In the modern poultry industry, intense genetic selection for meat production has negatively influenced the reproductive performance of commercial birds. Parthenogenesis, embryonic development in unfertilized eggs without any sperm-egg interactions, is known to hinder the normal fertilization process and could be one of the reasons for this reduced reproductive performance in the poultry industry. Therefore, the overall objective of this research was to gain a better understanding of the process of parthenogenesis using Chinese painted quail as the model. Studies on Chinese painted quail reproduction revealed that they are very inefficient in sustained sperm storage and that number of sperm penetrating the egg and subsequent embryonic development potentially alter egg transit time through the oviduct. This poor sperm storage capacity and high sperm-egg interaction requirement might be responsible for the occurrence of parthenogenesis in this species; and in fact, this makes Chinese painted quail an excellent choice for parthenogenesis research. Further, dams selected for parthenogenesis as well as embryonic development, including parthenogen size, alter egg components by possibly delaying the transit time of the egg through the oviduct. Also, both dams and sires selected for the parthenogenesis trait appear to influence their progenies performance, including 1st wk mortality and occurrence of parthenogenesis. Additionally, vaccination of virgin hens with live pigeon pox virus increases parthenogenesis as well as parthenogen size and livability by the direct action of the virus on the embryo. Moreover, live Newcastle disease virus under in vitro conditions was found to have similar effects on the embryo. Because parthenogenesis exists in the modern poultry industry, even the accidental selection of the trait in either males or females could have a negative impact on overall chick production and performance. Also, as vaccination is a routine practice in the industry, it is possible that vaccination of birds that carry the trait will reduce fertility and hatchability due to enhanced parthenogenesis. Overall, currently it appears that, parthenogenesis is adversely affecting the poultry industry; and therefore, additional research on the accurate determination of losses in the poultry industry due to parthenogenesis could further benefit the industry.

The weight´s effect on egg´s quality, performance characteristics and incubation of chicks were observed in two experiments. Three treatments were used, defined by the weight of the eggs, breeding Leghorn 38 weeks old: small (S) 53 to 57g, medium (M) 58 to 62g and large (L) 63 to 67g. We have evaluated: a) the eggs - strength and shell thickness, Haugh units (HU), albumen height and percentage of egg compounds b) in incubation - eggs weight loss , hatching and embryo diagnosis, c) in one day old chicks in the yolk sac: weight and length of the chick, absolute and relative weight of the yolk sac, d) dry material (DM), crude protein (CP) albumen´s energy , and the yolk sac. Eggs range of different weights produced by Leghorn breeders of the same age (38 weeks) did not show differences among them for shelll strength, relative weight of albumen and yolk, albumen and yolk in DM and gross energy in the yolk. There are differences in the shell thickness, UH, albumen height, absolute weight of egg components, the relative weight of shell, the yolk and albumen protein and gross energy albumen. In the incubation, the weight loss of eggs and the hatch decreases with increasing egg weight range. Unhatched eggs increase with the increase of initial mortality and pecked alive and dead. The chick weight, absolute and relative weight of the yolk sac are directly proportional to the weight of the egg. The proportion of protein in the yolk sac decreases with increasing egg weight and gross energy content is higher in the yolk sac of chicks hatched from medium eggs. / Os efeitos do peso do ovo sobre a qualidade dos ovos, rendimento de incubação e características dos pintos foram avaliados, em dois experimentos. Foram utilizados três tratamentos definidos pela faixa de peso dos ovos de reprodutoras Leghorn, da linhagem Dekalb White, com 38 semanas de idade: pequeno (P) de 53 a 57g, médio (M) de 58 a 62g e grande (G) 63 a 67g. Avaliou-se: a) nos ovos: resistência e espessura da casca, unidades Haugh (UH), altura de albúmen e porcentagem dos seus componentes; b) na incubação: perda de peso dos ovos, eclosão e embriodiagnóstico; c) nos pintos de um dia e no saco vitelino: peso e comprimento do pinto, peso absoluto e relativo do saco vitelino; d) matéria seca (MS), proteína bruta (PB) e energia bruta do albúmen, gema e saco vitelino. Ovos de faixa de pesos diferentes produzidos por reprodutoras Leghorn de mesma idade (38 semanas) não demonstram diferenças entre si para resistência da casca, peso relativo do albúmen e da gema, MS no albúmen e gema e energia bruta na gema. As diferenças residem na espessura da casca, UH, altura do albúmen, peso absoluto dos componentes dos ovos, peso relativo da casca, na PB da gema e albúmen e na energia bruta do albúmen. Na incubação, a perda de peso dos ovos e a eclosão diminuem com o aumento da faixa de peso dos ovos. Ovos não eclodidos aumentam em função do aumento da mortalidade inicial e bicados vivos e mortos. O peso do pinto, peso relativo e absoluto do saco vitelino são diretamente proporcionais ao peso do ovo. A percentagem de PB no saco vitelino diminui com o aumento do peso dos ovos e o teor de energia bruta é maior no saco vitelino de pintos nascidos de ovos médios. / Mestre em Ciências Veterinárias