@article{alig_malheiros_anderson_2023, title={Evaluation of Physical Egg Quality Parameters of Commercial Brown Laying Hens Housed in Five Production Systems}, volume={13}, ISSN={["2076-2615"]}, url={https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/13/4/716}, DOI={10.3390/ani13040716}, abstractNote={This study evaluates the effect of housing environment on the egg quality characteristics of brown egg layers as many different environments are currently used in the industry. Battery cages, barren colony cages, enriched colony cages, cage-free, and free-range environments were evaluated. Overall, all egg quality measurements were affected by housing environment (p < 0.01) except for vitelline membrane strength, elasticity, and egg solids. Eggshells and yolks were lightest in barren colony cages and darkest from free-range hens (p < 0.0001). Free-range eggs were heavier than eggs from all other environments (p < 0.0001). Cage-free eggs had lower albumen height and Haugh units than other environments (p < 0.0001). Lastly, cage-free and free-range eggs had stronger eggshells than the other environments (p < 0.0001), and free-range eggs had more elastic eggshells than eggs from conventional battery cages and barren colony cages (p < 0.01). Access to the range seemed to give free-range hens different nutritional advantages, which allowed for the darker yolks and shells. Furthermore, eggs from barren colony cages seemed to exhibit more negative characteristics. Simply adding enrichments to colony cages did not improve or detract from egg quality. From this research, it appears that, as the industry moves toward extensive environments, the egg quality of brown egg layers will improve.}, number={4}, journal={ANIMALS}, author={Alig, Benjamin N. and Malheiros, Ramon D. and Anderson, Kenneth E.}, year={2023}, month={Feb} }
 @article{alig_ferket_malheiros_anderson_2023, title={The Effect of Housing Environment on Commercial Brown Egg Layer Production, USDA Grade and USDA Size Distribution}, volume={13}, ISSN={["2076-2615"]}, DOI={10.3390/ani13040694}, abstractNote={Consumer demand for retail cage-free eggs is driving the layer industry towards greater use of extensive housing environments. However, there is limited research on how these environments affect egg production characteristics of brown egg layers, as was the focus of this study. Five housing environments were evaluated under typical industry conditions, including conventional cages, enrichable colony cages, enriched colony cages, cage-free and free-range. Three different brown egg laying strains were housed in the different housing environments and managed according to standard husbandry practices and stocking densities. Data collection for the strains began at 17 weeks of age, with a base period of 28 days for feed weigh backs and egg quality assessments. Housing environment had a highly significant (p < 0.0001) effect on all egg production characteristics measured, including egg production rates (% hen-day and % hen-housed), feed consumption (g/bird/day), feed conversion (egg g/feed g), and mortality rate (%) as well as percent grade A, B, and loss. Previous research revealed better egg production metrics for white egg layers in caged environments than extensive environments. In contrast, we observed brown egg layers had optimum production results for the free-range housing environments, and the poorest performance in enrichable colony cages.}, number={4}, journal={ANIMALS}, author={Alig, Benjamin N. and Ferket, Peter R. and Malheiros, Ramon D. and Anderson, Kenneth E.}, year={2023}, month={Feb} }