Abstract

EGBEYALE, L.T. et al. Effect of weight and strain on the egg component utilization and embryonic weight during incubation. Arch. zootec. [online]. 2013, vol.62, n.238, pp.191-198. ISSN 1885-4494.  https://dx.doi.org/10.4321/S0004-05922013000200004.

The study was conducted to determine the effect of egg size on egg components utilization and embryonic weight during incubation of Dominant Black (DB) and Yaffa Brown (YB) strains of pullet eggs. A total of 810 hatching pullet eggs (405 eggs per strain) were grouped into three egg sizes (small, medium and large) per strain resulting in six treatment groups which were replicated three times with 45 eggs per replicate. Two eggs per replicate were used to determine the embryonic, albumen and yolk weight on each of the days 1, 7, 10, 15, and 18 of incubation resulting into a total of 180 eggs. Data obtained were subjected to analysis of variance in a 2 x 3 factorial experimental layout. Results revealed a significant (p<0.05) increase in albumen percentage as egg weight increased (r = 0.93) in both strains before incubation. The albumen weight decreased steadily to zero from day 1 till the end of incubation while the rate of yolk weight did not show the same pattern. The ranged values of albumen percentage for large, medium and small eggs were; 58.89 ± 10.78 to 1.75 ± 0.56, 56.83 ± 0.55 to 0.61 ± 0.28 and 54.04 ± 1.81 to 5.42 ± 0.89, respectively. At 18th day, the embryonic weights of both medium and large-sized eggs (28.56 and 28.80 g, respectively) were significantly (p<0.05) higher than small-sized eggs (22.54). It could be concluded that the rate of albumen utilization during incubation influenced the embryonic weight (r = -0.97). Also the high content of yolk when compared with that of albumen towards the end of incubation in the three groups could result from the need for energy and protein by the developing embryo after hatching before access to any feed.

Keywords : Dominant Black pullets; Yaffa Brown pullets.

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