THE INFLUENCE OF PULLET BODY WEIGHT ON PRODUCTION TRAITS IN WHITE LEGHORNS
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Date
1995
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COLLEGE OF VETERINARY AND ANIMAL SCIENCES Mannuthy - Thrissur
Abstract
A study was carried out at All India Co-ordinated
Research Project on Poultry for eggs, Mannuthy, to evaluate
the influence of pullet body weight on egg production
performance in Lwm iwrs trains of White Leghorn. The
experimental birds consisted of six body weight classes
starting from 1000 g with a class interval of 100 g. Body
weight at 20 weeks of age was Cosidered as pullet body weight.
The observations recorded were body weight at 20 and 40
weeks of age, age at first egg, hen housed number and per
cent, egg weight at 32 and 40 weeks of age, livability and
egg quality traits.
The mean pullet body weight was 13 04.7±4 g in IWN
strain and 1335.2±3.5 g in IWP strain. Age at sexual
maturity lowered as pullet body weight increased. A higher
egg number was observed in heavier body weight classes. The
peak production was delayed in lower body weight classes.
Though egg weight at 32 weeks of age did not vary
significantly among classes, higher egg weight at 40 weeks
was recorded in heavier classes. Birds which were heavier at
20 weeks of age were also heavier at 40 weeks of age. But
the gain in weight was lesser for higher body weight
classes. The classes were livability and egg
quality parameters.
The results revealed that an optimum pullet body weight
is an important requirement for IWN and IWP strains. Birds
with pullet body weight below 1200 g were poor in most of
the production traits in both IWN and IWP strains and
therefore may be culled. Optimum managemental conditions may
be provided during growing period to enable the pullets to
attain good pullet body weight.
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