A cross experiment was carried out in Animal Production Research Institute (APRI), in cooperation with
Benha University, Egypt for three years starting from February 2013 and terminated 2016. Four pedigreed local
strains of chickens Matrouh (MT), Mandarah (MN), Inshas (IN) and Silver Montazah (SM) strains were used. A
total of 34 sires and 230 dams from MN strain, 32 sires and 194 dams from MT strain were chosen randomly
from 250 cockers and 600 pullets to produce purebreds and crossbreds progenies in the first generation. In the
second generation, the crossbred hens of MNxMT were artificially inseminated with fresh semen of Inshas
strain (IN), while the crossbred hens of MTxMN were artificially inseminated with fresh semen collected from
cocks of Silver Montazah strain (SM) to produce three-way crossbreds (½IN×¼MN¼MT and
½SM×¼MT¼MN). Single trait animal model was used in estimating heritability and in predicting the breeding
values (PBV). Crossbreeding effects of direct additive (GI
), maternal effects (GM), direct heterosis (HI
) and
maternal heterosis (HI
) were estimated using the procedure of generalized least-squares. The overall means of
all genetic groups were 154 day, 1420 g, 39.38 g, 45 egg, 1957 g, 61 egg, 2727 g, 16 day, 411 g, 18 egg, 784 g,
13.5 egg and 593 g for ASM, BWSM, WFE, EN90D, EM90D, EN120D, EM120D, PF10E, EMF10E, EN2DW,
EM2DW, EN1WM and EM1WM, respectively Estimates of heritability were moderate for ASM and BWSM
(0.23 and 0.69), while they were low for egg production and partial egg recording traits. The GLM showed that
three-way crossbreds reported the earlier ASM, heavier BWSM and WFE, the highest EN90D, EN120D and
EN2DW and the heaviest EM90D, EM120D and EM2DW. The ranges of predicted breeding values (PBV) of
MT strain were slightly higher than that for MN birds. Ranges of PBV recorded by ½MT½MN were nearly
similar to those ranges recorded by ½MN½MT. Cross fathered by SM cocks and mothered by (½MT½MN) had
higher ranges in PBV for egg production and partial egg recording traits than those cross fathered by IN cocks
and mothered by (½MN½MT). The effects of GI on all traits (p≤0.01) and in favour of MN breed. The
percentages of GM were significant for sexual maturity traits and non-significant for egg production and partial
egg recording traits. Percentages of HI
(-3.8, 28.5, -4.6, 29.3, 28.8, 24.9, 19.7, -36.1, -3.2, 17.4, 10.6 and 8.8%)
and HM (-2.6, 1.2, 0.03, 7.8, 8.2, 7.8, 8.1, -10.5, 0.2, 7.2, 0.7, 3.2 and 3.3%) were mostly highly significant for
all traits for ASM, BWSM, EN90D, EM90D, EN120D, EM120D, PF10E, EMF10E, EN2DW, EM2DW,
EN1WM and EM1WM, respectively. We can recommend that Mandarah strain (MN) could be used as a sire
and Matrouh (MT) as a dam, depending on the estimates of the direct additive genetic effect GI
for the studied
traits which were in favor of MN. |
