Genetic study of egg and hatch weight in different genetic groups of chicken
Abstract
Present investigation was carried out on a total of 1082 chicken belonging to seven genetic groups viz. Assel (638), Kadaknath (755), desi (54), Black Australorp (603), the crosses of desi with other recognized breeds as Rhode Island Red (42), Black Australorp (62) and Assel (62). For that purpose a collective number of 2229 fertilized eggs were collected and chicks were hatched through artificial incubation. It was seen that egg weight was significantly affected by genetic groups and higher egg weight was observed in Black Australorp (52.05 g) than Assel (44.43 g) followed by RIR X desi (42.10 g), Kadaknath (39.91 g), B.A. X desi (39.65 g), desi (39.57 g) and Assel X desi (37.56 g). Significantly higher hatch weight was noticed in exotic birds (Black Australorp). Among indigenous birds, significantly higher hatch weight was observed in Assel in comparison to pure desi and their crosses with exotics (B.A. and RIR). The h2 estimate showed wide variation in different genetic groups but were medium to high in general. The phenotypic and genetic correlation between egg weight and hatch weight was high and positive in majority of cases.
Keywords
Chicks, Egg weight, Hatch weight