This study examined the effects of cage rearing system and backyard raising system on fatty acid profile of egg in laying hens during 9 weeks. Two hundred hens, 70-wk-old, Hy-line Brown, were used in this study and fed basal diets. 100 hens, randomly collected from facility, were transferred to cage rearing system and 100 remaining hens were moved to backyard raising system. For overall period, higher unsaturated fatty acid percentages in two different rearing systems than did saturated fatty acid (SFA) were observed. In unsaturated fatty acid compositions, both rearing system showed a higher mono unsaturated fatty acid (MUFA) contents than poly unsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) contents. Egg quality traits of laying hens reared in backyard system had considerably lower contents of SFA and higher contents of MUFA compared with eggs from cage rearing system (P<0.05). In addition, eggs from cage rearing system resulted in a significantly lower n-3 contents and higher n-6:n-3 ratios and CLA contents in comparison with backyard raising system (P<0.05). However, no significant effects of two different rearing systems on PUFA, PUFA:SFA ratio, and n-6 contents were observed during the experimental period. In conclusion, this result suggests that cage rearing system and backyard raising system will play an important role in improving egg production as functional foods.

The objective of this study was undertaken to investigate changes in fatty acid profile of breast and thigh muscle of old laying hens as transferred from cage to backyard raising system and to provide basic information on using old laying hens to producers for environmental managements. Overall, percentages of unsaturated fatty acid obtained from breast and thigh muscle with cage and backyard raising system are the most abundant, followed by saturated fatty acid. For breast muscle, there were no differences (P>0.05) between cage rearing system and backyard raising system in saturated fatty acid (SFA) and mono unsaturated fatty acid (MUFA). Poly unsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) and PUFA:SFA ratios were significantly higher in backyard raising systems in comparison with cage rearing systems (P<0.05). No differences (P>0.05) were detected between both rearing systems for MUFA, PUFA, and PUFA:SFA ratios with thigh muscles. SFA in thigh muscle was significantly (P<0.05) higher in cage rearing systems compared with backyard raising systems. In conclusion, using breast and thigh muscle meats from old laying hens as functional foods or investigating impact assessment on the improvement of farm management system may serve as a good management practice to encourage producers.