Abstract
Assessment of village chicken egg quality parameters were conducted in two agro-ecology and eight rural kebeles, in Chelliya district. A total of 120 households were participated in the survey. Eggs were collected from 15 households for determination of egg quality parameters and two eggs were collected each from indigenous, cross breed and exotic, hence ten eggs were collected from each breed. Total of 240 eggs were used for this experiments. The objectives this study was to assess some quality parameters of eggs produced under scavenging production system. The exotics breed had higher egg production performance (198.80+10.45) than indigenous breed (155.2+10.45). The price of egg, pullet, and laying hen during the study period were 1.91±0.02, 38.43±0.87, and 44.24±0.83 Birr, respectively. The average Hough unit was 69.13, 74.50, and 82.63 (SE=2.21) local, crossbreed and exotics, respectively and 74.17 mm for highland and 76.67 mm for midland (SE=1.81). Average yolk color was 10.69, 10.35, 8.62 (SE=0.24) and average yolk index 354.93, 358.07, 377.13(SE=5.96) for local, crossbreed and exotics and also 9.58, 10.20 SE =0.19 and 357.05, 369.70(SE=4.87) in midland and highland. Except for Hough unit, the highland had higher mean values for these parameters than the eggs collected from midland. Similarly, exotic breed has higher mean values than that of indigenous and cross breed eggs, except Shell Thickness and Yolk Color. In summary there is a need for improvement in egg quality of the cross breeds and indigenous breeds.
Highlights
Animal production in general and chickens in particular play important socioeconomic roles in developing countries (Alders, 2004; Salam, 2005)
Eggs were collected from 15 households for determination of egg quality parameters and two eggs were collected each from indigenous, cross breed and exotic, ten eggs were collected from each breed
Highland had higher mean values than that of the midland eggs collected except Hough unit and exotic breed have higher mean values than that of indigenous and cross breed eggs collected except Shell Thickness and Yolk Color
Summary
Animal production in general and chickens in particular play important socioeconomic roles in developing countries (Alders, 2004; Salam, 2005). Income in many parts of the developing world have caused a growing demand for food of animal origin. In many parts of the world, poultry are kept as scavengers in and around the residence areas of the human beings. Almost all rural and urban families in developing countries keep a small flock of free range chickens (Jens et al, 2004). Village chickens are an integrated component of most-rural, many peri-urban and some urban households and accounts for more than 60% of the total national chicken population in most African countries (Sonaiya, 2004). The local chicken ecotypes remain predominant in African villages
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