REPRODUCTIVE EFFECTS OF PARENT STOCK OF NIGERIAN INDIGENOUS CHICKENS CROSSBRED WITH ARBOR ACRE BROILERS AND GROWTH PERFORMANCE OF THEIR F1 PROGENIES
Keywords:
Nigerian Indigenous chicken, Fertility and Hatchability, Growth performanceAbstract
Nigerian Indigenous Chickens (NICs) exhibit valuable genetic traits, including heat tolerance, hardiness, and scavenging capacity for survival in tropical environments. A study involving 30 matured chickens (1 cock, 10 hens) of Frizzled Feather (FF) and Fulani Ecotype (FE), along with 24-week-old Arbor Acre broilers (AA), aimed to assess their breeding and growth performances. Semen collected from cocks was used for insemination, generating 73 progenies. Fertility was highest in AA×FF (91.30%) and lowest in AA×FE (83.34%), while hatchability peaked in AA×FF (85.71%) and declined in AA×FE (80%). Breed and sex significantly influenced growth parameters. At 4 weeks, AA×FF exhibited the highest Feed Conversion Ratio (FCR) at 4.82a, while AA×FE showed higher Feed Intake (FI) at 154.70 and Weight Gain (WG) at 32.47. At 8 weeks, AA×FF had increased FI (205.70) and FCR (1.84) but lower Body Weight Gain (BWG) at 111.73, whereas AA×FE demonstrated higher BWG at 162.58. In conclusion, superior fertility and hatchability were observed in AA×FF and AA×FE. AFE progenies demonstrated better growth performance characteristics, suggesting that Arbor Acre and Fulani Ecotype crosses can be selected for improved growth in indigenous chickens. The study highlighted the potential for strategic breeding to enhance indigenous chicken traits, supporting sustainable poultry farming in tropical regions.