Subject: Agricultural Science
Class: Grade 5
Topic: Rearing Systems in Chicken Production: Deep Litter and Battery Cage Systems
Lesson Notes
Introduction to Chicken Rearing Systems
Chickens are important farm animals reared for their meat and eggs. To raise them successfully, farmers use different methods or rearing systems. The two most common systems used in poultry farming are the Deep Litter System and the Battery Cage System.
1. The Deep Litter System
In the deep litter system, chickens are kept inside a large building where they can move around freely on the floor.
The floor is covered with a thick layer of litter materials like sawdust, wood shavings, or chopped straw. This litter acts like a mattress, absorbing the chickens' droppings and keeping them warm.
Advantages (The Good Sides):
- Freedom of Movement: Chickens can run, flap their wings, and behave naturally.
- Low Start-up Cost: It is cheaper and easier for farmers to set up compared to cages.
- Rich Manure: The mixture of old litter and chicken droppings makes excellent organic fertilizer for crops.
Disadvantages (The Bad Sides):
- Spread of Diseases: Since chickens walk and peck on the floor, diseases can spread quickly through their droppings.
- Dirty and Broken Eggs: Chickens lay eggs on the floor, which can easily get dirty or stepped on and broken.
- Wastage of Feed: Chickens can easily scratch and spill their food on the floor.
2. The Battery Cage System
In this system, chickens are kept inside specially designed metal wire cages. The cages are arranged in long rows, sometimes stacked on top of each other.
Food and water troughs are attached to the outside of the cages. The floor of the cage is sloped so that when a hen lays an egg, it rolls safely out of the cage into a collecting tray. Droppings fall through the wire floor onto a collection belt or the ground below.
Advantages (The Good Sides):
- Clean Eggs: Eggs are kept away from the chickens, keeping them clean and unbroken.
- Better Disease Control: Chickens do not touch their droppings, which reduces the spread of diseases.
- No Food Wastage: Food and water are placed outside the cage, making it hard for chickens to waste them.
Disadvantages (The Bad Sides):
- Very Expensive: Buying and installing the metal cages costs a lot of money.
- Lack of Exercise: Chickens are locked in small spaces and cannot move around, which can make their legs weak.
Summary
- Rearing systems are the methods farmers use to house and care for poultry.
- Deep Litter System keeps chickens on a floor covered with sawdust or wood shavings.
- Battery Cage System keeps chickens confined in wire cages.
- Deep litter is cheaper and allows movement, while the battery cage system is cleaner, prevents diseases, but is more expensive.
Classwork / Evaluation
A. Fill in the Blanks
- In the ___________ system, chickens are kept in metal wire cages.
- Materials like sawdust and wood shavings used on the floor are called ___________.
- The battery cage system helps to keep eggs clean because the eggs ___________ out of the cage.
B. Short Answer Questions
- Mention one advantage of the Deep Litter System.
- State one disadvantage of the Battery Cage System.
GLORIOUS FIRST TREASURES ACADEMY