Maximization of laying hen performance, welfare, economic return, and egg quality and safety

The commercial egg industry is under social, governmental, environmental, and economic pressure to evaluate practices in their production operations in order to maintain economic viability. These practices include pullet rearing management, layer nutrition, alternative feed ingredients, conventional and alternative housing environments, range production, molting practices, egg quality, food safety, and waste disposal. Any one of these aspects if inflated, eliminated, forced on to the commercial industry, or changed could cost producers a tremendous amount in income and public scrutiny. Savings in implementation and operational costs associated with pullet rearing, conventional vs alternative housing, nutrition, molting practices, and general management can protect producers from some of the effects of rising costs even in the light of static or lower egg prices or changes from shell eggs to further processed egg products. The full impact of any factor can be fully appreciated by evaluating the savings of one cent per dozen in the cost of production. This alone would save North Carolina egg producers approximately $3,361,042 annually. Constant review of the nutrition and impact of alternative feed ingredients of commercial strains is continuously under transition due to the continuous selection for high productive potential and grain prices. High egg production rates, earlier sexual maturity, and smaller initial body sizes indicates that nutritional data extrapolated from previous work may not provide the information the industry needs to maximize the productive potential of these birds. In addition, suboptimal nutrition in any one nutrient could have long term ramifications on the hen's health and subsequent performance. Rearing costs for replacement pullets have always been a significant expense in the production of shell eggs. Induced molting extends the productive life of laying hens through two or possibly three laying cycles, which allows depreciation of pullet costs over a longer productive life. The obvious advantage of induced molting is a per bird cost of about $0.43 as compared to a pullet rearing cost of about $3.40. Additionally, feed conversion is enhanced in the older hens if producers utilize molting as a management tool. This is especially important in the current state of high feed ingredient costs. The practice of molting laying hens to extend their productive life now utilizes non-anorexic molting programs. Research efforts are concentrating on refining these molting procedures in order to optimize second cycle performance and minimize potential effects on the eggs (Anderson and Koelkebeck, 2007). Information on what conditions are optimal for hen welfare and maximum economic returns continues to change as laying strains are improved through selection. Today the uses of cages to house hens in for egg production are being vilified by the animal rights groups. Research on laying hen behavior and adaptation to cages is ongoing and in a state of flux as laying hen behavior is evaluated in anthropomorphic terms. However, animal rights organizations apart from the egg industry are not willing to accept the positive aspects of cages for egg production. The movement in the industry is towards enriched housing systems, cage-free or even range systems. Feed is the greatest single cost of egg production at $0.73/doz., thereby; improving feed efficiency without changing production could significantly improve the economics of producing eggs and minimize nutrient excretion. Thus, proper nutrition of replacement pullets, first cycle hens and molted hens is crucial to the economic survival and environmental impact of North Carolina egg companies. Concern exists regarding the microbiological safety of shell eggs in all of the alternative production systems due to the outbreaks of food borne illness in humans attributed to eggs or egg products. The new FDA Egg Safety Plan regulations have production systems with limitations in controlling the growth of potential pathogens either on or in shell eggs. Understanding the impact of the production system on egg safety has the potential to significantly reduce the potential of shell egg contamination. Continued refinement of these processing technologies is important for consumer confidence in shell eggs they purchase. Production and economic research to quantify the effects of strain, management, housing systems and nutrition has been ongoing at the Piedmont Research Station. With the addition of a range production and enriched housing system facilities at the Piedmont Research Station, elucidation of the effects of nutrition, forages, and production management techniques can be fully examined to meet the needs of the alternative egg production industry.