Reproductive performance and health status of backyard poultry under different housing systems

Abstract:

Leading poultry scientists have long argued that housing design is the single most controllable factor influencing egg production and chick survival in rural flocks, yet quantitative comparisons among housing systems for indigenous breeds remain uncommon in Bangladesh. This research evaluated three housing systems Free-Range (FR), Semi-Confined (SC), and Deep-Litter (DL) for their effects on reproductive performance and health indicators in backyard Sonali poultry maintained in Mymensingh and Rangpur, Bangladesh. Sixty hens (20 per system) were monitored over a 44-week laying cycle from September 2022 to July 2023. Egg production per hen was highest in the DL system (134.8 eggs/year) compared with SC (112.6) and FR (78.3) (p<0.001). Fertility, hatchability, and chick survival at 8 weeks followed the same ranking. Mortality was lowest in DL (8.3 %) and highest in FR (21.7 %), with predation accounting for 62 % of FR deaths. Newcastle disease seropositivity was comparable across systems. The results indicate that deep-litter housing with night confinement is a practical, low-cost upgrade that can nearly double egg output relative to free-range scavenging while reducing predation losses.