AUTO-SEXING POTENTIAL AND GROWTH PERFORMANCE IN RHODE ISLAND, NIGERIAN LOCAL CHICKENS AND THEIR RECIPROCAL CROSSES

Abstract

This study was conducted to determine auto-sexing potential in Rhode Island, Nigerian local chicken and their reciprocal crosses. A total of 241 eggs were set in the incubator to determine the fertility, hatchability, % Hatch, % dead in shell, % dead in cell and % deformed chicks in the four genotypes (Rhode Island Red (RIR) x Rhode Island White (RIW), Rhode Island Red (RIR) x Rhode Island White (RIW), Nigerian Local Red (NLR) x Rhode Island White (RIW) andNigerian Local Red (NLR) x Nigerian Local White (NLW). Only 94 eggs were hatched. Chi square analysis was used to test colour inheritance of chicks. The chi square (X2) analysis revealed that both RIRxRIW and NLRxRIW crossbred chicks were autosexed. The study concluded that selection for plumage colour showed great potential in determining the probability of chicks being autosexed showed that the pure bred of RIRXRIW and reciprocal cross of NLRXRIW showed great potential of producing autosexed chicks, while the results on the direct of NLRXNLW and RIRXNLW suggest that the pattern of inheritance of plumage colour is not simple. The study recommends further investigation to further ascertain the mode of plumage colour inheritance in the Nigerian Local Chickens