EFFECT OF ECOTYPE AND SEX INTERACTION ON BODY WEIGHT AND BIOMETRIC TRAITS OF NIGERIAN LOCAL CHICKENS

Abstract

This experiment was conducted to study the effect of ecotype and sex interaction on body weight and biometric traits of three indigenous chickens in north central Nigeria. From the chicks hatched, a total of 108 indigenous local chickens of three strains (Normal feathered =36), Tiv= 36 and Jos= 36) were used for the experiment. A 3×2 factorial experiment comprising 3 ecotypes and 2 sexes in a Completely Randomized Design (CRD) was used. Data were collected on body weight, body length, wing length, chest circumference, thigh length, chest length, shank length and comb length. The fixed and interaction effects of data collected were analysed using IBM SPSS version 28 and significant means were separated using Duncan’s Multiple Range Test. The results showed that ecotype and sex interaction significantly (p<0.05) influenced all the parameters with the exception of the wing length and chest length. The Jos ecotype males had significantly higher body weight (700.12±14.20 g) but similar to Tiv ecotype males (680.12±13.20 g) and the least was found in normal feathered females (452.20±10.11 g) but similar to Jos ecotype and Tiv ecotype females. Similar trends were observed for body length, chest circumference, thigh length, shank length and comb length. In terms of higher body weight, Jos and Tiv ecotype cocks are recommended. The current information can aid future genetic improvement programmes and management practices for higher productivity.