Study on Egg Productivity of Guinea-Fowls (Numida meleagris)

Subject Areas : Camel

R. Ivanova ¹ , M. Nikolova ² , P. Veleva ³

1 - Department of Animal Science, Agricultural University of Plovdiv, Plovdiv, Bulgaria
2 - Department of Animal Science, Agricultural University of Plovdiv, Plovdiv, Bulgaria
3 - Department of Agricultural Engineering, Trakia University, Stara Zagora, Bulgaria

Received: 2019-12-25 Accepted : 2020-02-29 Published : 2020-12-01

Keywords: egg-laying productivity, egg morphology, Guinea-fowl,

Abstract :

A study on the egg productivity of pearl-gray guinea-fowl from the Bulgarian local population was carried out over three consecutive laying years – 2016, 2017, and 2018. Egg-laying started at 39 weeks of age and the production cycle was 31, 30, and 25 weeks for one-, two- and three-year-old layers, respectively, the average egg-laying intensity being 70.11, 44.22, and 32.81%, depending on the fowl age. The following characteristics were established for the three studied ages of the layers: mean egg weight – 41.59 ± 0.13, 42.31 ± 0.12 and 38.49 ± 0.23g; shape index – 76.32 ± 0.19, 76.54 ± 0.15 and 77.96 ± 0.20%; egg yolk weight – 13.58 ± 0.06, 14.03 ± 0.05 and 12.62 ± 0.08g; egg albumen weigh – 49.09 ± 0.13, 48.00 ± 0.15 and 51.35 ± 0.24 g and shell weight – 18.23 ± 0.10, 18.88 ± 0.08 and 15.05 ± 0.65g, respectively. The univariate analysis with least significant difference (LSD) test has shown significant differences in egg-laying intensity in guinea-fowl comparing the different seasons and productive years. The same analysis has revealed significant differences in the morphological characteristics of guinea-fowl eggs during the varying seasons and depending on the age of the layers. Taking into account the significant decrease of Guinea fowl egg production in their second and third laying years under an uncontrolled microclimate of the habitat for table eggs production, it is recommended to use guinea hens for a year for commercial production of eggs for consumption.

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