Influence of the trait «small egg diameter» on productivity quails

Abstract

Currently, in many countries of the world, there is a positive dynamics of growth in the quail industry. When studying agricultural poultry, quails can serve as a model that characterizes all stages of bird growth, but in for the short period of time. Quails have been studied relatively recently, so there is the need to further study the productive traits of quails in order to have objective data when developing advanced technologies for the production of eggs and quail meat. Today in Russia for obtaining meat of quails, breeds of quail Pharaoh and Texas Whites use mainly. The development of scientific achievements opens up wide opportunities to increase the production of quail products and improve their quality Rearing quails with the right approach is even more cost-effective than rearing broiler chickens. The successful solution of problems in the rearing of quails depends largely on the results of scientific research. It was found according to previous studies that the trait “small egg diameter” is positively associated with the hatchability of eggs and the output of chicks. The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of selection by small egg diameter on the reproductive traits of the descendants of laying quails, their egg and meat productivity. The researches have been carried out at the Siberian Scientific and Research Institute of Poultry on quails of Pharaoh breed. The selection of quails based on the trait “small egg diameter” has led to the earlier sexual maturation by 3,2 days, the increase in egg production by 0,70 %, egg weight by 5,67 %, output of chicks by 5,60 %, live weight by 11,06 % (P < 0,001), average daily and absolute gain by 11,17 and 11,24 % (P < 0,001) and slaughter yield by 0,53–2,01 %.