Effects of age, rearing system and their interaction on phenotypic characteristics in hisex brown laying hens

The study was conducted in a commercial poultry farm in Quaish under Chittagong district to observe the effects of age and rearing system on phenotypic characteristics Hisex brown layer strains. Several phenotypic characteristics along with egg quality traits Hisex brown were studied. Three hundred cage and Three hundred litter reared hens were randomly selected. Feed and water were available ad libitum. Eggs were sampled in three age periods, from 20 to 26 weeks, 37 to 43 weeks and 54 to 60 weeks of age. No observable difference was found in plumage color, beak color, shank color, comb color, comb type and egg color in both rearing system. Significant (P<0.05) difference was found in shank length, egg weight and body weight and in cage rearing system it was 3.32±0.16, 59.44±0.42 and 1851.60±11.93, respectively where  in case of litter system it was 3.19±0.01, 61.14±0.45 and 1849.10±33.90, respectively. Egg quality characteristics were affected by rearing system and age. Egg weight, yolk weight and percentage increased with the hens’ age in both systems, but Egg shape Index decreased with age. The highest egg weight (61.14±0.45g) was found in litter rearing whereas highest yolk percentage (28.12±0.17%) was found in cage system at the final observation. It can be concluded that rearing system and age has effect on egg quality and any commercial layer strain improvement program should incorporate production objectives and trait performance of the society.