Certain meat quality traits of guinea fowl that were reared in two production systems were determined in this study. Grey guinea fowl were reared in free-range and barn conditions. Birds were slaughtered at 14, 16 and 18 weeks old to determine meat quality traits. Some digestive traits were also determined. The type of production system affected the yellowness of breast meat significantly, and guinea fowl reared in the freerange system had yellower breast meat. The pH of both breast and thigh meat increased at older ages. Water-holding capacity, cooking loss and drip loss of breast and thigh meat were not affected by production system. Drip loss of meat decreased at older slaughter ages. The ratios of digestive system organ weights to body weight mostly decreased at older ages.

ABSTRACT Successful incubation affects the number of healthy chicks in all poultry species. This study examined the effect of eggshell thickness on the hatching rates of guinea fowl and pheasant eggs. In total, 964 guinea fowl and 1,728 pheasant eggs were used in the study. Eggshell thickness was measured directly with an ultrasound gauge. Thicknesses ranged between 0.27-0.47 mm in guinea fowl and 0.24-0.49 mm in pheasant eggs. Incubation periods were 28 days for guinea fowl and 25 days for pheasant eggs. At the end of the incubation period, unhatched eggs were broken to identify the causes of embryonic mortality. Eggs were classified as thin-, medium- and thick-shelled, and hatching rates were calculated as a function of eggshell thickness. Differences in hatching rates of guinea fowl and pheasant eggs with different shell thicknesses were not statistically significant (p>0.05).

ABSTRACT Incubation is an important factor in poultry production, particularly in species with relatively low fertility and hatchability rates. This study examined the effect of eggshell thickness on hatching traits of partridges (A. chukar). A total of 462 eggs from intensively reared partridges were separated into three groups according to eggshell thickness, which was measured ultrasonically before incubation. Hatchability, chick weight, and chick length were assessed at the end of the incubation period. Hatching times were recorded during hatching. Embryonic mortalities in unhatched eggs were classified according to mortality stage at the end of incubation. The effect of eggshell thickness on hatchability was found to be insignificant for all groups. Moreover, eggshell thickness had no significant effect on chick weight or length.