Головна When a poultry breeder wants to receive more meat from one square...

    When a poultry breeder wants to receive more meat from one square meter, he should prefer cage housing, and when he prefers higher quality – floor housing is recommended – ProAgro Company research

    According to ProAgro Company data, in contemporary industrial poultry farming (both inside and outside Ukraine) cage and floor housing methods are used for poultry keeping and growing. The difference in these methods is that in some farms use cage batteries for keeping and growing chicken and broiler chicks and other keep poultry directly on the floor with the bedding on it.

    Poultry breeders consider cage housing to be more cost-consuming compared to the floor housing in terms of the cost of equipment. However, the choice of a housing type depends not only on the price of equipment but also on the goal pursued by the meat producer – when he wants to receive more meat from one square meter, he should prefer cage housing, and when he prefers higher quality – floor housing is recommended. In its turn after analyzing these housing methods ProAgro Company made the following conclusions:

    • Cage housing makes it possible to improve the sanitary and hygienic conditions of chicks keeping. In a cage, chicken are isolated from a contact with bedding that is a growing medium for microbes and intestinal parasites. All waste matters fall through the grate and thus there is no danger of the stock infection. As a result, fewer medications are needed that after slaughtering are preserved in meat.

    • In case of cage housing the poultry house area is used economically – cages are located in a compact way and after reconstruction for the use of floor house, the total production of poultry meat decreases by 30-40%. When broilers are grown in special cages, meat output is nearly twice higher than that received during floor housing since more birds can be placed on one square meter than during floor housing.

    • The chicks’ weight increases quickly because their space is restricted. Their live weight at the age of 56-days is for hens – 1,400 g with the density of 35 birds, and for roosters – 1,600 g with the density of 30 birds per 1 m² area of underfoot grate. One kilogram of the broiler’s weight increase requires 2.3-2.5 kg feed. Compared to the floor housing technology, the live weight of chicken increases by 0.5-5.2%, the slaughter output – by 1.2-2.0%, and meat output per 1 m² of useful are of the poultry house – by three times, profit from 1 m² of the poultry house area – by 3.8-4.1 times, profitability of meat production – by 8.3-10.8% with the decreased feed input per 1 kg of the live weight by 7.3-10.7%, the period of poultry growing by 2.5 days, and the manufacturing cost of 1 kg meat – by 12.5-16.2%.

    Disadvantages of cage housing include:

    • The danger of emergence of pressure sores, and 5-7% are harmed when caught. As a result, meat becomes cheaper. Chicks grown in cages are very sensitive to feeds.

    • The turnover of cage equipment is twice as high but after each cycle, preparation of the cage equipment (cleaning, treatment with biological solutions and disinfection) takes 14-16 days, whereas for floor housing this period is 7-8 days. And although meat output is higher, cades require more electric energy. Furthermore, there is not sufficient equipment for cage housing produced for private households and farmers.

    • The main disadvantage of cage housing, according to poultry farmers, is high coast of equipment, which is twice as high as that of the set of equipment for floor housing despite the fact that there are no expenses related to purchase, storage and disposal of bedding. Cage batteries pay back in 3-4 years, and equipment for floor housing – in 2-2.5 years. At the same time, cage gives 20% higher profit than floor housing.

    New thorough research by ProAgro Company “Poultry Farming in Ukraine” covers dynamics and key trends of poultry farming development in Ukraine. In the research market analysis is presented in all its aspects – from poultry breeding, young birds supply to poultry plants, material and technical basis to production of poultry meat and chicken eggs and trade with them and their processing by-products.

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