Relationships Between Body Weight and Some Egg Quality Traits in Japanese Quails

The study aims to investigate the effects of changes in body weight of Japanese quails (Coturnix coturnix japanica) on some external and internal quality characteristics of their eggs and the correlations between them. In the experiment, totally 30 female quails raised in individual cages and 180 eggs obtained from them were utilized. According to the body weight, 30 quails were divided into 5 different groups and body weight averages were 238.0, 216.0, 202.3, 191.3 and 174.0 g for 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th groups, respectively. The examined eggs were individually collected from the quails and evaluated under live weight groups of quails. According to the results, egg weight, shell weight, shell thickness, shell ratio, albumen weight, albumen ratio, yolk weight, yolk diameter, and yolk ratio were significantly affected from body weight. There were found significant positive correlations of live weight with egg weight, albumen weight and yolk weight (respectively, 0.28, 0.24, and 0.25) and significant positive correlations with shape index and shell weight (respectively, 0.17 and 0.15).