Outdoor Cages for Household Laying Birds

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume 95, Issue 3, 16 September 1957, Page 231

Outdoor Cages for Household Laying Birds

THE practice of keeping animals confined to cages is not new. Rabbits, birds, and chickens for fattening have been handled in this way for hundreds of years. A great number of children's pets are still kept in this way. Confining of laying pullets to cages was started over 30 years ago and in recent years interest in this system of keeping poultry has spread to New Zealand. Efficient farmers, particularly those specialising in egg production, have become cage conscious because it is realised that cages present a most efficient method of producing eggs through the opportunity for close supervision. In this month's article P. Josland, Poultry Instructor, Department of Agriculture, Wellington, discusses the use of the cage system for the household poultry .keeper.

FOR many household poultry keepers the use of the cage system would go far in maintaining the health of the birds by avoiding overcrowding and dirty conditions. The rat menace is greatly reduced. Increased production can be expected in that each bird is able to obtain its full share of food, as bullying can no longer occur and all the birds have an equal chance to give of their best. Often in a flock of pullets, regardless of the number housed together, there are timid and bullied birds. Such birds rarely obtain sufficient food for necessary body growth, maintenance, and production, and they develop slowly and produce poorly. It is surprising just how well this type of bird develops and pro-

duces when it is in a cage and unharassed by the other birds. Also with the cage system it is easy for the householder to note which birds are laying and with little extra effort to record the individual production. Thus the non-producer or poor layer can be detected easily and culled, food being thereby saved. Cull birds, if healthy and in good condition, make excellent table birds. Furthermore, the cage system would require less attention at the weekends, when the householder may wish to be away for at least part of the time. An Outdoor Battery The big advantage of an outdoor battery is the economy on housing, equipment, and space required. The position in which the cage unit is placed is important. A sheltered spot should be chosen and a wall or back

of a shed often makes a suitable windbreak. When a wall or shed is available it is easy to construct a shelter for the cages. The cages should have a hood at the front to help keep out the rain and the sides should extend 6in. below the floors to prevent direct draughts. Cages can be bought ready made or, if home made, at least the floors should be purchased. It is difficult to make a first-class floor. A reasonably satisfactory floor can be constructed of ordinary galvanised, 16-gauge, lin.mesh wire netting. The wire should be tightly stretched over lin. x ljin. framing resting on cross bearers at the back and front of the cage. An extra Jin. should be allowed in the fall of the floor if it is home made. Any sagging in this netting due to the weight of the birds standing on it will defeat the object of the sloping floor, which is to cause eggs to roll to the front immediately they are laid. Failure in this respect will lead to broken eggs and egg eating. A removable droppings tray is necessary. This can be cleaned once a week and the manure disposed of in the garden or compost heap. The sides of the tray should be turned up so that when it is removed to be scraped, the droppings do not spill. The tray

should cover the whole area of the egg floor when the cages are tiered. This prevents the birds in the lower and centre cages stretching their heads and pecking the eggs above and also prevents fouling of the feed and water troughs of the lower cages. The distance from the egg floor to the droppings tray should not be less than 4Jin. This allows for a week’s accumulation of manure without the cage floor being fouled. Choice of Stock When the type of bird to keep in the laying cages is being chosen consideration should be given to either a heavy breed, such as an Australorp or Rhode Island Red, or one of the first crosses now so popular with household poultry keepers in this country. Those most easily bought are the White Leghorn cross Australorp or the reverse cross or the White Leghorn cross Rhode Island Red. However, there is no best breed or cross for cage production. The essential point is that the birds should be bought from a reputable breeder and be bred from good, healthy, and productive stock. Heavy or crossbred pullets properly managed lay well, particularly in winter, and at the end of their laying

year make good table birds. These breeds are quiet to handle in the cages, being more docile than a light breed such as a White Leghorn. Broodiness, a characteristic of heavy or crossbred birds, and considered such a nuisance, is not a serious problem when birds are kept in cages. If broodiness occurs, it does not continue for long. Replacement of Flock For maximum winter production it is necessary to replace the flock with new pullets annually. A bird’s production is greatest during the first or pullet year and if birds are kept for a second year, they are moulting during part of the winter when egg prices are high.

The household poultry keeper is well advised to buy either pullets on lay or perching pullets. The latter are about 8 to 10 weeks of age, hardened off heat, and taught to perch. With cages, however, perching is not important, because the birds do not perch. Rearing day-old chickens is a skilled job and the average householder has not the facilities, equipment, or time to make the buying of day-old chicks worth while.

The ideal perching pullets are those ordered from hatchings in August for heavy breeds and September for crossbreds, delivery being taken 8 to 10 weeks later. Because of the heavydemand for stock hatched in those months orders should be placed 6 months before the pullets are wanted. If spare cages are available, birds of different ages can be kept without mixing. Very often birds of different ages are mixed together with detrimental results caused by the older and more advanced birds bullying and pecking the younger ones. The cage system has been referred to as a cruel method of keeping poultry. This idea has been entirely exploded. On the question of cruelty the following points should be considered. 1. Every bird is closely supervised and under constant observation. A sick or ailing bird can be seen immediately and treated or culled. , 2. Bullying is eliminated. \ , 3. Food and water supplies are adequate and birds feed readily. 4. Compare their sanitary conditions with those of birds kept in unhygienic sheds and runs. 5. The final testegg production is excellent and the health of the birds good. If birds were being treated cruelly, it is most unlikely that they would remain healthy, eat well, and produce heavily. There is no cruelty when birds are managed and fed properly in cages. Feeding and management in cages are to be discussed in a later article.