Published in Scientific Papers. Series D. Animal Science, Vol. LXVII, Issue 1
Written by Ezgi İLKILINÇ, Elif CİLAVDAROĞLU, Umut Sami YAMAK
This study was executed to determine the effect of selection in live weight on reproduction of chickens. A total 300 Turkish local Gerze chickens were used in the study. All chickens were individually weighed at 8 weeks of age. Heaviest 75% (225 chickens) were chosen and separated from the flock. The mean live weight of chosen birds was 404.34 gram at 8 weeks and significantly higher than unselected birds (359.29 gram; P<0.05). At 18 weeks of age, the chickens were weighed again. The selected group had reached 1068.92 grams while unselected chickens 1059.69 grams and the difference between them was insignificant. Age at first egg was 182 days for selected hens while 177.5 days for unselected hens. The mean egg weights of eggs produced until 40 weeks of age were 47.11 g and 46.76 g, respectively for selected and unselected groups.
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