Effects of housing systems and laying phases on external and internal egg quality characteristics of indigenous guinea fowl hens

Abstract

The study investigated the effect of housing system and laying phases on the internal and external qualities of guinea fowl eggs laid in three different housing systems. The trial involved the use of one hundred and seventeen, thirty-four-week-old guinea fowl hens which were assigned to three housing types, which were battery cages, deep litter, and deep litter housing systems with free runs, which had the same dimensions as deep litter houses but with free run and open-air space to allow the birds to have free access to soil and exhibit natural behaviour. The laying phases of the birds were partitioned into 3 (36 - 40, 41 - 45, and 46 - 50 weeks of age). The data collected were subjected to analysis of variance (ANOVA) using a 2X3 factorial design. The findings demonstrated that both housing type and laying period significantly influenced egg quality parameters, with deep litter housing exhibiting higher egg weight, egg breadth, and shell surface area. Battery cage housing had thicker shells and a higher percentage of shell weight than total egg weight. As the birds aged, most parameters increased, while shell thickness decreased. The interaction between housing type and laying period played a crucial role, with egg weight, breadth, and egg shape index increasing as the birds aged. The shell thickness decreased as the laying period progressed across all housing systems. During the 40-45 weeks period of lay they exhibited the highest albumen height, haugh unit, and % yolk weight. The study's findings highlight how the interaction between the housing system and the laying period impacted the internal quality of guinea fowl eggs.