PHENOTYPIC, GENETIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL CORRELATIONS BETWEEN BODY WEIGHT AND LINEAR BODY TRAITS OF CHICKEN GENOTYPES

Abstract

Data from 123, 49, 116, 137, 42 and 64 chickens belonging to Isa Brown x frizzle feathered (IBxF), Isa Brown x naked neck (IBxNa), Isa Brown x normal feathered (IBxN), frizzle feathered x Isa Brown (FxIB), naked neck x Isa Brown (NaxIB) and normal feathered x Isa Brown (NxIB) genotypes, respectively were used to establish phenotypic (rP), genetic (rG) and environmental (rE) correlations between body weight and linear body traits at 2, 10 and 20 weeks of age. Phenotypic correlations were analyzed by Pearson’s Product Moment method. Genetic and environmental correlations were estimated by covariance analysis. The highest rP estimates were obtained between body weight and shank length (SL) in IBxF (0.84) and NxIB (0.87) at 10 weeks, body width (BW) in IBxNa (0.84) and IBxN (0.72), drumstick length (DL) in FxIB (0.71) and NaxIB (0.88) at 20 weeks. Body weight had highest rG estimates with SL in NxIB (0.99), BW in IBxF (2.40), wing length (WL) in 1BxNa (0.91) and FxIB (7.39) at 10 weeks, body girth (BG) in IBxN (0.97) and BW of NaxIB (4.73) at 20 weeks. However, SL of IBxNa (-5.15), BG of NaxIB (-0.53), keel length (KL) of NxIB (0.35), WL of IBxF (-0.38) and FxIB (-1.41) at 2 weeks and WL of IBxN (-0.43) at 20 weeks had the least rE with body weight. Indirect selection of body weight using the highest phenotypic, genetic and lowest environmental correlated linear traits will result in rapid genetic improvement in these chickens.