EARLY EVALUATION OF EGG PRODUCTIVITY AND A SELECTION TRAIT FOR EGG-LAYING BREEDS OF HENS

Abstract

The article is devoted to the development of a method for early prediction and evaluation of egg production of highly productive crosses of laying hens. Scientific researches were carried out on line hens of the female parent of the UK 456 cross in JSC poultry breeding farm “Labinsky” during the period 2015-2016. Egg laying and the age of maturity were recorded individually for each hen from the age of 120 days and the entire productive period. The initial number of hens in the group was 166 head. Egg-laying cycles and intervals between them, their effect on the egg production of hens, egg weight and elastic deformation of the shell were studied. It was found that early maturity significantly correlated with the egg production of hens. At the same time, hens that reached maturity early, were inferior on average by 80 g in live weight to late maturing birds. Laying hens with high egg production reached the age of maturity on average 6 days earlier than hens with lower egg production. With the age of the laying hen, especially in the last months of the productive period, the length of cycles decreases, and the number of intervals and their duration increases. This is most pronounced on less egg-laying birds. The effect of cycles and intervals in the egg production of hens on egg weight and shell strength has not been established. In order to increase egg production, it is proposed to select hens at an early age of maturity.