Types of Egg Produced in White Plymouth Rock Hens

A survey is given of research on egg production in White Plymouth Rocks at the Spelderholt Institute for Poultry Research, The Netherlands. In these studies considerable attention was given to the causes of the so-called Erratic Oviposition and Defective Egg Syndrome (EODES). Physiological and genet...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:World's poultry science journal 1978-05, Vol.34 (2), p.69-80
Main Author: van Middelkoop, J. H.
Format: Article
Language:English
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Summary:A survey is given of research on egg production in White Plymouth Rocks at the Spelderholt Institute for Poultry Research, The Netherlands. In these studies considerable attention was given to the causes of the so-called Erratic Oviposition and Defective Egg Syndrome (EODES). Physiological and genetic aspects are emphasized, but the influence of the sex-linked dwarfing gene dw and of different rearing methods is also discussed. Detailed studies of the phenomenon of abnormal-egg laying revealed at least two separate aetiological categories, represented by double-yolked (DY) and extra-calcified (EC) eggs respectively. Heritability of DY-laying is estimated to have values of about 0·3-0·5 and heritability of EC-laying to amount of over 0·5. Correlated responses show that laying of abnormal eggs is not independent of growth rate. In studying the influence of the sex-linked dwarfing gene dw, it was found that a reduction of excessive yolk formation in the ovary results in fewer abnormal eggs and a simultaneous increase in normal ones. Delay in sexual maturity resulted in a higher normal egg production. This increase is mainly due to an increased total production and not to an important improvement of the ratio between normal eggs laid and total yolks in oviposition.
ISSN:0043-9339
1743-4777
DOI:10.1079/WPS19960029