Abstrait

Potential of genetic association between age groups as selection criteria for genetic improvement of body weight gain in local chicken.

Gwaza DS, Dim NI, Momoh OM

The study was conducted at Akpehe farm, Makurdi. Nigeria. Seven hundred day old chicks produced from mattings of local chicken ecotypes were raised to age at first egg. The objectives of the study were to provide information on genetic and phenotypic association of body weight at various ages. Body weight at hatch and at week one were highly correlated due to influence of common maternal effects. There was strong genetic correlation between body weight at week four and eight, eight and twelve, twelve and sixteen and week eight and twenty. The common maternal effects at hatch and lower age had evened out, giving room for the additive genetic variation that were either suggestive at lower ages or were in cells that do not enhance their full expression, or found themselves in cells that demanded their full expressions due to mitotic cell multiplications. Selection can be applied to eight week body weight to exploit it association with body weight at weeks twelve, sixteen, twenty and that at maturity.