Training and management critical for cage-free egg production

Training chicks and pullets so they are prepared for life in cage-free egg systems is critical to ensuring they meet their full productive potential, according to a leading veterinarian.  Isa Ehr, DVM, a technical services veterinarian with Hendrix Genetics, said birds reared in conventional pullet houses could find moving to cage-free barns difficult, leading to feeding and laying issues. But, he said, by raising pullets in systems which closely resemble or match the lay houses they will be transferred to, egg production is less likely to be affected. “Number one is training and management, because [cage-free production] is very different to a conventional pullet-growing operation,” Ehr told Poultry Health Today.  Read here