Evaluation of egg quality traits among different breeds/strains of chicken locally available in Pakistan

Appreciated for their versatile nutritive value and functional properties, eggs are considered as an important item in human diet. Eggs are one of the most common foods available worldwide as they play an important role in human diet by providing humans with protein, lipids, minerals and vitamins in an adequate amount. Chicken breeds differ in physical and biochemical contents in terms of eggs and meat yield. The objective of this study was to evaluate the egg quality traits among different breeds/varieties of chicken available in Pakistan. For this purpose a total of 105 eggs were collected from 7 different breeds/strains of poultry namely, Aseel Lakha, Aseel Mianwali, Aseel Peshawari, Naked neck (Ganji), Fayoumi, Rhode Island Red (RIR) and White Leg Horn (WLH) and used to evaluate the egg quality traits. Statistical analysis of data was carried out through one way ANOVA, and comparison of means with DMR test (SAS, 9.1). Analysis revealed significant differences among breeds in egg weight, egg width, albumen height, yolk height, and Haugh unit while non-significant differences in egg length and shape index at (P < 0.05).