Effect of Egg Characteristics on Subsequent Egg Laying Performance of F1 Guinea Hens (Numida meleagris) in the Western Highlands of Cameroon

To evaluate the effect of egg characteristics on subsequent egg laying performance by F1 guinea hens (Numida meleagris) in the Western Highlands of Cameroon, a study was carried out from March to September 2024. Keets obtained from the incubation of eggs grouped into three categories; small (40-45 g); medium (46-49 g) and large (>50 g) categories were collected at hatch and raised on a maintenance diet until the onset of lay in March (at 32 weeks of age) followed by a layer diet containing 17.5% CP and 2,800 Kcal ME/kg throughout their laying period. Eggs from F1 guinea hens were collected, counted, and weighed. Egg lengths and widths were measured and used to compute egg shape indices from 32 WOA up to 56 WOA. Average egg yields per hen and hen-day-egg production (HDEP%) in 26 weeks (March to September) were evaluated. Data collected were subjected to descriptive statistical procedures and One-way ANOVA. Results showed that F1 egg weights ranged from 13 g to 56 g, with a mean egg weight of 44.12 g, and egg shape indices ranged from 70.30% to 85.10 with a mean shape index of 77.92% across all categories. Shape indices of F1 eggs from the small and medium categories showed no significant differences but were significantly lower (p<0.05) compared to the large category. Likewise, eggs from the small and large categories showed no significant differences in average egg weights, but both had higher (p<0.05) weights than eggs from the medium category. Average egg yield per hen per category in 26 weeks (March to September) were 87.75, 73.00 and 80.50 for hens from small, medium and large categories respectively. Hen-day-egg production (HDEP %) in 26 weeks (March to September) were 43.04±3.27, 39.15±3.56 and 42.99±2.7 for the small, medium and large categories respectively. In conclusion, helmeted guinea fowls could lay up to 87 eggs with over 43% HDEP in a 26-week laying period (rainy season; March to September), under intensive rearing conditions. Hens from smaller eggs have better egg laying performance than hens from large eggs.