Comparative study of the production potential of indigenous poultry breeds of Banat naked neck and Svrljig hen: Reproductive parameters and egg quality

In order to preserve indigenous and locally adapted breeds through development programs for sustainable egg and meat production, it is necessary to have more data on the potential of these breeds in different production conditions. Accordingly, the objective of the study was to determine and compare the reproductive potential, production performance and egg quality of two indigenous poultry breeds: the Banat Naked Neck (BNN) and the Svrljig Hen (SH), in improved growing conditions (nutrition, photoperiod and housing) in relation to the traditional rearing of these breeds. Four flocks for each breed were housed in floor pens in a closed facility during the winter months, and then in the vegetation season (April-September) they were kept in mobile cages in the pasture. The duration of the photoperiod in the facility was 15 hours, and in the pasture, they were exposed to the natural duration of daylight. The layers were fed ad libitum with balanced complete mixtures for layer-line hybrids and during the vegetation season supplemented with food found in the pasture around the mobile cage. The reproductive potential of BNN and SH hens was determined on the basis of the age of the hens at the beginning of laying, the age at the peak of laying and the number of eggs per housed hen. The egg hatching properties were examined based on the percentage of chicks hatching in relation to the number of laid and fertilized eggs. Data on the quality of table eggs were obtained by testing over eight-week periods during the entire laying period. Under the applied rearing, nutrition and photoperiod conditions, BNN hens achieved production in accordance with their genetic potential defined by the breed standard, while SH layers with 126.43 eggs/housed hen achieved production higher than the breed standard. The egg production of these two breeds of hens differed in the intensity and persistence of laying, which, in addition to a higher peak of laying, resulted in a higher production of egg/housed hen BNN (146.71) compared to SH. On the other hand, parameters of table egg quality, i.e., shell quality and egg albumen/yolk ratio, were significantly better in SH. Also, SH had a higher reproductive potential compared to BNN hens based on the percentage of fertilized and hatched eggs.