Performance of White Leghorn hens in response to cage density and the introduction of cage mates.

Hens reared at densities of 344 and 516 cm2/bird produced significantly fewer hard-shelled (HS) and shell-less (SL) eggs than hens reared at a density of 1031 cm2/bird. Soft-shelled (SS) egg production was not affected by the density treatment. A decline in ovulation rate would account for the decrease in total hen-day production in response to the higher density treatments. To determine if the introduction of new cage mates would cause hens to lay fewer eggs with poorer shell quality, the performance of hens with visitors was compared with those with nonvisitors. Visitors were introduced monthly for 13 months. Visitors vs. nonvisitors showed no significant difference with regard to HS, SS, and SL egg production, feed efficiency, mortality, egg weight, and specific gravity.