Assessment of Layer Hen Housing Systems and Production Performance in Commercial Farms in Ogun State

This study assesses different layer hen housing systems and their influence on production performance in commercial farms in Ogun State, South West Nigeria. Housing system design significantly affects laying hen welfare, egg hygiene, egg production efficiency, and labour requirements. In Ogun State's growing commercial poultry sector, farms operate a range of housing systems from open-sided deep litter houses to battery cage and enriched cage configurations, but comparative performance data under local conditions are limited. This study surveys 35 commercial layer farms in Sagamu, Ijebu North, and Ewekoro local government areas with different housing systems, documenting housing design features, flock management, hen-day egg production, egg weight, mortality rates, feed conversion efficiency, and cost of production per dozen eggs. Descriptive statistics and analysis of variance are applied to compare performance across housing types. Findings reveal that battery cage-housed hens show the highest hen-day egg production of 91 percent and the lowest feed conversion ratio of 2.1 kilograms feed per kilogram egg mass, attributable to reduced energy expenditure and individual feed control. Deep litter houses show lower production at 83 percent hen-day but lower capital cost and better hen mobility. Egg floor soilage is a significant problem in deep litter systems, affecting marketable egg proportion. The study concludes that battery cages offer superior production efficiency while deep litter is more appropriate for small-scale operations with lower capital capacity. It recommends housing system selection guidance based on farm scale and capital availability.

Keywords: layer housing systems, egg production, battery cage, deep litter, Ogun State.