Rommy Díaz; Rodrigo Huaiquipán; John Quiñones1; Gastón Sepúlveda; Daniela Tapia; Carla Velásquez; Lidiana Velázquez; David Cancino & Néstor Sepúlveda

In Chile, the Araucana hen is raised in the southern region and is known for laying blue-green eggs and for the absence of a tail, known as "kollonka." Both traits are believed to influence the morphometric characteristics of their eggs; however, there is limited evidence to support this claim. The aim of this study was to evaluate the morphometric characteristics of eggs with different shell colors from Araucana hens. Blue-green and brown eggs were selected from kollonka hens and hens with tails. Measurements included egg weight, components (shell, yolk, and albumen), yolk height (Yh), Haugh unit (HU) determination, and shell and yolk color indices (a*, b*, c*, L*, and h*). It was found that egg weight exceeded 52 g. Blue eggshells were lighter than brown ones, whereas kollonka hen eggs were heavier, averaging 57.99 g, associated with a high HU value (179.40). Regarding color, yolks from kollonka hen eggs differed from those of hens with tails, particularly in yellow hue (b*) and chromaticity (c*) (P < 0.05). For the shell, all color indices were statistically different when comparing hen phenotypes as well as brown vs. blue-green eggs (P < 0.05). Eggs from kollonka hens showed similar morphometric measurements compared to those from tailed hens, with greater differences observed in blue-green eggs. Further studies are needed to assess the fertility and functionality of these eggs, which remain poorly understood.

KEY WORDS: Poultry; Mapuche hen; Kollonka; Eggs; Avian reproduction.

DÍAZ, R.; HUAIQUIPÁN, R.; QUIÑONES, J.; SEPÚLVEDA, G.; T APIA, T.; VELÁSQUEZ, C.; VELÁZQUEZ, L.; CANCINO, D. & SEPÚLVEDA, N. Morphometric characterization of eggs from Araucana Kollonka hens: internal and external quality. Int. J. Morphol., 43(3):782- 787, 2025.