Egg weight and eggshell quality
Egg weight, eggshell thickness, and stability did not differ between the three groups of hens at basal (Table 1). In all groups of hens, egg weights significantly increased from basal to final
(P < 0.05). The housing systems did not reveal any effect on final egg weights and eggshell stability (Table 1). The eggshell thickness increased from basal to final in the outdoor and indoor/ outdoor groups (P < 0.05), but not in the indoor group (Table 1). Final eggshell thicknesswas highest in the outdoor group, lowest in the indoor group, and showed intermediate values in the indoor/outdoor group.