Abstract
Body measurements, egg characteristics and carcass composition in the grey-breasted helmet guineafowl (Numida meleagris galeata Pallas) were studied. There were strong positive correlations between body weight and wing span, depth of breast, length of ninth primary feather, thickness of helmet, wattle length and head thickeness. The average live weight of the wild-captured guineafowl was 0.95 ± 0.16 kg. Laboratory-raised guineafowl weighed 1.27 ± 0.86 kg. The dressed carcass weight is constituted approximately by breast (37%), thighs (17%), wings (14%), drumstick (13%), ribs (10%) and back (9%). On the basis of ground whole dressed wet carcass, the protein content was 28.8 wt% and the ash yield was 5.67 wt%. The mean eggshell thickness was 0.051 ± 0. 011 mm. The shell weight was 6.68 ± 1.24 g. Egg contents weighed 31.5 ± 2.68 g, with a yolk diameter of 4.16 ± 0.09 cm. The mean egg weight was 40.8 ± 2.89 g.
