Heritability estimates for growth traits and response to selection on eggproduction in Desi chicken breed (Khukhri)

RAVINDRA  KUMAR; DHAWAL KHANT  YADAV; NISHANT  PATEL; NANDANI  KUMARI; K T  KRISHNA GUPTA

doi:10.56093/ijans.v96i4.171804

Authors

RAVINDRA KUMAR Ranchi College of Veterinary Sciences and Animal Husbandry, Kanke, Ranchi, Jharkhand 834 006
DHAWAL KHANT YADAV ICAR–National Research Centre on Camel (NRCC), Jorbeer, Bikaner, Rajasthan 334001, India
NISHANT PATEL Birsa Agricultural University, Kanke, Ranchi, Jharkhand 834 006
NANDANI KUMARI Birsa Agricultural University, Kanke, Ranchi, Jharkhand 834 006
K T KRISHNA GUPTA Birsa Agricultural University, Kanke, Ranchi, Jharkhand 834 006

https://doi.org/10.56093/ijans.v96i4.171804

Keywords:

Body weight, Desi chicken, Egg production, Heritability, Selection response, Shank length

Abstract

This research aimed to assess heritability and selection response for body weight of Desi chickens at 0, 8, 12, 16, and 20 weeks of age, shank length at 8 and 16 weeks, and egg production up to 322 days, focusing on developing a dual-purpose breed. Data were gathered across five generations, and the response to selection was recorded. The heritability estimates for body weight were moderate up to 16 weeks of age but low at 20 weeks, indicating that body weight can be enhanced through selective breeding of the birds. The correlations between genotype and phenotype for growth traits were found to be high. A sex effect was noted, with males showing a greater response than females. Following five generations of selection, the pooled body weight of hens and cocks at 20 weeks increased by 148.94g. The increase in shank length was minimal. Heritability for shank length at 8 weeks was moderate. In the fifth generation, egg production showed an improvement of 20 eggs when compared to the first generation. The findings indicated that the desi chicken can be enhanced, making it a promising dual-purpose indigenous breed suitable for free-range and semi-intensive rearing systems.

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