Reproductive Performance of the Ardennaise Chicken Breed under Traditional and Modern Breeding Management Systems
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.3923/ijps.2009.446.451Keywords:
Ardennaise chicken breed, feeding management, light patterns, photoperiod, reproductionAbstract
Enhancing the use of traditional chicken breeds is necessary to insure long-term conservation of global genetic diversity in poultry. A logical start in this process is to evaluate performance. The objective of this study was to estimate reproductive traits in the Ardennaise chicken breed under traditional and modern management systems. Reproductive performance indicated lighting programs [Natural (NAT) or Artificial (ART) day length] were highly significant for egg weight, hatchability (p<0.001), early and mid-term embryonic mortality (p<0.01). Feeding treatments [ad libitum (AL) or mild Feed-restriction (FR)] varied greatly with egg weight, hatchability, fertility (p<0.001) and late embryonic mortality (p<0.05). Most precocious age at first egg (23 weeks), longest duration of laying period (>27 weeks), utmost maximum production peak (56.67%), largest egg number (70.13 eggs/hen) and number of chicks hatched (24.10 chicks/hen) were performed under ART-AL. Heaviest egg weight (53.21g), highest fertility (70.20%), greatest hatchability (55.58%), highest liveability during rearing (95.74%) and lay (100%), lowest early (3.51%) and mid-term embryonic mortality (1.17%) were achieved under NAT-AL. To summarize, most of traits studied in the Ardennaise chicken were moderate when compared to those expected by broiler breeders.
References
Aviagen, T.M., 2008. Parent stock and broiler performance objectives Ross 308. http://www.thepoultrysite.com/downloads/single/86/.
Brandt, E. and A.E.R. Willems, 1985. Large poultry breeds. Treatise of Exhibition Poultry (Official Standards of Belgian Poultry Breeds). S.R. Het Neerhof, Gent, pp: 139-146.
Eitan, Y. and M. Soller, 1994. Selection for high and low threshold body weight at first egg in broiler strain females. 4. Photoperiodic drive in the selection lines and in commercial layers and broiler breeders. Poult. Sci., 73: 769-780.
Heck, A., O. Onagbesan, K. Tona, S. Metayer and J. Putterflam et al., 2004. Effects of ad libitum feeding on performance of different strains of broiler breeders. Br. Poult. Sci., 45: 695-703.
Hocking, P.M., D. Waddington, M.A. Walker and A.B. Gilbert, 1989. Control of the ovarian follicular hierarchy in broiler breeder pullets by food restriction during rearing. Br. Poult. Sci., 30: 161-174.
Hocking, P.M., G.W. Robertson and D. Teverson, 2007. Fertility and early embryonic mortality in traditional breeds of chickens in the UK. Proceedings of the 5th European Poultry Genetic Symposium, September 26-28, 2007, Braedstrup, Denmark, pp: 108.
Lariviere, J.M., 1998. Motivational and behavioural responses of growing broiler breeder fowls to quantitative and qualitative food restriction. M.Sc. Thesis, University of Glasgow, SAC, Glasgow, Scotland, UK.
Lariviere, J.M., F. Farnir, J. Detilleux, C. Michaux, V. Verleyen and P. Leroy, 2009. Performance, breast morphological and carcass traits in the Ardennaise chicken breed. Int. J. Poult. Sci., 8: 452-456.
Lariviere, J.M. and P. Leroy, 2007. Status and conservation of native poultry breeds in Belgium. Ann. Anim. Sci., 1: 87-91.
Lariviere, J.M., S. Weigend, A. Vieaud, P. Hocking and P. Sorensen et al., 2007. Development of an integrated strategy for conservation of genetic diversity of chickens in Europe. Proceedings of the 5th European Poultry Genetics Symposium, September 26-28, 2007, Braedstrup, Danemark, pp: 109.
Lewis, P.D., G.C. Perry, T.R. Morris and M.M. Midgley, 1992. Intermittent lighting regimes and mortality rates in laying hens. World`s Poult. Sci. J., 48: 113-120.
Lewis, P.D. and T.R. Morris, 2005. Change in the effect of constant photoperiods on the rate of sexual maturation in modern genotypes of domestic pullet. Br. Poult. Sci., 46: 584-586.
Morris, T.R., S. Fox and R.C. Jennings, 1964. The response of laying pullets to abrupt changes in day-length. Br. Poult. Sci., 5: 133-147.
Morris, T.R., 2004. Environmental control for layers. World`s Poult. Sci. J., 60: 163-175.
N'Dri, A.L., 2007. Etude des interactions entre genotype et environnement chez le poulet de chair et al. poule pondeuse. Ph.D. Thesis, INRA, Jouy-en-Josas, France.
Proudfoot, F.G., H.W. Hulan and K.B. Mc-Rae, 1984. Effects of photoperiod, light intensity and feed restriction on the performance of dwarf and normal maternal poultry meat genotypes. Can. J. Anim. Sci., 64: 759-768.
SAS (Statistical Analysis System), 1989. SAS/STAT User's Guide Version 6. 4th Edn., Vol. 1, SAS Institute, Cary, NC, USA.
Scott, T.A. and C.J. Mackenzie, 1993. Incidence and classification of early embryonic mortality in broiler breeder chickens. Br. Poult. Sci., 34: 459-470.
Sharp, P., 1993. Photoperiod control of reproduction in the domestic hen. Poult. Sci., 72: 897-905.
Boichard, M.T., A. Audiot, R. Bernigaud and X. Rognon, 2006. Valorization of old chicken breeds: Social, economic, technical, genetic and legal factors. Proceedings of the 6th Actes du Bureau des Ressources Genetiques, (ABRG'06), La Rochelle, pp: 495-520.
Sasso, 2003. Rationnement alimentaire de la poule reproductrice SA 31. Guide D'elevage, Selection Avicole de la Sarthe et du Sud-Ouest, Sabres, France.
Sauveur, B., 1988. Generalites Sur Les Cycles De Reproduction Des Oiseaux. III. Reproduction Femelle-Cycles de Ponte. INRA., Paris, France, pp: 51-75.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2009 Asian Network for Scientific Information
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
