RESPONSE OF NIGERIAN FAIRLY BRED CHICKENS TO INBREEDING AND MASS SELECTION

Abstract

The study was conducted to investigate the response of Nigerian local chicken to different breeding methods (Inbreeding and Mass selection). A total of 80 birds was used in this study, which lasted for 8 weeks. 4 sires and 12 hens were used to generate the progenies used for the experiments. Traits measured included weekly body weights and fitness traits comprising leg deformation, lethal gene, disease resistance, starvation rate and survival of starvation. Data collected were subjected to one-way analysis of variances in a Paternal half sib analysis using Animal model of SAS. The mean result of the study on body weight of sire families 23, 24, 25 and 27 for eight weeks ranged from to 0.035+_19.20 in C27 to 0.039±0.610 in C23; 0.235±8.48 in C23 to 0.327±29.65 in C27; 0.327±29.65 in C27 to 0.391±18.75 in C23; 0.420±43.24 in C27 to 0.709±22.50 in C23 and 1.500±0.3 in C27 to 1.700±3.01 in C23 respectively. Progenies of C23 weighed significantly (P<0.05) higher than other genetic groups at week 1, 4, 6 and 8, However progenies of C25 were significantly higher than C24 and C27 at week 1 and 6. The result on fitness traits further revealed that Leg deformation and,lethal gene, survival rate, and disease resistance were significantly(p<0.05) higher in the inbred progenies than mass selected progenies, however the inbred and mass selected were statistically similar in rate of survival of starvation. The study recommends the combined use of inbreeding and mass selection for enhanced breeding program among the fairly bred chickens