Effect of the egg weight of guinea fowl (Numida meleagris) on growth and reproduction parameters of chicks in Burkina Faso

Abstract

Two thousand three hundred guinea fowl eggs collected at Gampela Station in Burkina Faso were weighed, then divided into six classes ranging from 20–25 g to 45–50 g. The eggs were incubated and the following parameters were recorded: fertility and hatching rates, guinea fowl weight, mortality, and weight growth up to 56 days of age. The average egg weight was 35.2 ± 1.3 g with unequal distribution in the six classes; the highest number of eggs was in class 35–40 g. The average egg fertility rate was 84.4%; it was correlated (r = 0.81; p < 0.05) to egg weight. The apparent hatching rate was 65.7% and the actual rate was 82.7%; the latter was correlated (r = 0.85; p < 0.05) to egg weight. The average hatching live weight of guinea fowl was 25.3 ± 4.3 g; it was also significantly related to egg weight (r = 0.96; p < 0.05). The average mortality rate for guinea fowl was 16.5%; it was related to the weight of the egg and therefore of the chick. The average weight of guinea fowl at 56 days (PDS56) was 152.5 ± 20.3 g; it was related to egg weight (EW) according to the regression: PDS56 = -279.1 + 11.8 EW with R² = 0.87. This study shows that it is important to reject low-grade eggs (< 35 g) in order to produce high-performance chicks.