PHENOTYPIC CORRELATION COEFFICIENT FOR BODY WEIGHT AND CONFORMATION TRAITS OF SIRE AND DAM LINE SEXES OF NAPRI BROILER CHICKEN UNDER SELECTION AT EIGHT (8) WEEKS OF AGE

Abstract

This study was conducted at the National Animal Production Research Institute, Shika-Zaria, to evaluate the phenotypic relationship between body weight and conformation traits of Sire (male♂ and female♀) and Dam (male♂ and female♀) lines of chickens at eight weeks of age. A total of 410-day old chickens from a single hatch were used, with 205 from each line. The birds were raised on a deep litter management system. Data on body weight was taken by weighing individual chicks using a digital weighing scale, and confirmation traits were measured using a tape. Data were analyzed using Pearson's product-moment procedure of the SAS package. The results showed positive correlations between body weight and all conformation traits in both sexes and lines. Low to moderate relationships were observed between body weight and conformation traits. The strongest correlations were found between breast width and wing length, shank length and keel length, and breast width and wing length. The findings suggest that selection for improved body weight will have a positive correlated response on conformation traits, enabling simultaneous selection for multiple traits and enhancing the overall breeding program for improved productivity.