Assessment of Egg Quality and Biochemical Parameters of Desi and Fayoumi Chicken Breeds of Kashmore Under Backyard Farming Conditions

Summary

This study compares the egg quality characteristics of two locally important chicken breeds — indigenous Desi and exotic Fayoumi — kept under backyard farming conditions in Kashmore, Sindh, Pakistan. It assesses both morphometric (external) egg traits and biochemical (yolk lipid) parameters to evaluate breed suitability for smallholder production and nutritional quality. The findings likely indicate modest but measurable differences between breeds in egg size and yolk lipid profiles, with implications for breed selection in low-input rural poultry systems.

UK applicability

This study is conducted in a low-input rural context in Pakistan using breeds not commonly found in UK commercial or backyard poultry systems; however, the methodological approach and focus on native versus introduced breed comparisons may have relevance to UK discussions around heritage breed productivity and egg nutritional composition in non-intensive systems.

Key measures

Egg weight (g); egg length and width (cm); shell thickness (mm); yolk cholesterol, LDL, HDL, and triacylglycerol concentrations

Outcomes reported

The study measured internal and external egg quality parameters — including egg weight, dimensions, shell thickness, and yolk biochemical markers (cholesterol, LDL, HDL, and triacylglycerols) — in Desi and Fayoumi chicken breeds raised under backyard farming conditions in Kashmore district, Pakistan.

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