Effect of Duck Breed on Reproductive Performance of Parent Stock, Quality of Day-Old Ducks (DOD) in Alabio, Mojosari, and Their Crossbreeds

Abstract : This study aims to evaluate the reproductive performance of duck breeders and assess the quality of day-old ducks (DOD) in Alabio, Mojosari, and their crossbred lines. The experimental design employed involved three breed groups: MM (Mojosari × Mojosari ), AA (Alabio × Alabio ), and AM (Alabio × Mojosari ), each consisting of 30 female ducks and 6 male ducks. Egg collection was conducted over a 5-day period to obtain 100 eggs from each breed group. Breed differences had a highly significant effect on the egg shape index, with the highest recorded in the AM group (79.80%). However, there were no significant differences in egg weight (63.90–65.13 g) or fertility rate (72–81%). The AM ducks also exhibited the highest hatchability (75.95%) and the lowest embryonic mortality (24.46%). Hatch weight and post-hatch viability score were not significantly affected by breed differences; the highest hatch weight was observed in the AA group (38.58 ± 1.07 g), with post-hatch viability scores ranging from 9.74 to 9.84. However, DOD body length differed significantly, with the MM group displaying the longest body length (18.88 ± 0.30 cm). Based on the results, it can be concluded that the crossbreeding of Alabio male ducks with Mojosari female ducks (AM) demonstrates superior reproductive performance in terms of egg shape index, hatchability, and embryonic mortality, although certain parameters such as egg weight, fertility, hatch weight, and post-hatch viability score did not show significant differences among the breed groups.