Study of egg quality traits in PD-3 chicken line

Abstract

The present study evaluated age-related changes in egg quality traits in the PD-3chicken line. Egg quality was assessed at four different ages (28, 32, 36, and 40 weeks) with four-week interval, for external and internal egg quality parameters. Egg weight increased significantly (p≤0.05) from 52.24±0.45 g at 28 weeks to 54.32±0.45 g at 40 weeks, with significant increase was observed in egg length, yolk width, and albumin length. Significant age-related differences (p≤0.05) were observed for Haugh unit, yolk colour, albumin height, and shell weight, while egg width, yolk index, albumin weight, and shell thickness remained relatively stable. Shape index decreased with advancing age. These results highlight that egg quality traits in the PD-3 line exhibit significant age-dependent variation. The findings provide valuable insights for genetic improvement and breeding strategies aimed at enhancing both external and internal egg quality in dual-purpose chicken lines.