Floor egg laying: can management investment prevent it?

Floor egg laying can be a common problem for laying and breeder hens in cage-free hous-ing systems. This is where hens lay eggs outside of the nest box, on the litter floor, slats, or tiered wire system. The causes of floor eggs are multifactorial which can make preventing floor egg laying behavior challenging and results in significant financial loss for egg pro-ducers. To better understand how floor eggs may be avoided, this literature review compiled information on factors that can affect the propensity of hens to lay floor eggs and management strategies that may prevent the undesirable behavior from developing. The review included studies on factors affecting nest box use, genetic factors, rearing and early training factors, production cycle factors, and new technologies being developed for floor egg laying detection and management. The information available online in producer-aimed management docu-ments was also compiled and 10 egg producers within Australia were interviewed to under-stand current practices implemented within industry. Combined knowledge from multiple sources illustrated that floor eggs are manageable if the right strategies are implemented dur -ing the rearing period and when the birds first start laying their eggs. This is more challenging for egg producers that purchase point-of-lay birds and have limited control over rearing condi-tions. Understanding the behavior and needs of a particular hen strain or a particular flock is important given the multiple factors that can influence floor egg laying development. Floor egg laying may still develop if all causative factors are unable to be addressed.

Automated summary

Floor egg laying is a common problem in cage-free housing systems, which can result in financial loss for egg producers. This literature review and interviews with producers revealed that implementing the right strategies during the rearing period and when the birds first start laying can manage floor egg laying behavior. However, for producers who purchase point-of-lay birds, controlling this behavior is more challenging. Understanding the behavior and needs of a particular hen strain or flock is crucial.