Author/Authors :
Konlan، S P نويسنده Council for Scientific and Industrial Research – Animal Research Institute, P. O. Box 52, Nyankpala Station, Tamale, Ghana. Konlan, S P , Avornyo، F K نويسنده Council for Scientific and Industrial Research – Animal Research Institute, P. O. Box 52, Nyankpala Station, Tamale, Ghana. Avornyo, F K , Karbo، N نويسنده Council for Scientific and Industrial Research – Animal Research Institute, P. O. Box 52, Nyankpala Station, Tamale, Ghana. Karbo, N , Sulleyman، A نويسنده Council for Scientific and Industrial Research – Animal Research Institute, P. O. Box 52, Nyankpala Station, Tamale, Ghana. Sulleyman, A
Abstract :
The study was designed to identify the possibility of making guinea fowls (Numida meleagris) to lay fertile eggs throughout the year and was investigated for nine months. Fifty guinea fowls (growers) consisting of ten males and forty females were purchased and raised to laying stage. At the laying stage, they were fed with commercial layer diet, confined in the day time and opened at 3:00 p.m. to go out and forage until 6:00 p.m. when they were driven back into the pen. Their supplementary feed intake and egg laying performance were monitored during the period. The eggs were artificially incubated to determine hatching rate. The results showed that the fowls’ mean supplementary feed intake was 84.5g/fowl/day and laid a total of 3,920 eggs in nine months investigation period by an average of 39 guinea hens. The hatching rate of the eggs was mostly found to be in the range of 66% to 69% but fell sharply to 18% in December at the peak of the harmattan season. It was concluded that good feeding and provision of water ad lib to the guinea fowls were effective means of making them lay eggs even in the dry season. The North – East dry winds (harmattan) which occur annually from November to February, was suspected to have negative influence on guinea fowl egg production and hatchability.
