What are the advantages and disadvantages of raising broiler chickens in cages?

In recent years, with the increasing intensification of broiler chicken breeding, broiler chicken cages have attracted more and more attention in the industry and developed rapidly. Benefits of raising broiler chickens in cages: ① Raising broiler chickens in cages can greatly increase the breeding density per unit building area. For example, using four-layer overlapping cages, the plane density of the chicken house can reach 100 chickens per square meter. In a traditional broiler house of 12 meters × 100 meters, 15,000 to 20,000 chickens are raised in each batch on the ground. The number of animals raised in cages per batch can reach 60,000 to 80,000, which means the number of animals raised in cages can be increased by more than four times within the same building area. ② Males and females can be reared in separate groups to make full use of the growth characteristics of broiler chickens of different genders, improve the feed conversion rate, make the market weight specifications more consistent, and increase economic income. ③Because cage raising limits the activities of broiler chickens and reduces energy consumption, the production cycle of broiler chickens with the same weight is shortened by 12%, and feed consumption is reduced by 13%. ④ Chickens are not in contact with feces, and diseases such as coccidia are reduced. ⑤ No bedding is required, saving bedding expenses. ⑥ Cages facilitate mechanized operation, can improve labor productivity, significantly reduce labor costs, are conducive to scientific management, and obtain the best economic benefits. The main disadvantages of raising broiler chickens in cages are: ① The one-time investment in chicken cage equipment is relatively large. ②The chickens’ drinking water is limited to the two nipples, and sometimes there is insufficient drinking water. ③The feed trough is limited and the chickens will be trampled and crushed to death as they compete for food. ④In vertical three-layer cages, there is insufficient lighting in the lower layer, which affects growth. ⑤ Chickens raised in cages are prone to sudden death syndrome, which affects the survival rate of chickens. ⑥The incidence of chest and toe diseases is high, and the requirements for environmental and nutritional conditions are high.