Direct Response Due to Selection for Body Weight at Eight Weeks of Age in Dandarawi Chicken: Body Weight and Conformation.

Abstract

This study was carried out at the Poultry Farm of Poultry Production Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Assiut University, through two successive generations to study the effect of selection for high body weight at eight weeks of age on body weight and body conformation measurements (shank length and keel length) in Dandarawi chicken. The study involved 2932 pedigreed chicks obtained by mating 96 sires with 935 dams through two successive generations. The chicks in each generation divided into two lines, line (S) selected for high body weight and line (C) is the control line. Chickens were weighed from 0 to 20 weeks of age, shank length from 4 to 20 weeks of age and keel length from 8 to 20 weeks of age was measured for the two lines over generations.The results showed that body weightsat zero,4, 8 and 20 weeks of agewere significantly different (P≤0.01) between the two generationsthat improved by the individual selection. Also, there were highly significant differences between linesin body weight from zero to 20 weeks of age (P≤0.01) and the selected line had higher body weight than the control line over generations.There were highly significant differences between sexesin body weight from 4 to 20 weeks of age (P≤0.01) which male body weights from 4 to 20 weeks of age were higher than that of females in the two lines over generations. Sexual dimorphism was gradually increased from 4 to 20 weeks of age.There were highly significant differences (P≤0.01) between generations, lines and sex in shank lengthand keel length at all agesin the present study. It found some significant interactions between the main effects considering the different studied traits which mean that the effect did not due to the main effects, but it may refer to other factors than the main effects. Also, there were insignificant interactions between the main effects which mean that the variations between the studied traits were due to the main effects. It concluded that by using selection at 8 weeks of ageled to improve body weight and body conformation in Dandarawi chicken.

Genetic and non-genetic factors affecting the body weight of the Kurdish local chicken

“…These results are consistent with results of [28] the vicinity they proven that live weights at zero, four, eight and twenty weeks of age have been drastically extremely good (P<0.01) between the two generations that prolonged via the artificial selection. Also, there had been fairly exquisite variants between traces in live weight from zero to twenty weeks of age (P<0.01) and the chosen line had increased live weight than the manipulate line over generations.…”

“…Regardless of sex, the generation that knows how to interact x-line [28] used to be located instead significant (P<0.01) at zero, eight, twelve, sixteen and twenty weeks of age, the location it viewed that the chosen line had the ideal weight over generation and in the equal time the manipulate line in the 2 nd generation had the same weight of the chosen line in the 1 st generation at zero weeks of age, at the same time as at eight, twelve, sixteen and twenty weeks of age it observed that over generations the chosen line had the best weight, then again in the 1 st generation the control line had the best weight than in the 2 nd one, then again at four weeks of age, it used to be non-significant (Table 2).…”

Evaluate the Impact of Selection for Body Weight on Growth Performance in Alexandria Local Chickens

“…The results reflect that male had higher body weight than female from hatch to 12 wks of age. This opinion is acceptable to many researchers Olutunmogun et al, (2016); Abuzaid et al, (2019) and Boutrous (2021).…”

“…To address this limitation, selection breeding programs have been implemented to improve the growth performance of this local breed. Researchers confirm that the body weight trait had high heritability (h 2 ) and high positive correlation coefficients with many growth traits like growth rate, daily weight gain, and body measurements (Abd El-Karim and Ashour, 2014;Nassar et al, 2018;Abuzaid et al, 2019;Boutrous, 2021;Fouad et al, 2023). The aim of the present study is to evaluate the effect of selection for body weight at 8 weeks on body weight and growth performance of Alexandria local chickens…”