Comparative Growth Performance of Cross-Bred (50% Orpington: 25% Australorp: 25% Tswana) and Pure-Bred Tswana Chickens under an Intensive Management System

Abstract

Indigenous Tswana chickens are well-adapted to local environmental conditions but exhibit slow growth rate. Exotic chickens are not well-adapted to local environmental conditions but exhibit rapid growth rate and high egg production. Crossbreeding of Tswana chickens with exotic breeds can therefore be used as a strategy to improve growth performance of Tswana chickens. The objective of this study was to evaluate growth performance of 75% Exotic x 25% Tswana chickens under an intensive management system. A total of 56 Crossbred chickens and 60 purebred Tswana chickens were evaluated for growth performance (body weight) fortnightly from 4 weeks to 20 weeks of age. The chickens were raised under a deep litter house system and provided with water and commercial feeds ad libitum. Males of both crossbred and purebred chickens were generally heavier than their female counterparts at different ages. Body weight was significantly higher in crossbred males and females than purebred Tswana chickens at 20 weeks of age. Introducing the Orpington breed to the Australorp x Tswana crosses however did not further boost growth performance of the resulting three-breed cross.

Growth Performance of Purebred Naked Neck Tswana and Black Australorp x Naked Neck Tswana Crossbred Chickens under an Intensive Management System in Botswana

“…Significantly higher body weights in both crossbred males and females than their indigenous counterparts at the end of the study (20 weeks of age) are probably mainly due to breed complementarity (favorable breeding value for growth) according to Kgwatalala et al (2015) and to some extent favorable gene combination value or heterosis. Crossbred males were significantly heavier than their indigenous counterparts from 12 weeks of age while for females it took crossbred females 14 weeks to be significantly heavier than their indigenous counterparts.…”

“…The resulting F1 progeny chickens were used to evaluate growth performance of Black Page11 feathered gene might be due to its association with pronounced heat tolerance (Reddy et al, 2008) which does not adversely affect feed intake at higher ambient temperatures resulting in enhanced growth in crosses involving naked neck Tswana chicken compared to crosses involving normal-feathered Tswana chickens. Significantly higher body weights in both crossbred and purebred males than females during the post-brooding phase might be attributed to the differences in their hormonal profiles, aggressiveness and dominance of males over females when feeding especially when males and females are housed together (Kgwatalala et al, 2015).…”

Ecological niche modelling as a tool to identify candidate indigenous chicken ecotypes of Tigray (Ethiopia)

“…Within ecotypes productivity improvement may be envisaged at poultry stations, as it has been the case in Ethiopia for the Horro chicken (Dana et al, 2011), or following an open nucleus breeding scheme in-situ at village level (Gondwe et al, 2001;Okeno et al, 2013). Alternatively, crossbreeding may be envisaged, for example, crossing of improved local cocks lines with a commercial hen (Kgwatalala et al, 2015). The later may results in immediate productivity improvement, while keeping local environmental adaptation.…”

Growth functions of Ovambo and Ovambo x Black Australorp chickens fed a commercial and a Moringa oleifera leaf meal-containing diet

“…These results contrast those of other studies where Moringa oleifera leaf meal or aqueous extracts reduced feed intake(Ashong and Brown, 2011;Alabi et al, 2016) and gave better FCR than controls(David et al, 2012;Ebenebe et al, 2012). The differences may be attributed to genotypes used and the supplementation form.The heavier weights of BAO than OV chickens at in ection point and at maturity may re ect heterosis effects Kgwatalala et al (2015). also reported heavier weights in Tswana x Black Australorp than Tswana chickens at 20 weeks of age.…”