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Cage layer fatigue is a condition that is unique to hens that are in a high state of egg production, primarily caged layer hens. The cause of the condition is thought to be associated in an imbalance of minerals/electrolytes in the body. Rickets and abnormal bones in adult birds is commonly present. In layers under thirty weeks of age, the cause is usually a temporary calcium deficiency when egg production reaches eighty percent or higher. If intake of calcium does not satisfy the need for egg production, the hen will remove calcium stored in the bones. Ultimately, osteoporosis develops, bones become soft and hens are subject to bone fractures. Crippled and unable to stand, the hen suffers from the caged fatigue symptoms. Many hens show spontaneous recovery if removed from the cages and allowed to walk normally on the floor. This indicates that a lack of exercise may be a partial cause. Cage layer fatigue is more prevalent in single-hen cages than in multiple-hen cages. When two or more hens are caged together, they get more exercise because of competition for feed and water. Supplementation of the diet with phosphate, calcium and vitamin D3 is usually helpful. Adding calcium to young birds by top-dressing the feed with twenty pounds of oyster shell or limestone per one thousand hens will often help the condition. In older hens, calcium deficiency is less likely than phosphorus or vitamin D3 deficiencies. Recommended treatment in these birds is to remove the hens from cages and top-dress feed with equivalent level of dicalcium phosphate. Adding a vitamin/electrolyte supplement to drinking water is recommended in any age bird suffering from this condition. Flocks that do not respond to the above therapy should be submitted to a poultry disease diagnostic laboratory to determine the cause of the problems. Several diseases can cause symptoms similar to caged layer fatigue. Flock treatment for the condition can be prescribed after diagnosis is completed.
by: The items listed below provide links to MCES resources available on the world-wide-web. Specific information on poultry related topics that is not available through these sites can be requested from Mississippi State University; Poultry Science Department; Box 9665; Mississippi State, MS 39762 or by e-mail at
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