title: Studies on the effectiveness of oral pellet vaccine in improving egg production and egg quality in desi chicken.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study the effect of Newcastle disease (ND) oral pellet vaccine in egg production and egg quality in desi chicken.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study was conducted at Veterinary University Training and Research Centre, Tiruchirapalli, Tamil Nadu. A total of 48-day-old desi chicks obtained from a private hatchery in Namakkal, Tamil Nadu, were maintained under cage system of rearing up to 52 weeks of age as per standard management practices. All the 48 chicks were divided into six groups having eight chicks in each group were subjected to different treatment regimes. All the birds were challenged at 52 weeks of age with 0.5 ml dose of 10(4.0) egg infectious dose 50 virulent ND field virus. 10 eggs from each group were randomly collected during the last 3 days of 8 weeks interval period from 28 to 52 weeks of age and were used to measure the egg quality parameters. The production performance of each group was assessed at 4 weeks interval period from 25 to 52 weeks of age.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In all the six treatment groups with respect to egg production, no significant difference (p≥0.05) was noticed from 25 to 52 weeks of age. Similarly, in egg weight, egg shape index and specific gravity, no significant difference (p≥0.05) was noticed from 28 to 52 weeks of age.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  From this study, it is concluded that the administration of ND oral pellet vaccine to desi chicken does not affect the egg production performance, egg weight, egg shape index, and specific gravity of egg.
authors.affiliation: Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University - Regional Research, Pudukkottai - 622 004, Tamil Nadu, India.
authors.forename: T Lurthu
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Reetha
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Microbiology, Veterinary College and Research Institute, Tirunelveli - 627 001, Tamil Nadu, India.
authors.forename: J Johnson
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Rajeswar
authors.affiliation: Directorate of Research, Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Chennai - 600 051, Tamil Nadu, India.
authors.forename: T J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Harikrishnan
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Microbiology, Veterinary College and Research Institute, Namakkal - 637 002, Tamil Nadu, India.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sukumar
authors.affiliation: Veterinary University Training and Research Centre, Nagapattinam, Tamil Nadu, India.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Srinivasan
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Microbiology, Madras Veterinary College, Chennai - 600 007, Tamil Nadu, India.
authors.forename: J John
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Kirubakaran
keywords: desi chicken; effectiveness; egg production; egg quality; oral pellet vaccines