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Journal of Animal and Veterinary Advances

Growth Performance of Crossbred and Purebred Chickens Resulting from Different Sire Strain in a Humid Tropical Environment
T.A. Adedeji , O.A. Adebambo , S.O. Peters , L.O. Ojedapo and A.O. Ige

Abstract: A total of 357 progenies (both sexes) produced by 23 sires belonging to 4 sire strains; 3 Nigerian indigenous (Naked-Neck, Frizzle and Normal) and an exotic purebred (White Leghorn) chickens were evaluated for growth traits at day-old, 4, 8, 16 and 20 weeks of age. The growth traits measured were body weight (BDW), body length (BDL), Breast Girth (BG) and Keel Length (KL). Sire genotypes significantly (p<0.05) affected BDW, BDL, BG and KL at all ages except at first week of age for breast girth (p>0.05). Significant differences were also recorded for sex for each of the growth traits at different ages (p<0.05). Progenies of Naked Neck sire were generally superior in BDW followed by Frizzle, Normal and White Leghorn progenies. Male progenies were significantly (p<0.05) heavier and possess higher linear body measurements than their female counterpart in all age except KL at day-old and 20 week of age. The significance (p<0.05) of sire x sex interactions on growth traits varied with age. This study revealed the existence of genetic variations and potential for improvement amongst the Nigerian local chickens.

How to cite this article
T.A. Adedeji , O.A. Adebambo , S.O. Peters , L.O. Ojedapo and A.O. Ige , 2006. Growth Performance of Crossbred and Purebred Chickens Resulting from Different Sire Strain in a Humid Tropical Environment. Journal of Animal and Veterinary Advances, 5: 674-678.

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