Abstract:
A breed development strategy aimed at making
exotic layers (Lohmann Brown) more productive under tropical environment using thermo-regulatory genes is underway
at Akate Farms in Kumasi, Ghana. The present experiment
was carried out to find out the effect of the genes on egg
production in hot and humid environments. Three genetic
groups comprising naked-neck, frizzle and their normally
feathered sibs were obtained after successive generations of
crossing between naked-neck and frizzle cocks and Lohmann
brown hens. A total of 270 18-week-old pullets, 90 each of the
3 groups, were selected randomly and assigned to a completely randomized design experiment with 3 replicates, with 30
birds in each replicate group and kept up to a period of
72 weeks. The birds were kept in a partitioned open-sided
deep-litter house constructed with sandcrete blocks with 30
pullets in each compartment. They were fed ad libitum with
layer diets containing 18 % crude protein and 2,800 kcal ME/
kg. Results obtained showed that the crossbred naked-neck
and frizzle phenotypes produced eggs at a significantly
(P <0.05) higher rates than their normally feathered sibs and
also out-performed their normally feathered sibs in other egg
production parameters measured, even though they all segregated from similar parents. This is an indication of the
favourable effect of the genes on egg production under hot
and humid environments
