line Brown commercial layers achieved the best laying performance in the barn and organic systems, but showed a considerably higher level of mortality compared to the other layers. In the free-range system, R-11 hens had no mortality while showing best laying performance and lowest feed consumption per egg. Raising Araucana hens under organic conditions was not effective because they showed the lowest egg production and the highest feed consumption per egg.

Keywords: laying hens, production systems, productivity