Comparison of Chicken Genotypes for Growth, Egg Production and Adaptability Traits Under Semi-Scavenging Condition

The study was conducted to evaluate the growth, egg production and adaptability performances of different chicken genotypes under semi-scavenging condition. The performance of Improved Horro (H), Cosmopolitan (C), Indigenous (L), and Koekoek (KK) chicken genotypes was evaluated in semi-scavenging condition over a 44-week period. The study utilized a completely randomized design (CRD), and the data were analyzed using the General Linear Model (GLM) in SAS software. A total of 360 chickens from the four genotypes were provided. For each genotype, around 30 chickens (with a 1:10 male-to-female ratio) were allocated to each lowland site, with each genotype placed in three replicate sites. The data for each genotype from all sites were then pooled. KK exhibited the highest body weight at hatch, followed by C and H, while L had the lowest. At eight weeks of age, KK also had the highest body weight and average daily weight gain, with C and H following, and L recording the lowest. KK had the highest body weights and weight gains, followed by C and H, while L showed the lowest body weights and weight gains at both 16 and 24 weeks of age. L and H showed significantly higher survival rates compared to KK and C. L reached the highest age at first egg lay, followed by C, KK, and H. KK had the greatest body weight at first egg lay and at the end of the experiment compared to C and H, while L had the lowest body weights at both first egg lay and 44 weeks. KK had the highest egg weight at first egg lay and throughout the experiment when compared to C and H, while L recorded the lowest egg weights at both first egg lay and 44 weeks. KK produced the highest number of eggs, followed by H and C, while L had the lowest egg count. In conclusion: The genotype differences of chickens substantially influenced growth, egg production and adaptability performances. It could also serve as reference for future growth, egg production and adaptability studies of defferent chicken genotypes.