Authors : NWEKE-OKOROCHA; Obiageri Genevieve; CHINEKE, Clifford Adinma; AGAVIEZOR, Brilliant Ogagaoghene

Volume/Issue : Volume 7 - 2022, Issue 2 - February

Google Scholar : http://bitly.ws/gu88

Scribd : https://bit.ly/3vDKalf

DOI : https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6331291

Abstract : This experiment was carried out with 240 mixed sex of four stains (frizzle feathered, naked neck, normal feathered and Noiler) of chicken to evaluate the phenotypic and genetic correlations between body weight and linear body measurements of Nigerian local and improved chickens raised for sixteen weeks in rivers state, south south region of Nigeria. Body weights and the morphometric traits (Body Length, Drumstick length, Drumstick circumference, Breast Girth, Nose to Shoulder, Shoulder to Tail and Height at withers) were measured per bird on weekly basis. The measured parameters were subjected to correlations analyses. The simple genetic and phenotypic correlation between body weight and linear body measurements of the four strains were positively and highly significant for all parameter. Very strong genetic correlations existed between body weight (BW) and wing length (WGL), breast girth (BG) and shoulder to tail length (STTL). Very strong phenotypic correlation existed between WGL and STTL. The pattern of phenotypic correlations among growth traits of each chicken strain suggested that traits are under the same gene action (pleiotrophism) and good indicator that improvement in one trait in an animal would eventually result in the improvement of the other traits correlated in direct selection

Keywords : Correlations, Phenotypic, Genetic, Body weight, Morphometric trait.