The effect of different housing system on quality parameters of eggs in relationship to the age in brown egg-laying hens

This study was made because of the dominant use of cage housing systems in poultry husbandry worldwide. The aim was to evaluate the quality parameters of eggs of brown egglaying hybrid Lohmann Brown-Classic depending on age and housing system. The eggs were collected from 32, 42 and 64-week-old hens. In total, 1080 eggs from the enriched cages and 540 eggs from the litter were analysed. The evaluation of technological value included egg weight and shape index, eggshell surface, weight, proportion, thickness, strength and colour, albumen weight, proportion and index, Haugh units, yolk weight, proportion, index and yolk to albumen ratio. The significant effect of both, age and housing system, was found in all observed parameters except for the egg shape index, where significant effect was not found in the housing system. The significant interaction of age and housing system was found in all observed parameters except for the eggshell strength. The results did not confirm a trend of deteriorating egg quality with the age. In terms of the housing system, it is not possible to unambiguously claim that one housing system produced eggs with superior quality, but most of the values of the main parameters were higher in eggs from enriched cages. It is necessary to continue to monitor the quality of eggs, depending on the age and housing system, in context of the cage systems replacement.