Selection of layers for rapid recovery from stress.
A one-generation experiment was conducted to evaluate response to selection of layers for rapid recovery from stress and to estimate genetic parameters associated with the selected trait. Stress was induced at 55 weeks of age and maintained for 8 days on 1450 laying hens of a randombred White Leghorn population. Egg production persisted an average of 3.5 days after onset of stress and had ceased in all birds by 8 days. Average recovery time, from cessation of lay to first poststress egg, was 27.1 days, and heritability estimated from the sire component of variance was .30 for the selected trait. Hens with higher rates of lay resumed production sooner after stress and tended to continue production longer duration stress. Selection of 11% of layers in generation 0 with shortest recovery time in each of 11 replicates resulted in a significant (P < .05) reduction of 4.1 days in recovery time in generation 1.
D000818:Animals; D002645:Chickens / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D005820:Genetic Testing; D013312:Stress, Physiological / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000662:veterinary*