Effect of breed and sex on phenotypic traits in Marshall and Noiler chickens naturally infected with coccidial oocysts

Abstract

The negative impact of coccidiosis on the growth performance of chickens is very devastating on farmers. Hence, this study was conducted to characterize the effect of breed and sex on growth and linear body morphometry of two sexed chicken breeds naturally infected with coccidial oocysts. 200 birds comprising two breeds of equal numbers were raised for eight weeks, and each breed was further divided into two based on their sexes. Growth morphometric data were collected weekly. At the end of the experimental period, some birds were randomly selected for the collection of carcass and rgan data. Statistical analysis was carried out on the data collected using SPSS (Version 25). Analytical results showed that the breed effect was significant (p<0.001) where Marshall breed recorded higher body weight and linear growth dimensions than Noiler chickens. However, the sex effect was not significant (p>0.05) for all parameters measured with the exception of drumstick length and tail length, gizzard, heart, and lung weight. Male birds recorded higher drumstick length (11.88 ± 0.14 vs. 11.33 ± 0.14 cm) and tail length (3.10 ± 0.03 vs. 3.00 ± 0.03 cm). The interaction effect was significant (p<0.05) in this experiment. The result obtained in this study may be used to design breeding plans for better improvement in the growth performance of Noiler chickens in case of unexpected coccidial outbreak. The study concluded that Marshall Chickens possessed appreciable innate immunity against coccidial infection than their Noiler counterparts. Hence, be considered in areas with high coccidiosis prevalence.