Effect of Hatching Egg Size on Hatchability and Chick Hatch-weight of Indigenous Venda Chickens

An experiment was conducted to determine the effect of hatching egg size on hatchability and hatch-weight of indigenous Venda chickens (Gallus gallus domesticus). Three different egg size groups classified into small: (<49 g) medium: (50-59 g) and large:(60-69 g) were used in the experiment. A complete randomized design was used for the experiment. Simultaneously a quadratic type equation was used to determine the egg size for optimum hatchability and hatch-weight. Large-sized eggs had higher (P<0.05) hatchability than medium and small-sized eggs. However, medium-sized eggs produced chicks with higher (P<0.05) hatch-weight than small and large-sized eggs. Results from quadratic analysis indicated that egg weight of 67 g supported optimum hatchability while optimum-hatch weight was achieved with an egg weight of 60 g. These values are higher than the average egg weight of 52.81 g recorded for the three different egg size groups used in the experiment. This may indicate that improvement in egg size would be needed in order to maximize the hatchability potentials and day-old chick weight in indigenous Venda chickens.