Approximately 110 million birds from nineteen documented indigenous, heavier and lighter bodied chicken breeds and numerous non-descript types are bought and sold at unorganized meat markets in India. Improving the economic production profile for poultry farmers had been a focus since independence. Genetic improvements by selection over seven generations in non-descript chicken breeds has resulted in 19 more eggs and 4 g higher egg weight. Indigenous exotic crossbreds have shown an increase of 24-45 eggs, which has been associated with increased body weight and earlier age of sexual maturity. Heterosis for egg number ranged from 15-23 percent. Hybrids of the Aseel and Delhem Red breeds produced more eggs than either of the parents. Exotic crossbreds, including the Vanraja, Giriraja, Nadanum, Kuroiler (semi-broiler types) and Krishna-J, Grampriya, Krishipriya, Hit-CARI, Up-CARI (lighter weight) were introduced to scavenging in small scale poultry operations by both public and private sector organisations. The production of the Kalyani-DK and Satpura-Desi synthetic hybrid prototypes, which resemble indigenous fowl in body conformation, multi coloured plumage, dull shanks, pink skin and single comb have generated new opportunities for poultry production in rural areas. The Satpura-Desi attained 1.0 kg bodyweight in 8-9 weeks with 2.45 kg feed. In the 'quick return' scheme for free range flocks the 200-300 g birds grew to marketable weight in another 50-60 days and were worth 150% in market price compared to the broiler chicken. Whereas, in a gradual income scheme, the egg produced, surplus cockerels and culled hens resulted in a net gain of US$64-70 annually; the quick return scheme for meat chicken produced a net income of US$96 for village women which exceeded the gradual financial returns generated from egg production. Small scale poultry farmers, raising 100-2000 Satpura-Desi chickens, have been able to capitalize on its acceptance as an indigenous breed in the local meat markets, which has been apparent from the sale of 0.67 million chicks in last 12 months.

A normal-bodied broiler population and one dwarfed by the dw sex-linked gene were each sub-divided into two lines. AGB (normal) and D2B (dwarf) were selected only for superior body weight at eight weeks of age. AGE (normal) and D2E (dwarf) were sublines in which prospective dams were selected for large egg weight while prospective sires were selected for eight-week body weight. Selection for large eight-week weight of both sexes in both dwarf and normal populations during each of three generations resulted in superior growth rate to that observed when the dams were selected for egg weight. When the selected dams were tested each generation for their ability to produce superior broiler crossbreds using a commercial broiler sire strain, AGE proved superior to AGB in the second and third generations while D2B and D2E dams produced crossbreds with similar broiler weights. Normal-bodied dams which produced crossbreds having superior growth to that of the dwarf dams in the first generation lost most of this superiority by the third generation in sons and the second generation in daughters. Reproductive fitness was superior within the dwarf lines as well as in their ability to produce more crossbred progeny.

1. Dwarf egg layer (Narmada XL) dwarf broiler (DB) and normal bodied sib (NB) hens were studied under cyclic summer hot and dry heat stress of 21.1 to 45.5 degrees C for a period of 50 d. The genotype effect for egg production was significant (P less than 0.01). 2. N-XL and DB genotypes laid 12.1% more eggs than NB. Egg production declined by 3.17, 1.27 and 3.25% for a rise in temperature (maximum) of 1 degree C for N-XL, DB and NB genotypes respectively. 3. Egg production in Narmada XL declined by 42% compared to 25% in the dwarf broilers. The regression coefficients differed significantly. 4. For polygenically identical DB and NB broiler breeder hens the heat stressor significantly reduced egg production 1.98% more in the NB genotype compared with DB with a 1 degree C rise in temperature. 5. Mortality was less in the N-XL as compared to DB, but NB hens showed 11.7% more mortality than dwarfs.

Ten Cornish-type commercial broiler breeder sires and ten dwarf males were used to inseminate 100 randomly selected dwarf broiler-type females. Each sire was mated to four to six dams. Individual weight of the egg from which the chick hatched and its eightweek body weight were recorded for 190 male and 191 female normal-bodied crossbreds and 212 male and 232 female dwarf progeny.Among the non-dwarf crossbred progeny from normal sires and dwarf dams, the regression of eight-week body weight on egg weight from which each chick hatched was 11.1 ± 3.1 gms. for males and 8.6 ± 2.1 gms. for females. The regression of broiler weight on mean egg weight for its dwarf dam was 13.8 ± 4.0 gms. for males and 7.6 ± 2.4 gms. for females. Egg weight variation within dam did not significantly affect eight-week body weight of its normal progeny. The crossbred broilers from dwarf dams appeared to be influenced by egg size similar to that observed in the commercial broiler progeny produced from normal dams.The effect of egg weight on eight-week body weight of dwarf males was curvilinear, reaching its maximum at an egg weight of 63 gms., which was close to the mean egg weight (62.3 gms.) for dwarf dams from which male dwarf chicks were hatched. This quadratic effect was significant on both an individual egg weight and within dam family basis. Whereas, for the dwarf female progeny, linear regression coefficients computed on the basis of individual egg weight (4.6 ± 1.8) and within dam family basis (7.1 ±2.6) were significant. A non-significant relationship was observed between eight-week body weight of dwarf progeny and mean egg weight of dwarf dams. Sex linked genetic effects appeared to be important in determining eight-week body weight of dwarf males; whereas, maternal effects and/or non-additive genetic variance were important for determining eight-week body weight of crossbred normal male progeny from dwarf dams.

1. Male chicks hatched from eggs heavier than 60 g weighed more (P less than 0-05) than female chicks from eggs of similar weight. 2. The weight of the residual yolk was similar in both sexes. 3. It is concluded that male embryos are better able to utilise the energy supplies in the egg, particularly after the 18th day of incubation.