Managing Colllinearity in Modeling the Effect of Age in the Prediction of Egg Components of Laying Hens Using Stepwise and Ridge Regression Analysis

ABSTRACT The relationships between egg measurements [egg weight (EGWT), egg width (EGWD), egg shape index (EGSI), egg volume (EGV) and egg density (EGD)], and egg components [eggshell (SWT), yolk (YWT) and albumen (AWT)] were investigated in laying hens with 32, 45, and 59 weeks of age with an objective of managing multicollinearity (MC), using stepwise regression (SR) and ridge regression (RR) analyses. There were significant correlations among egg traits that led to MC problems in all eggs. Hen age influenced egg characteristics and the magnitude of the correlations among egg characteristics...