Influence of strain and egg size on the hatchability of indigenous tswana chicken eggs

Abstract

The objectives of this study were to find the influence of strain and egg size on the hatchability of indigenous Tswana chicken (ITC) eggs. In the first part of the study, a total of 240 eggs were collected from each of the three strains (naked neck, normal and dwarf) of ITC and artificially incubated to determine the influence of strain on fertility and hatchability of ITC eggs. In the second part of the study, a total of 244 eggs were obtained from the normal strain of ITC and allocated into three weight treatments: large (>55g), medium (50-55g) and small (<50g) to determine the effect of egg size on fertility and hatchability of ITC eggs. There were no differences in fertility and hatchability of set eggs between the three strains of ITC. Hatchability of fertile eggs was however significantly higher in the normal than dwarf and naked-neck strains. Egg size had no influence on hatchability of fertile and hatchability of set eggs in the normal strain. Medium-sized eggs however had the highest hatchability of both fertile and set eggs than large-sized and medium-sized eggs. In order to maximize on hatchability and chick number, the selection of medium-sized eggs and eggs of the normal strain are recommended.