Effects of egg weight and storage time on hatchweight of Fulani ecotype chicken eggs under artificial incubation

Abstract

The study was conducted to evaluate the effects of egg weight and storage time on the hatch weight of Fulani ecotype chicken eggs under artificial incubation. A total of 50 eggs [Small (<30.84 g) (26 eggs) and Medium (>30.84 g) (24 eggs)] were used for the study. Data generated were subjected to analysis of variance and the relationships among the parameters observed were estimated using Pearson’s correlation and regression analyses. The medium eggs (>30.84 g) had the highest (P<0.05) mean value of 34.65 g for hatch weight while the small category (<30.84 g) recorded the lowest of 27.00 g. Storage period had no significant (P>0.05) effect on hatch weight. The result indicated that there was no significant (P>0.05) interaction effect on hatch weight of the Fulani chicken. Egg weight was significantly (P<0.01) and positively correlated with hatch weight (0.997). The correlation between egg weight and storage period (P<0.05) was, however, negative (-0.353). The correlation between hatch weight and storage period (P<0.05) was also negative (-0.342). The best fit was observed in the Linear model with R2 = 0.994, adjusted R2 = 0.994 and root mean square value of 0.365, which was lesser than the 0.367 obtained in the Quadratic model. The current study revealed that eggs of medium size produced chicks with higher hatch weight compared to eggs of small size while storage period did not affect the hatch weight of Fulani chickens.