On-Farm Egg and Meat Production Performance of Commercial Hybrids

Abstract

Abstract
This study was carried out using progenies of 5 Parent-Stock (PS) chicken breeds
introduced from 3 European companies and 1 local breed. The imported PS was
Dominant Red Barred (DR), Dominant Sussex (DS), Lohmann Brown (LB),
Novogen-Brown (NB) and Novogen-Color (NC). Koekoek (KK), a dual-purpose
breed widely adapted in Ethiopia, was used as a local control. Commercial hybrid
progenies of these five PS breeds and that of the local control were tested for their
egg (females) and meat (males) production under on-farm management conditions
in Debre Zeit, Ethiopia. Egg production, feed intake, body weight, and mortality of
females were measured for 48 weeks for females and for 12 weeks for males. A
total of 4200 females and males were evaluated, using seven replicated farmers
per breed and sexes, in a completely randomized design. The analysis was done
with 50% in egg production (females) and 76.2% in meat production (males) of
the participant farmers due to dropped out circumstances. The main parameters
considered to compare egg production performance were egg production on the
income side, feed intake on the costs side and their combination, feed conversion
ratio (FCR). There was significant difference (P<0.05) among the hybrids, in henday egg production (%) and, body weight and feed intake (females and males). The
NB was the best in terms of egg production, with the lowest feed intake, higher egg
mass and better FCR, followed by LB and NC, while DS was the least in egg
production, body weight and other performance parameters measured during the
30 weeks period. Significantly higher body weight of males (BW-M) and average
body weight gain. (ABW-G) were recorded in DR, KK and NB (ranging from 1600
to 1620g), followed by NC (1525g). Males of LB and DS had intermediate body
weight (about 1400g). In summary, the males of all the commercial hybrids
evaluated under the current on-farm trial were found to be the best egg producers
too.