Indian Journal of Animal Research

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Indian Journal of Animal Research, volume 53 issue 4 (april 2019) : 429-434

Genetic parameter estimates for juvenile body weight in indigenous Uttara chickens 

M.K. Singh, S. Kumar, R.K. Sharma, S.K. Singh, B. Singh, D.V. Singh
1Department of Livestock Production and Management, G.B. Pant University Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar- 263 145, Uttarakhand, India.
Cite article:- Singh M.K., Kumar S., Sharma R.K., Singh S.K., Singh B., Singh D.V. (2018). Genetic parameter estimates for juvenile body weight in indigenous Uttara chickens. Indian Journal of Animal Research. 53(4): 429-434. doi: 10.18805/ijar.B-3560.
The aim of the present study was to estimate genetic parameters of juvenile body measurements in indigenous Uttara chickens. Body measurement records at birth of 1907 chicks sired by 25 breeder cocks and 200 breeder hens were used in heritability calculation. Genetic parameters were estimated for Uttara chicken juvenile body weights at hatching, and at 4 weeks, 8 weeks, 12 weeks, 16 weeks and 20 weeks of age. Heritability of all body measurements was estimated by paternal half-sib method. Heritability estimates can be used to improve body measurements of indigenous Uttara hens. The sex dimorphism effects were estimated at 2 weeks of age and were present at later ages. These results indicate that mass selection method based on the individual phenotype of the chickens at different ages can provide genetic improvement in the flock. Thus, early body measurements of the Uttara chickens could be used for prediction of the size of the adult Uttara.
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