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Multi-Tier Aviary Advantages

Advantages of Multi-Tier Aviaries in Cage-Free Egg Production

Cage-free facilities remain a dominant trend in North American egg production, driven by the growing demands of consumers, supermarkets, restaurants and others in the food supply chain. When transitioning from conventional egg production to cage-free, producers have choices, including multi-tier aviaries, combination (sometimes called “combi” or winchable platform) aviaries and floor systems. While each solution offers a unique set of benefits and challenges, many leading industry experts see multi-tier aviaries, also known as European-style or open aviaries, as the superior approach due to several key advantages of these systems:

• High bird performance
• Reduced labor requirements
• Excellent bird welfare
• Positive public perception
• Strong return on investment

Many experts see multi-tier aviaries as the superior approach to cage-free egg production.

Example of a Modern Multi-Tier Aviary House Layout

Chore-Time uses nipple drinkers in its systems to minimize spilling. An auger-driven feed system also increases efficiency by distributing a uniform feed ration across the entire length of the system. Birds do not eat until the auger stops moving, so chickens do not peck and consume choice morsels of feed while the feeder is running.

An innovative feature of the VIKE™ System is Rack-Drive Expulsion (RDE), which gently nudges birds out of the nests after laying eggs, preventing hens from staying in nests all the time. The RDE System helps protect eggs while the collector is running by moving slightly away from the back of the nest so birds cannot reach eggs as the eggs go past. This maximizes the percentage of clean, grade-A eggs.

Rack-Drive Expulsion Nest Closure

Advantages and Challenges of Multi-Tier Aviaries

The success of multi-tier aviaries in cage-free egg production is largely attributed to the way they support natural bird behavior. For instance, the layout encourages birds to jump and move around the house. Additionally, multi-tier aviaries have 50-percent of the floor area available for scratching, which meets or exceeds current cage-free standards in both the United States and the European Union. Providing ample floor space encourages birds to scratch in the afternoon after laying eggs, rather than engaging in undesired behaviors, such as feather pecking.

The success of multi-tier aviaries in cage-free egg production is largely attributed to the way they support natural bird behavior.

Because the design of multi-tier aviaries encourages birds to naturally distribute themselves throughout the house, management is kept to a minimum. Features such as wire mesh flooring and well-designed manure belts keep the aviaries and birds very clean, further reducing the amount of labor needed to maintain a hygienic environment.

Producers benefit by being able to stock more birds per square foot in multi-tier aviaries than other cage-free system styles allow. Two-story houses can also be configured to increase the number of birds per house, which can further enhance return on investment, so long as producers take care not to overcrowd the houses. Bird performance declines in any house when stocked over the maximum recommended density.

Well-trained birds placed in a multi-tier aviary system at an appropriate density have shown good performance, even without molting – just a single cycle through 94 to 96 weeks of age. This results in more eggs per bird, a lower cost per egg, and a higher return on investment than other system types. Over a period of 10 years, for instance, producers may be able to purchase one or two flocks less than they would with under-achieving birds that are taken out after only 74 to 76 weeks of age.

Well-trained birds placed in a multi-tier aviary at an appropriate density tend to produce more eggs per bird at a lower cost per egg for a higher return on investment than other system types.

Egg quality is also optimized in multi-tier aviaries. Nests and eggs are kept cleaner in these systems, and a gentle collection system minimizes cracking, helping producers achieve the most grade-A eggs per hen.

One of the biggest barriers keeping producers from adopting multi-tier aviaries is that the cost of installation is higher than some alternative systems. However, multi-tier aviaries have demonstrated a much higher return on investment over the long term than some other systems with lower initial installation costs, due to the lower maintenance, better bird performance and higher egg quality with multi-tier aviaries.

Comparisons to Other Systems

The two main alternatives to multi-tier aviaries are floor and “combi” systems. Floor systems are often chosen for existing poultry houses with low ceilings or other space constraints, and some consider these systems to provide the most bird freedom. Also, one great appeal of converting to a floor configuration is the typically lower short-term expense. However, multi-tier aviaries offer much higher bird density without sacrificing bird welfare, providing producers with a better return over floor systems. Additionally, the multiple low-profile configurations available in multi-tier aviaries can often solve the issues of small houses and low clearances just as well as floor systems. What may be a short-term gain in cost savings with a floor system is quickly outweighed by the higher long-term performance and density benefits of a multi-tier system.

The multiple low-profile configurations available in multi-tier aviaries can often solve the issues of small houses and low clearances just as well as floor systems.

“Combi” systems were first developed in Germany in the 2000s with the goal of creating a superior alternative to multi-tier aviaries. They feature nests, feed and water on each level, based on the idea of placing less importance on training birds to move within the system. While this design offers some advantages, such as lower installation costs and decreased feed consumption due to less bird movement, it also has considerable drawbacks that may cause management issues and reduced bird performance, even though it was originally conceptualized as a low-management solution.

A greater concern with “combi” systems, however, is the loss of egg quality. Because “combi” systems have nests on every level, these systems require more egg belts in places that tend to collect dirt, dust and other contaminants. Additionally, the “combi” design often leads to an unbalanced distribution of eggs. Because of these problems, producers frequently experience dirtier eggs, more cracked eggs, and lower egg quality in general. Some trials have shown that “combi” systems result in 10 to 30 less grade-A eggs per bird over the total production cycle than multi-tier aviaries, which greatly diminishes profitability.

Perhaps the biggest issue with “combi” systems has nothing to do with production, egg quality or labor, but rather public perception. Though these are “cage-free” systems, they still resemble traditional caged systems. When it looks like the birds are in a cage, it does not matter how much one tries to explain it, people often still see cages. Many retailers, food producers and chain restaurants see perception as reality and are putting in their contracts that they want cage-free eggs from multi-tier style aviaries, not “combi” systems. In fact, for this reason alone, “combi” systems are already rejected by many European producers today.

The advantages of multi-tier aviaries in cage-free egg production are that they offer long-term viability and the greatest potential for long-term profitability. Not only do these systems benefit bird welfare by encouraging natural bird behaviors and movement throughout the house, but producers also benefit from reduced labor requirements, lower cost per egg and increased number of grade-A eggs per bird.

These many benefits beg the question, if multi-tier aviaries are comparably more advantageous than floor or combi houses, then why are they not being used by every producer? Some of this is due to the mindset of traditional cage production. In such systems, it all came down to building costs per bird. Density in such houses are maximized, so the cheaper, the better. Thus, a producer converting from a traditional caged to a cage-free system may still be focused on the highest density at the lowest possible cost and, without considering other factors, that points to a combi system.

As with most industries, change takes time. Additionally, change tends to happen after others pioneer new technologies and the advantages become clear to everyone. The positive experiences in Europe will continue to drive acceptance in North America. And as more and more producers convert to multi-tier aviaries, and it is repeatedly seen how these facilities produce more, high-quality eggs, with less labor, and without the public perception problems, it is only a matter of time before this “new” multi-tier approach becomes the standard.