Table 3.
Characteristics of eggs from guinea fowl fed control diet (C), Euphorbia heterophylla seed supplemented diet (E), Hevea brasiliensis seed meal supplemented diet (H). Diets for 15, 30, or 45 D.
| Diet |
Time on feed (D) |
Probability |
|||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Parameters | C | E | H | SEM | 15 | 30 | 45 | SEM | Diet | Time | Diet × Time |
| Egg weight (g) | 45.8 | 44.2 | 44.8 | 0.70 | 43.5a | 45.1a,b | 46.2b | 0.70 | 0.27 | 3e−2 | NS |
| Shell thickness (mm) | 0.67 | 0.68 | 0.64 | 0.01 | 0.69b | 0.67b | 0.63a | 0.01 | 0.87e−1 | 1e−2 | NS |
| Egg shape index | 77.1 | 76.2 | 76.1 | 1.6 | 77.1 | 75.2 | 77.1 | 1.7 | 7.24e−1 | 5.13e−1 | NS |
| Shell proportion (%) | 18.0 | 18.3 | 17.6 | 0.30 | 17.5a | 18.9b | 17.6a | 0.30 | 2.97e−1 | 3e−3 | NS |
| Albumen proportion (%) | 50.1 | 49.3 | 49.8 | 0.56 | 49.1 | 49.9 | 50.3 | 0.56 | 5.88e−1 | 3.25e−1 | NS |
| Yolk proportion (%) | 31.8 | 32.4 | 32.6 | 0.46 | 33.4b | 31.3a | 32.1a | 0.46 | 5.09e−1 | 7e−3 | NS |
| Haugh | 81.1 | 82.8 | 86.5 | 1.79 | 77.8a | 85.4b | 87.2b | 1.83 | 1.11e−1 | 2e−3 | NS |
| Yolk color | 8.7 | 9.0 | 9.0 | 0.22 | 9.2 | 8.9 | 8.7 | 0.22 | 4.11e−1 | 2.86e−1 | NS |
Egg shape index = egg width/egg length; yolk color: measured with the DSM Yolk Fan with shades 1 to 15.
a,b
Parameter means within rows of diet or strain with no common superscript differ (P < 0.05).