Abstract
The study was conducted to analyze the laying characteristics of Nera black hens in a hot and humid environment and assess the physical characteristics of good, intermediate and poor layers. Seventy-five eight months old Nera black hens of mean body weight 1.35 ± 0.24 kg (range: 1.20 -1.65 kg) in their 12th week of lay and housed individually in battery cages were used for the study. Eggs were collected daily and recorded for each hen. The hens were subsequently divided into three classes based on their laying performance as follows: Good layers, intermediate layers and poor layers and their physical conditions appraised. Results showed that the peak of lay was between 06:00 to 08:00 h and egg production declined gradually throughout late afternoon hours until no egg was laid between 17:00 and 18:00 h. About 88.75 and 11.25% of the eggs were laid in the morning and afternoon hours, respectively. Eggs laid between 6:00 and 7:00 h had the heaviest (P<0.05) mean egg weight (70.10 ± 0.92 g) and the first eggs in a clutch were the heaviest eggs (P<0.05). Hens with the longest clutches and shortest number of pause days produced the greatest number of eggs. Good and intermediate layers had smooth, pinkish and full combs and wattles, moist and enlarged vents and flexible pubic bones with wide space in-between. Poor layers had dry combs and wattles, tight and hard abdomen and narrow space between pubic bones. It was concluded that Nera black hens could lay up to 229.68 eggs/annum and lay most eggs between 06:00 and 08:00 h of the day. Egg collection especially in floor managed flocks should be intensified within this time period to minimize losses from cracks and egg eating by the birds. Key words: clutch traits, egg production, Nera black, oviposition time, pause days.
Highlights
Increased table egg production is one of the fastest means of providing quality animal protein at minimum cost in Nigeria (Oluyemi and Roberts, 2000)
Data collected on each hen were oviposition time, total egg production, clutch/sequence length, total number of pause days, and individual egg weight (g) in relation to egg sequence and oviposition time
The trend in laying with oviposition time in the population of Nera black hens is presented in Figure while Figure 2 presents the distribution of layers according to range of eggs laid
Summary
Increased table egg production is one of the fastest means of providing quality animal protein at minimum cost in Nigeria (Oluyemi and Roberts, 2000). Apart from the laying traits enumerated above, egg production is affected by such environmental factors as nutrition, ambient temperature, photoperiod, and relative humidity. These environmental factors change over time flocks should be continuously evaluated for performance. Egg production varies within a flock indicating individual bird differences in laying performance. While some hens may be laying at a very high rate, some others may not be laying at all (Miles and Jacob, 2000; Ani and Nnamani, 2011) or laying at sub economic levels. Knowledge of good laying attributes enables the farmer to identify and cull poor layers from time to time thereby optimizing his profit. The need arose to study their laying characteristics and performance
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