Department of Genetics and Animal Breeding, College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, G.B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar - 263 145 (Uttarakhand).
*Corresponding author: E.mail - singhagb@rediffmail.com
The four hundred sixty two eggs of 38 weeks old Guinea fowl, produced from 23 sires and 120 dams were used. The average value of egg weight, egg length, egg width, shape index, yolk weight, yolk height, yolk width, yolk index, albumen weight, albumen height, albumen width, albumin volume, albumen index, shell weight, shell thickness and haugh unit were found as 39.24±0.15 g, 4.90±0.11 mm, 3.82±0.007 mm, 77.83±0.26, 12.09±0.049 g, 16.40±0.046 mm, 37.7±0.18 mm, 0.44±0.01, 21.50±0.086 g, 6.42±0.045 mm, 63.0±0.25 mm, 21.13±0.079 ml, 0.103±0.001, 5.74±0.044 g, 0.38±0.003 mm and 86.36±0.289 per cent, respectively. The heritability estimates, based on sire component of variance for corresponding traits were 0.43±0.05, 0.29±0.04, 0.31±0.01, 0.16±0.05, 0.25±0.07, 0.49±0.06, 0.22±0.08, 0.18±0.01, 0.46±0.08, 0.27±0.06, 0.11±0.04, 0.12±0.03, 0.14±0.08, 0.09±0.02, 0.15±0.06 and 0.26±0.11, respectively. Guinea fowl has got more yolk weight, shell weight over commercial chicken indicating the availability of more nutrients per egg and less chances of egg breakage during transportation. Sufficient variability observed in most of the egg quality traits indicated the scope of further genetic improvement.
Guinea fowl, genetic study, egg quality trait, heritability
