Hatching performance of Japanese quails

摘要

Thepresentstudywasconductedon500eggs,selectedfromJapanesequailsrearedincagesatthePoultryResearchUnit,NWFP,AgriculturalUniversity,Peshawar,Pakistanafterdiscardingundesirableeggstoinvestigateoverallhatchingperformance.Alltheeggswerecollectedonthesamedayfroma70-day-oldflockmaintainedundersimilarenvironmentstoabsorbtheeffectofflockageandmanagementconditions.Averageearlyandlateembryonicmortalitywas14.5+2.01and11.9±1.96%onthebasisoftotaleggssetand17.8±2.26and14.6±2.09%onthebasisoffertileeggs,respectively.Averagefertility,lossineggweightduringincubationandweightofthenewlyhatchedchickwas80.9±5.49%,23.3±0.32%and6.99±0.05g,respectively.Hatchingchickweightwasfoundpositivelycorrelatedwitheggweight(r=0.77),length(r=0.31),width(r=0.33),eggshellweight(r=0.29)andshellthickness(r=0.12).Averagehatchabilityonthebasisoftotaleggssetandfertileeggswas55.1±1.93and67.6±2.77%,respectively.Hatchabilitywasfoundnegativelycorrelatedwitheggshellweight(r=-0.27),shellthickness(r=-0.13)andeggshapeindex(r=-0.077)butpositivelycorrelatedwitheggweight(r=0.18).Eggweight,shellweight,shellthicknessandeggshapeindexaffectedhatchingperformance.Large-sizedeggsresultedinbetterhatchingperformanceascomparedtosmall-sizedeggs.IncreaseineggshellweightandthicknessresultedindeteriorationinhatchingperformanceofJapanesequails.