Predicting Egg Quality and Egg Production Traits Using Egg Weight and Body Weight Respectively In Three Varieties of Helmeted Guinea Fowls in Humid Tropics

Abstract

This study investigated the prediction of egg quality and egg production traits using egg weight and body weight respectively in three varieties of helmeted Guinea fowls in humid tropics. The experimental varieties were Pearl (Sake), Lavender (Hurudu) and Black (Angulu). Base populations of 180 Guinea fowls were used to generate 144 F1 females comprising 48 birds per variety. Each variety was divided into three randomized replicates containing 16 birds per replicate. Data were collected fortnightly on external egg quality traits including egg weight, egg length, egg width, egg index, shell thickness, shell weight; internal egg quality traits including albumen height, albumen weight, albumen diameter, yolk length, yolk height, yolk weight, yolk diameter, yolk index and Haugh unit and egg production traits including body weight (BWT), body weight gain (BWG), feed intake (FI), feed per dozen egg (FDE), feed efficiency (FE), egg number (EN), percent hen day production (% HD) Data collected were subjected to Simple linear regression statistical analysis using SPSS. The findings of this research have shown that egg weight can be used largely to predict albumen weight (R2 = 43.2 % and 54.6 %) and yolk weight (R2= 68.6 % and 58.3 %) in Pearl and Black varieties respectively. The body weight on the other hand, can be used to predict shell weight (64.6 %) highly and egg weight (47.5 %) reasonably only in the Pearl variety. This study has equally shown that body weight can fairly be used to predict body weight gain and feed efficiency in Lavender variety as well as daily feed intake in Black and Pearl varieties. Other component traits besides egg weight and bodyweight can therefore be tried out as predictors.