Fulani Ecotype Chicken Genetic Resource under a Pastured Poultry Management System – 1 – Factors Affecting Egg Characteristics

Abstract

The objectives of this study were to evaluate the effect of age of hens on egg production and external egg characteristics of Fulani ecotype hens (FEH). Data on weekly egg production records covering 45 weeks of 143 laying hens under a pastured poultry management system were analyzed. Age distribution of hens was divided into 9 sub-phases, based on the period of lay with five weeks making up each sub-phase. During the 45-week evaluation period, hen-day egg production (HDEP) showed a bimodal distribution with first and second peaks recorded at 25th and 37th week of egg lay. Significant differences were observed across age groups for all observed traits (p≤0.05). The highest HDEP (27.20±2.1), egg weight (43.07±0.57g) and egg length (5.14±0.01 cm) were observed between weeks 57 and 61, while weeks 62 and 66 recorded the highest egg width (3.82±0.02 cm) and egg shape index (0.75±0.005). It could be concluded that FEH may have double peaks during their production period, and that age influenced egg production and egg characteristics.