Morphological indicators of egg quality of chickens at different ages and their interrelation in the reproductive period

The aim of the research was a comparative analysis of the morphometric parameters of chicken eggs, characterizing their morphological and qualitative composition, as well as studying the dynamics of changes during the reproductive period. In age dynamics, the volume of the egg (10.1%), the area of the longitudinal section (9.1%), the large diameter (7.5%), the surface area (7.4%), the length of the larger circumference (5. 2%). The small diameter (1.3%), the length of the smaller circle (1.2%), and the cross-sectional area (2.5%) changed slightly. The egg shape index varied from 0.755 to 0.857 at 42 weeks of oviposition, and at 80 weeks from 0.684 to 0.844 units. With an increase in the mass of eggs, the value of the shape index significantly decreased by 6.4%. At the 42nd week of oviposition, the egg weight averaged 53.06 g, and at the 80th week, respectively, 59.03 g. The protein weight increased by 5.0%, the yolk by 23.2%, and the shell by 13.9%. With an increase in the absolute mass of the protein, its relative content in the egg decreased from 61.0% at the 42nd week of oviposition of the hens to 57.9% at the 80th week. The relative mass of the yolk increased from 25.9% to 26.7%, and that of the shell from 13.1% to 13.5%. A positive relationship was found between the weight and the size of the structural components of the egg, which varied from 0.17 (shell thickness) to 0.82 (protein weight). A positive correlation was found between the angle of the sharp end of the egg and the cross-sectional area (0.33), as well as the longitudinal section area (0.23).