Effect of the Date of Egg-laying on the Biological Value of Eggs and Reproductive Traits in Pheasants (Phasianus colchicus L.)

Abstract

Pheasant eggs evaluated in the first period of egg-laying did not differ significantly in their weight and shape index and the values of both traits were, respectively, 30.7 to 32.2 g and 76.1 to 78.1%. Over the laying season the thickness of the shell decreased and its capacity for deformation and crush strength were greatest at the end of the laying season. The share of yolk in the egg was highest at the beginning of the laying season (35.3%), however over the peak of egg-laying and its final period the content of the albumen in the egg and the quality of eggs, expressed in Haugh units, increased. The best egg fertility and the results of chick hatch were observed from eggs collected at the beginning of the laying season (respectively, 92.5 and 81.6%) and about the fifth week of production (respectively, 94.4% and 73.9%). Chicks hatched from eggs collected at the early laying season were heaviest (21.5 g) and showed the highest share in egg weight (66.8%).

Effect of housing system on reproductive results in ring-necked pheasants (Phasianus colchicus L.)

“…With the passage of the reproductive season, the value of this trait increased in the research. A similar relationship was observed in pheasants by Kuzniacka et al (2005). In the literature, there are no publications about embryo mortality in eggs derived from pheasant hens kept in cages.…”

“…Kuzniacka et al (2005) also reported a high laying rate of pheasants at the peak of production. The fact that the reproductive performance of this species can vary was confirmed by Krystianiak et al (2007).…”

“…In Poland, like in the rest of the world, there are breeding centres and private game farms involved in the reproduction and raising of these birds. The profitability of pheasants breeding is influenced by many factors, including the number of hatching eggs and the number of healthy chicks obtained from one hen which is, in turn, dependent on the genotype, age, nutrition, and environmental conditions (Kuzniacka et al 2005;Nowaczewski and Kontecka 2005;Ksiazkiewicz et al 2006;Krystianiak et al 2007, Esen et al 2010. Eggshell colour was also found to have different effects on pheasant hatchability (Mroz and Pudyszak 2000;Krystianiak et al 2005;Kozuszek et al 2009).…”

Effect of different egg storage times on some egg quality characteristics and hatchability of pheasants (Phasianus colchicus)

“…The shape index of pheasant eggs was determined as approximately 80% in various studies (Tserveni-Gousi and Yannakopoulos, 1990;Kırıkçı et al, 2003aKırıkçı et al, , 2004Kırıkçı et al, , 2005Kuzniacka et al, 2005). Shell weight is affected by egg color and hen age in pheasants (Kuzniacka et al, 2005;Günlü et al, 2007).…”

Carcass Composition and Meat Quality of Common Pheasants (Phasianus Colchicus Colchicus) Depending on Sex of Birds

“…W porównaniu z mięsem kurcząt brojlerów, kaczek czy gęsi, zawiera znacznie więcej jednonienasyconych kwasów tłuszczowych [5]. Mięśnie piersiowe bażantów zawierają 29 ÷ 47,9 mg cholesterolu/100 g, natomiast mięśnie nóg -67 ÷ 71,3 mg/100 g [7,23]. Zbliżoną zawartość cholesterolu mają mięśnie piersiowe (35,9 ÷ 43,1 mg/100 g) i mięśnie nóg (50,9 ÷ 76,1 mg/100 g) kurcząt brojlerów [20,21].…”