This experiment aimed at adapting the Dutch manual nest model, whose format is well accepted by the parental broiler lines, to a new model aiming the mechanical egg collection. Adaptation consisted on replacing wood shaving by stuffed wood sheet and the placement of a conveyor belt for egg collection. This adaptation was evaluated in two experiments in the same shed with breeders from 25 to 35 weeks of age. In both experiments, there were 69 available modules, each one with 24 nests (manual nest) for collection of eggs from 7,690 hens and one adapted module with 24 nests (mechanical nest) for mechanical collection of eggs from 110 hens. In experiment 1, weekly percentages of produced eggs and floor eggs were compared and in experiment 2, besides those variables, percentages of cracked eggs and dirty eggs in the nest were observed. Also in experiment 2, aiming to reduce floor eggs observed in experiment 1, wood shavings were added on the stuffed wood sheet, from lodging to the 26th week. It was used a 2 õ 11 factorial design, in which the main plot was constituted by the mechanical and manual nests and the sub-plots were composed of the eleven weeks of evaluation. The weekly percentage of produced weeks was similar for the two nest types, in both 1 and 2 experiments. Percentage of floor eggs (experiments 1 and 2), dirty eggs and cracked eggs (experiment 2) obtained with mechanical nest were worse than with manual nest. In experiment 2, placement of wood shavings in the mechanical nest did not contribute for reduction on floor egg percentage. Transformation of manual nest to mechanical nests increased the number of floor, dirty and cracked eggs, showing a worse acceptance of this type of nest by the hens.
floor egg; nests; parental broiler lines
