Morphometrics and Density of Japanese Quail Eggs vs. Their Fertility and Hatchability: Preliminary Findings from a Pilot Trial

Pre-incubation sorting for infertile and non-viable eggs could save significant resources in quail farming. Previous research has revealed often contradictory correlations between egg morphometric parameters used to assess incubation success. The current pilot study aimed to identify these correlations for eggs from an F2 quail resource population. The most significant parameter, demonstrating the highest correlation (Rp = −0.625) with egg fertility (F), was egg density (D). A similar, albeit less pronounced, relationship (Rp = −0.329) was observed between this parameter and hatchability (H). That is, eggs with low D values had a high probability of being either infertile or containing non-viable embryos. A similar relationship was tested for quail eggs from purebred breeds (English White, Radonezh, Estonian, Pharaoh, and Tuxedo), but this did not reveal such a strong relationship. The correlation between D and F was Rp = −0.313, and Rp = −0.201 between D and H. Although results from studies examining the relationship between the morphometric parameters of quail eggs and their fertility and/or hatchability can vary, this may be explained by the fact that different breeds possibly display varying correlations between oological parameters and their incubation properties. Our preliminary findings suggest that more studies are needed in large-scale trials to clarify the relationships between density and morphometrics with egg fertility and hatchability.