Genetic improvement of egg production traits by direct and indirect selection of egg traits in Nigerian local chickens

The study was carried out at Akpehe poultry farm, Makurdi.540 chicks produced from matings of 80 dams and 8 sires each of the Fulani and the Tiv local chickens ecotypes were used for the study. Sire, ecotype and dam had significant effect on age at first egg and body weight at first egg. Heritability estimates of age at first egg, body weight at first egg and egg weight due to sire variance component were high. There were significant positive genetic correlation between age at first egg, body weight at first egg and egg weight. Egg weight also had significant positive genetic correlation with egg length and egg diameter. Direct selection can be apply to age at first egg, body weight at first egg and egg weight in a multiple traits selection program to improve egg production traits. Indirect selection can also be apply to age at first egg and body weight at first egg in a multiple traits selection to exploit the correlated response to egg weight, egg diameter and egg length.