Why are the upper laying nests cramped with hens?

Photo: Marcel Berendsen

Ask yourself the following questions:  What do I see?   What does it mean?   What should I do?

This is Practical guide to improving egg quality

• LOOK: The upper laying nests are cramped with hens.

• THINK: Hens prefer higher nest boxes by nature. Their natural behaviour is to roost in trees. In systems with laying nest on various levels, you often see that the upper nests are used most frequently.

• ACT: Keep in mind that the upper egg belt will contain more eggs and it has to run more frequently. The upper egg belt determines the moment of egg collection, but is often not the easiest to check. Be aware of that. Besides the total number of eggs, distribution within the system determines the timing of egg collection.