Egg production characteristics of several Bulgarian chicken breeds
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Abstract
This study aimed to investigate and analyze the egg productivity of four Bulgarian chicken breeds, namely: Rhodope painted chicken (RPCh), Southwest Bulgarian chicken (SWBCh), Bulgarian longcrower (BL), and Struma chicken (SCh). The following traits were analyzed: age of sexual maturity (at 20% egg-laying intensity) (days); average daily feed intake (g); daily egg production and culled eggs (number); daily egg weight (g); livability (%). The following productive parameters were calculated: egg number per hen-housed; egg-laying intensity; feed conversion ratio (per kg of eggs); feed conversion per egg (g feed per egg); Egg Production Efficiency Index (EPEI). RPCh was identified as the earliest maturing group, reaching 20% egg-laying intensity at 157 days of age with the highest hen-housed egg production (223.9 eggs), whereas SCh exhibited the latest maturity, reaching this stage at 250 days of age and the lowest productivity (123.9 eggs). The highest average egg weight was recorded in the SCh group (58.0±٠.٥٤g), followed by the RPCh group (56.7±1.84g) and the BL group (56.0±1.68g), while the lowest average values were observed in the SWBCh group (50.9±0.68g). Based on the findings of this study, we can conclude that among all the tested Bulgarian chicken breeds, RPCh demonstrate the highest egg-laying potential. When compared to other purebred chickens, which are part of European genetic diversity, RPCh show superior performance in terms of age at sexual maturity, number of eggs produced per productive period, and egg weight.
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