THE EFFECT OF UROPYGIAL GLAND REMOVAL BEFOR AGE OF SEXUAL MATURITY ON SUBSEQUENT EGG QUALITY, FERTILITY AND HATCHABILITY OF WHITE LEGHORN CHICKENS*. | ||
| iraqi poultry sciences journal | ||
| Article 1, Volume 7, Issue 1, June 2013, Pages 39-48 | ||
| Authors | ||
| Rashad S. AL- Mahdawy; Saad A.H. Naji | ||
| Abstract | ||
| The present study were conducted at poultry farm , in the College of Agriculture , University of Baghdad from August 2005 to June 2006 , to study the effect of uropygialactomy (U.R) in different ages before sexual maturity on subsequent egg quality , fertility , and hatchability traits in White Leghorn chickens. A total of 180 pullets with 24 cocks were randomly allocated into four treatments groups. Birds in each treatment group were subdivided into three replicates. The surgical removals of uropygial gland were done at 16, 18 and 20 weeks of age for both male and female bird in T1, T2 and T3 respectively. Birds in T4 were used as control. The duration of the experiment was 11 months, at the end of each month egg samples were taken for egg quality characteristics measurements. Egg samples were taken at 45, 49 and 53 weeks of age to study the egg fertility, hatchability, embryonic mortality and pipped egg from the total hatching eggs. The data showed that (U.R) hadn’t any effect on yolk index, Haugh unit and shell thickness throughout of the experimental period. Fertility percentage were significantly (P > 0.05) increased in T2 treatment group when compared with control group. Fertility was 92.96% and 80.74% for T2 and control group respectively. Hatchability from the total egg set for T1 and T2 were significantly (P>0.05) improved when compared with control group. Hatchability was 78.89, 84.81 and 70.74 % for T1, T2 and control groups respectively. Treatments did not significantly affect the hatchability from total fertile egg, chick weight, early and late embryonic mortality and the percentages of pipped eggs. In conclusion (U.R) had no effect on egg quality traits, but these treatments were significantly improved fertility and hatchability traits. | ||
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