Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Estimation of genetic parameters for body weight and egg production traits in Mazandaran native chicken

  • Original Research
  • Published:
Tropical Animal Health and Production Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Native chicken breeding station of Mazandaran was established in 1988 with two main objectives: genetic improvement through selection programs and dissemination of indigenous Mazandarani birds. (Co)variance components and genetic parameters for economically important traits were estimated using (bi) univariate animal models with ASREML procedure in Mazandarani native chicken. The data were from 18 generations of selection (1988–2009). Heritability estimates for body weight at different ages [at hatch (bw1), 8 (bw8), 12 (bw12) weeks of ages and sex maturation (wsm)] ranged from 0.24 ± 0.00 to 0.47 ± 0.01. Heritability for reproductive traits including age at sex maturation (asm); egg number (en); weight of first egg (ew1); average egg weight at 28 (ew28), 30 (ew30), and 32 (ew32) weeks of age; their averages (av); average egg weight for the first 12 weeks of production (ew12); egg mass (em); and egg intensity (eint) varied from 0.16 ± 0.01 to 0.43 ± 0.01. Generally, the magnitudes of heritability for the investigated traits were moderate. However, egg production traits showed smaller heritability compared with growth traits. Genetic correlations among egg weight at different ages were mostly higher than 0.8. On the one hand, body weight at different ages showed positive and relatively moderate genetic correlations with egg weight traits (ew1, ew28, ew30, ew32, ew12, and av) and varied from 0.30 ± 0.03 to 0.59 ± 0.02. On the other hand, low negative genetic correlations were obtained between body weight traits (bw1, bw8, bw12, and wsm) and egg number (en). Also, there is low negative genetic correlation (−24 ± 0.04 to −29 ± 0.05) between egg number and egg weight. Therefore, during simultaneous selection process for both growth and egg production traits, probable reduction in egg production due to low reduction in egg number may be compensated by increases in egg weight.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Abdallah, A. G., Harms, R. H. and Russell, G. B., 1995. Effect of age and resting on hens laying eggs with heavy or light shell weight, Journal of Applied Poultry Research, 4, 131–137

    Google Scholar 

  • Ayyagari, V. S. C., Mohapatra, A., Venkatramaiah, T., Thiagasundaram, D., Choudhuri, D. C., Johri, D. and Renganathan, P., 1980. Selection for egg production on part records, Theoretical and Applied Genetics, 57, 277–283

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Besbes, B., Ducrocq, V., Foulley, J. L., Protais, M., Tavernier, A., Tixier-Boichard, M. and Beaumont, C., 1992. Estimation of genetic parameters of egg production traits of laying hens by restricted maximum likelihood applied to a multiple-trait reduced animal model. Genetic Selection Evolution, 24, 539–552

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dana, N., Vander Waaij, E. and Van Arendonk, J., 2011. Genetic and phenotypic parameter estimates for body weights and egg production in Horro chicken of Ethiopia, Tropical Animal Health and Production, 43, 21–28

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Danbaro, G., Oyama, K., Mukai, F., Tsuji, S. and Miyata, T., 1996. Estimation of genetic parameters by restricted maximum likelihood under multi-trait animal models in selected layer lines, Japanese Journal of Poultry Science, 33, 185–192

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Enayati, B. and Rahimi,G., 2009. Genomic growth hormone, growth hormone receptor and transforming growth factor β-3 gene polymorphism in breeder hens of Mazandaran native fowls, African Journal of Biotechnology, 8, 3154–3159

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Engström, G., Liljedahl, L. E., Wilhelmson, M. and Johansson, K., 1992. The pattern of genetic and environmental variation in relation to ageing in laying hens, Genetic selection evolution, 24, 265–275

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fairful, R. W. and Gowe, R. S., 1990. Poultry Breeding and Genetics, (Elsevier Science, Amsterdam)

    Google Scholar 

  • Falconer, D. S. and Mckay, T. F. C., 1996. Introduction to Quantitative Genetics, (Longman Group, Essex, UK)

    Google Scholar 

  • Francesch, A., Estany, J., Alfonso, L. and Iglesias, M., 1997. Genetic parameters for egg number, egg weight, and eggshell color in three Catalan poultry breeds, Journal of Poultry Science, 76, 1627–1631

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ghazikhani Shad, A., Nejati Javaremi, A., Mehrabani Yeganeh, H., 2007. Animal model estimation of genetic parameters for most important economic traits in Iranian native fowls, Pakistan Journal of Biological Sciences, 10, 2787–2789

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gilmour, A. R., Gogel, B. J., Cullis, B. R. and Thompson, R., 2006. ASReml User Guide (NSW Department of Primary Industries, Australia)

    Google Scholar 

  • Henderson, C. R., 1986. Recent developments in variance and covariance estimations. Journal of Animal Science, 63, 208–216

    Google Scholar 

  • Hicks, C., Muir, W. M. and Stick, D. A., 1998. Selection index updating for maximizing rate of annual genetic gain in laying hens, Journal of Poultry Science, 77, 1–7

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hoffmann, I., 2005. Research and investment in poultry genetic resources-challenges and option for sustainable use. World’s Poultry Science Journal, 61, 57–70

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kamali, M. A., Ghorbani, S. H., Sharbabak, M. M. and Zamiri, M. J., 2007. Heritabilities and genetic correlations of economic traits in Iranian native fowl and estimated genetic trend and inbreeding coefficients, British Poultry Science, 48, 443–448

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Khadem, A., Hafezian, H. and Rahimi-Mianji, G., 2010. Association of single nucleotide polymorphisms in IGFI, IGF-II and IGFBP-II with production traits in breeder hens of Mazandaran native fowls breeding station, African Journal of Biotechnology, 9, 805–810

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kianimanesh, H. R; Nejati Javaremi, A; Rahimi, G., 2002. Estimation of economic indices for important production traits of the Iranian native fowls, First seminar on genetics and breeding applied to livestock, Tehran, Iran

  • Ledur, M. C., Fairfull, R. W., McMillan, I. and Asseltine, L., 2000. Genetic effects of aging on egg production traits in the first laying cycle of White Leghorn strains and strain crosses, Journal of Poultry Science, 79, 296–304

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ledur, M. C., Liljedahl, L. E., McMillan, I., Asselstine, L. and Fairfull, R. W., 2003. Genetic effects of aging on fitness and nonfitness traits in laying hens housed three per cage, Journal of Poultry Science, 82,1223-1234

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lwelamira, J., Kifaro, G. and Gwakisa, P., 2009. Genetic parameters for body weights, egg traits and antibody response against Newcastle Disease Virus (NDV) vaccine among two Tanzania chicken ecotypes, Tropical Animal Health and Production, 41, 51–59

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Minga, U., Msoffe, P. L. and Gwakisa, P. S., 2004. Biodiversity (variation) in disease resistance and in pathogens within rural chicken, World Poultry Congress, Istanbul

    Google Scholar 

  • Norris, D. and Ngambi, J., 2006. Genetic parameter estimates for body weight in local Venda chickens. Tropical Animal Health and Production, 38, 605–609

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Poggenpoel, D. G., Ferreira, G. F., Hayes, J. P. and Preez, J. J. d., 1996. Response to long-term selection for egg production in laying hens, British Poultry Science, 37, 743–756

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sabri, H. M., Wilson, H. R., Harms, R. H. and Wilcox, C. J., 1999. Genetic parameters for egg and related characteristics of white Leghorn hens in a subtropical environment, Genetics and Molecular Biology, 22, 183–186

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sang, B. D., Kong, H. S., Kim, H. K., Cho, C. H., Kim, D., Cho, Y. M., Sang, B. C., Lee, J. H., Jeon, G. J. and Lee, H. K., 2006. Estimation of genetic parameters for economic traits in Korean native chickens, Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences, 19, 319–323

    Google Scholar 

  • Sharma, D., Johari, D. C., Kataria, M. C., Singh, B. P., Singh, D. P. and Hazary, R. C., 1996. Effect of long term selection on genetics of economic traits in white leghorn, Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences, 9, 455–459

    Google Scholar 

  • Wolk, A. and Szwaczkowski, K., 2009. Estimation of genetic parameters for monthly egg production in laying hens based on random regression models, Journal of Applied Genetics, 50, 41–46

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

We sincerely thank the farm attendants who worked on data collection at the breeding station of Mazandaran native chicken. Thanks are also extended to two anonymous reviewers for their valuable comments on a previous version of this manuscript.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Animal Science, College of Agriculture & Natural Resources, University of Tehran, Karaj, Iran

    Shahram Niknafs, Ardeshir Nejati-Javaremi, Hassan Mehrabani-Yeganeh & Seyed Abolghasem Fatemi

Authors
  1. Shahram Niknafs
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Ardeshir Nejati-Javaremi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Hassan Mehrabani-Yeganeh
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Seyed Abolghasem Fatemi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Shahram Niknafs.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Niknafs, S., Nejati-Javaremi, A., Mehrabani-Yeganeh, H. et al. Estimation of genetic parameters for body weight and egg production traits in Mazandaran native chicken. Trop Anim Health Prod 44, 1437–1443 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11250-012-0084-6

Download citation

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11250-012-0084-6

Keywords

Search

Navigation