Comb-Type and Body Weight of Chickens

Abstract

With meat-type chickens Kan et al. (1959) obtained heavier housing body weights from single than from pea comb pullets at seven months of age. A similar effect of comb-type on six week body weight was not observed. The present study was undertaken to further investigate the relationship between genes at the pea and single comb locus and body weight of broiler chickens. EXPERIMENTALThe data underlying this inquiry were obtained from several test farms of a commercial breeding organization. Cornish-type males heterozygous for pea comb (Pp) were individually mated to crossbred single comb (pp) females and each males’ progeny tested in one hatch. Body weight was obtained on heterozygous pea and single comb progeny at approximately 9 weeks of age from 11 bi-weekly hatches. Pea and single comb chickens were brooded intermingled. Floor space allotment per chicken was not consistent from hatch to hatch. A commercial high energy broiler feed…