title: Growth performance of Nigerian local chickens in crosses involving an exotic broiler breeder.
abstract: Six-hundred-and-seven-day-old chicks were generated from Nigerian local chickens consisting of three genotypes (Normal-feathered; Frizzled-feathered; Naked neck) and an exotic broiler breeder (Anak Titan) to evaluate growth performance for possible meat-type chicken development. Growth parameters measured were body weight, breast girth and keel length on weekly basis for 20 weeks. Effects of sire, dam and chick genotypes were significant (P<0.001) on growth traits. At week 20, chickens sired by the Anak Titan weighed 1,614.82 g followed by Normal-feathered local chickens with body weight of 1,211.32 g. Progenies of Anak Titan and Naked neck dams weighed 1,761.96 and 1,292.80 g at week 20, respectively. Among purebreds, Anak Titan weighed 35.05 g at day-old and had heaviest body weight of 2,360.29 g at 20 weeks compared to the three local strains. The average body weights for the crossbred, Normal-feathered × Anak Titan at day-old and week 20 were 36.39 and 1,577.63 g, respectively. This was followed by Anak Titan × Naked neck with 33.32 g at day-old and 1,514.14 g at week 20. Sex had significant effect (P<0.05) at weeks 16 and 20 with the males having higher mean values than their female counterparts. This study revealed that crosses involving Anak Titan sire × Naked neck dam had highest growth performance, and there was no strain differences among the growth performance of purebred Nigerian local chickens.
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Breeding and Genetics, P.M.B. 2240, Abeokuta, Ogun State, Nigeria. maadeleke2003@yahoo.com
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Adeleke
authors.forename: S O
authors.initials: SO
authors.lastname: Peters
authors.forename: M O
authors.initials: MO
authors.lastname: Ozoje
authors.forename: C O N
authors.initials: CO
authors.lastname: Ikeobi
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Bamgbose
authors.forename: Olufunmilayo A
authors.initials: OA
authors.lastname: Adebambo
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001835:Body Weight; D001947:Breeding / Q000379:methods; D002645:Chickens / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development*; D003433:Crosses, Genetic; D005260:Female; D014644:Genetic Variation; D005838:Genotype; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D009549:Nigeria