Heritability and Genetic Correlation of Age at First Egg and Egg Number up to 40 Weeks of Age After Long-Term Selection in Taiwan Indigenous Chicken

The objective of this study was to estimate the genetic parameters of the egg-laying traits of hens after long-term selection. Four lines were derived from Taiwan indigenous chickens conserved in situ by the National Livestock Biodiversity Program. A total of 9834 hens' laying records from 18 non-overlapping generations classified as seven generational stages from 2006 to 2023 was used. The traits evaluated included body weight at 16 weeks of age, age at the first egg (Sday), body weight change between Sday and 40 weeks of age (Gain40), mean egg weight at 40 weeks of age (EW40), and egg number up to 40 weeks of age (EN40). A four-trait animal model via the REML procedure was used to estimate the variance/covariance components for each generational stage within each line. The ranges of the heritability estimates for Sday, Gain40, EW40, and EN40 were 0.09-0.61, 0.03-0.70, 0.32-0.83, and 0.00-0.65, respectively. Within the lines' generational stages, most of the heritability estimates of Gain40 and EW40 were higher than those of Sday and EN40. Also, less fluctuation was found in the heritability estimates of Gain40 and EW40 among the generational stages within the lines. Favorable negative genetic and phenotypic correlations between Sday and EN40 were observed at the last generational stage, which could be beneficial for future breeding programs to improve egg production.