INHERITANCE OF JUVENILE AND PRODUCTION TRAITS IN VANARAJA FEMALE (PD-2 LINE) CHICKEN

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Date
2018-11-26
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PVNR TVU
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The present study was aimed at evaluating the performance of Vanaraja female line (PD-2) chicken. Data collected on 3737 chicks, progeny of 50 sires and 250 dams produced in a pedigreed full sib mating at the Directorate of Poultry Research, Hyderabad in four hatches during 15 th generation were utilized for the present investigation for estimating various parameters. Reproductive traits (fertility and hatchability), body weight, shank length, keel length, slaughter parameters and production traits data was collected from 620 birds were measured. For slaughter parameters a total of 40 birds were randomly selected comprising of 20 males and 20 females at 12 weeks of age. For egg quality 446 eggs were randomly selected during 40 weeks of age. The mean fertility was 83.57 percent. The overall mean hatchability percentage was 72.66 on Total Egg Set (TES) and 86.95 on Fertile Egg Set (FES). Highly significant difference (P<0.01) among the four hatches were observed for body weights. The overall least squares mean body weights at day old, 2, 4, 6, 12, 16, 20 and 40 weeks of age were 37.07 ± 0.07, 147.13 ± 0.61, 334.67 ± 1.44, 662.38 ± 2.54, 1271.75± 30.13, 1770.04 ± 7.54, 2165.45 ± 8.79 and 2553.41 ± 11.05 grams, respectively. Highly significant (P<0.01) hatch effect was observed for shank length at 4, 6 weeks of age and keel length at 6 weeks of age. The corresponding least squares means were 54.18 ± 0.001, 103.23 ± 0.31 mm, and 76.15 ± 0.002 mm respectively. Carcass traits such as live weight, dressing, blood percent were significantly (P<0.05) higher in male than female. Percent live weight of liver, gizzard, heart and feathers were significantly different (P<0.05) higher in females than males. Hatch of the birds significantly (P < 0.01) influenced the ASM, EW28, EW32, EW36,EW40 and EP40 significantly (P<0.05) at the corresponding means i.e, 157.17±0.02 days, 47.48 ± 0.01 g, 48.44 ± 0.01 g, 50.23±0.01 g, 52.63±0.01 g and 78.66 ± 0.04 respectively. xiv The average egg shell weight, shell thickness, haugh unit score, yolk colour, egg weight and shape index were 4.52 ± 0.002 g; 0.40 ± 0.002mm; 79 ± 0.62; 7.84 ± 0.07; 51.49 ± 0.18 and 75.22 ± 0.19 respectively. Heritability estimates for juvenile body weights, based on various components of variance were low to moderate except for six week body weight. High heritability estimates of 6 week weight (0.23 to 0.36) indicate scope for genetic improvement for body weight and heritability for shank length were low to moderate. Genetic and phenotypic correlation estimates among body weights were positive and high in magnitude. Heritability estimates for grower and layer body weight, based on various components of variance were moderate to high. Heritability estimates for ASM ranged from moderate to high, heritability for EP40 ranged from low to moderate. Heritability for egg weights were moderate to high. Genetic and phenotypic correlation of EP40 with body weights was negative in direction and low in magnitude. Genotypic correlations among egg weights at 40 weeks with egg production at 40 week were negative and low in magnitude. Genetic and phenotypic correlations among body weights and egg weights were positive and ranging from low to moderate. The study revealed that PD-2 line population has the genetic variability in both juvenile and production traits with reasonable additive genetic variance which will be transferred to offspring. The improvement in primary traits will lead to higher the performance in terminal crosses, which is beneficial to the farmers.
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