Nest preference and laying duration traits to select against floor eggs in laying hens.

Background: Floor eggs, which are defined as eggs that hens lay off-nest, are a major issue in cage-free layer poultry systems. They create additional work for farmers because they must be collected by hand. They are also usually soiled or broken, which results in economic losses.

Nest acceptance, clutch, and oviposition traits are promising selection criteria to improve egg production in cage-free system.

In cage-free systems, laying hens must lay their eggs in the nests. Selecting layers based on nesting behavior would be a good strategy for improving egg production in these breeding systems. However, little is known about the genetic determinism of nest-related traits.