Influence of Season and Day Length on Production and Reproductive Traits and Egg Characteristics of the Guinea Fowl (Numida meleagris)
Korankye Okyere
Department of Animal Science Education, Faculty of Agriculture Education, University of Education, Winneba, Mampong-Ashanti, Ghana.
James Kwame Kagya-Agyemang
Department of Animal Science Education, Faculty of Agriculture Education, University of Education, Winneba, Mampong-Ashanti, Ghana.
Serekye Yaw Annor
Department of Animal Science Education, Faculty of Agriculture Education, University of Education, Winneba, Mampong-Ashanti, Ghana.
Akwasi Asabere-Ameyaw
Department of Biology Education, Faculty of Science Education, University of Education, Winneba, Ghana.
Clement Gyeabour Kyere *
Department of Animal Science Education, Faculty of Agriculture Education, University of Education, Winneba, Mampong-Ashanti, Ghana.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Aims: This study was conducted to determine the influence of season and day length on production traits, egg characteristics, fertility and hatchability of laying Guinea fowls (Numida meleagris).
Study Design: Factorial design was used for the study.
Place and Duration of Study: The study was conducted at the Poultry Unit of the Department of Animal Science Education, University of Education, Winneba, Ghana, Mampong campus from September, 2015 to December, 2016.
Methodology: Four (4) hens and one (1) male per replicate and fifteen (15) per treatment were each subjected to 12 hours of artificial light and 12 hours of darkness (12L:12D), 14hours of artificial light and 10 hours of darkness (14L:10D), 16hours of artificial light and 8 hours of darkness (16L:8D) and 18hours of artificial light and 6 hours of darkness (18L:6D). Each group was replicated three times and reared in three seasons (Dry-December-March, Major rains-April-July and Minor rains-August-November) in a 3x4 factorial experiment. Data were analyzed using General Linear Model procedure of SAS.
Results: Results showed that egg weight, hen-day egg production and egg mass increased (P= .05) with increasing day length. Similar results were observed for yolk height, yolk weight and albumin height. Most production traits, egg characteristics, fertility and hatchability attained the highest (P= .05) value in the major rainy season.
Conclusion: It was concluded that day length of 14-16 hours is sufficient for improved laying performance and that breeding cycles should be planned to coincide with the major rainy season.
Keywords: Seasonal variation, light, fertility, hatchability, egg quality