Characterization of Production and Reproduction Performances in Rhode Island Red-White Strain Chicken

This study aimed to characterize production and reproduction performances in Rhode Island Red-White strain chicken developed and maintained at the Central Avian Research Institute, Izatnagar. Three hundred and forty six fertile eggs were set in automated electric incubation and 234 chicks were investigated in three hatches. The performance data was analyzed by least squares analysis of variance. The percent differences in fertility, hatchability and mortality among different hatches were assessed by the normal deviate test. Percent fertility, total egg set and fertile egg set basis hatchability, chick mortality and least squares means of chick weight, body weights, sexual maturity, egg weights and part period egg production were estimated. The different hatch significantly (P˂0.05) influenced the estimates of the fertility, total egg set basis hatchability, chick weight to housing weight, sexual maturity, egg production and mortality at younger age. The sex of the chicks also affected (P˂0.05) the estimates of the body weights at eight week onwards. The significant regression effect of the chick weight was demonstrated on the body weights at first to twelfth week of age. The chick weight demonstrated a positive association with the sexual maturity and various body weight and egg weight estimates with a low to high phenotypic correlation coefficients; but a negative association with the egg production. The light weighed pullets would face delayed sexual maturity, which would again provoke lower egg weight and production. These phenomics might serve as strain characteristics of this rare strain of Rhode Island Red (RIR) chicken.