Effect of egg size on hatching quality and post-hatch performance of indigenous chickens

Abstract

The experiment was designed to evaluate the effect of egg size on hatching quality and post-hatch growth performance of normal feathered indigenous chickens. Hatchable eggs, grouped into three sizes: medium/control, small and large, were incubated to obtain day-old chicks. One hundred and eighty (180) day-old chicks were allotted to three treatment groups according to the egg sizes from which they were hatched. Egg size significantly (p<0.05) influenced chick hatching weight. Chicks hatched from large eggs were the heaviest (36.89g) while those obtained from small ones were the smallest (31.02g). Daily growth rate (DGR) was progressive and uniform in both cockerels and pullets in the first 8 weeks of life across the treatment groups. It was concluded that egg size, though could determine chick hatching weight, but not a good predictor of post-hatch growth performance in normal feathered indigenous chickens