Data collected on 887 female broiler progenies of 42 sires and 198 dams were utilised for this study. The mean values for body weight at 6, 20 and 40 weeks of age, age at sexual maturity, egg number to 280 days of age and egg weight at 40th weeks of age were 1190.2±4.1 g, 2125.9±3.7 g, 3086.26±3.8 g,166.2±0.1 days, 67.65±0.2 numbers and 60.77±0.1g, respectively. The heritability estimates from sire, dam and sire+dam components of variance, respectively were 0.135±0.08, 0.285±0.13 and 0.210±0.08 for 6 week body weight, 0.074±0.07, 0.262±0.13 and 0.168±0.08 for 20 week body weight, 0.002±0.05, 0.176±0.12 and 0.09±0.07 for 40 week body weight, 0.139±0.08, 0.142±0.12 and 0.141±0.12 for age at sexual maturity, 0.093±0.07, 0.06±0.11 and 0.076±0.07 for egg number to 280 days of age, 0.056±0.05, 0.008±0.11 and 0.032±0.10 for egg weight at 40 weeks of age. The genetic and phenotypic correlations were positive and high among body weight at different ages. Body weight at all ages were found to be negatively correlated with egg number. Egg weight and age at sexual maturity were positively correlated both on genetic and phenotypic level among themselves and with all the traits measured in this study.
Broiler breeder, heritability and correlation, production traits
