Crossbreeding Nigeria Indigenous with the Dahlem Red chickens for improved productivity and adaptability

In a 5-year crossbreeding experiment, specific groups of the Nigeria Indigenous chicken (NI) from two ecological zones (i.e. Fulani, Fu; Fulani dwarf, FuD from the Northern Guinea Savanna and Yoruba, Y, from the Derived Savanna) and the German Dahlem Red normal (DR) and Dahlem Red Dwarf (DRD) were used to produce four genetic groups DR x Fu, Fu x DR, DR x Y, and FuD x DRD which were evaluated for age and weight at first egg, egg weight, percent hen-day egg production, percent laying mortality and resistance to disease. A total of 505 NI growers and 584 and 48 imported day-old DR and DRD chicks, respectively, were evaluated as parent stock. Data compilation was by DBase IV. Data were analysed using the General Linear Model (GLM) procedure of Statistical Analysis System (SAS, 1986). For all the traits evaluated, there was no significant difference (P > 0.05) between NI from the three ecological zones. Therefore, pooled NI means were compared with the means for the DR and the crosses between them. Mean 280-day egg weights were 55.7, 36.8 and 42.9g, respectively, for DR, NI and the crosses while DR, NI and crosses produced 103, 70 and 83 eggs, respectively, over a period of 196 days. The DR x Fu cross had a significantly higher (P < 0.05) egg weight for most of the periods studied with mean egg weight of 46.1g. The 280-day egg production of DR x Fu, (148) was significantly higher (P < 0.05) than that of DR x Y and Fu x DR (119) and FuD x DRD (87). At week 40, DR x Fu females were significantly heavier (p<0.05) than all the females of the other groups while the FuD x DRD progeny had the least body weights at all the ages studied. Overall, DR x Fu and DR x Y were superior to Fu x DR and FuD x DRD for most of the traits studied. Results of the skin test using Skin response to Phytohaemagglutinin inoculation showed FuD x DRD, DR x Y and Fu x DR with values of 0.45mm, 0.36mm and 0.34mm, respectively. Inbred lines DR x DR and Y x Y gave values of 0.33 and 0.50, respectively.