Effect of housing environment and hen strain on egg production and egg quality as well as cloacal and eggshell microbiology in laying hens.

This study was conducted to determine the effect of housing environment and laying hen strain on performance, egg quality, and microbiology of the cloaca and eggshell. A total of 1,152 Hy-Line Brown (HB) and Hy-Line W-36 White Leghorn (W-36) hens were used. All hens were kept in conventional cages (CC) from 18 to 32 wk of age and then moved to either enriched colony cages (EC) or free-range (FR) pens or continued in CC.