PREDICTION OF JAPANESE QUAIL EGG WEIGHT USING EGG COMPONENTS AS REGRESSORS

Résumé

This study was conducted on one hundred freshly laid eggs from Japanese quails with the purpose of predicting quail egg weight (EW) from some internal and external egg components, and also to have accurate and reliable models, for the prediction of egg weight without the use of sensitive scale. The following external (egg weight, egg width, egg length, shell thickness) and internal (yolk width, yolk length, albumen height and Haugh unit) components were measured and the level of relationships between them were determined. Level of affinity between egg components measured ranged from 0.054(Haugh unit vs. shell thickness) to 0.559 (Haugh unit vs. albumen height). Descriptive statistics for the eight egg components considered were computed. Intercept and slope of regression between variables were determined. Generated values were used in multiple, double and simple linear regression equations, respectively. A total of ten prediction equations comprising three multiple, six double and nine simple linear resulted from the data generated. All the equations developed can be used in egg type quail operations. Each prediction equation with egg weight as the dependent variable will assist poultry breeders and farmers in particular in determining the precise egg weight of eggs laid by birds on the farm.