Developments in the performance of brown egg layer parental stocks for superior hybrid

Abstract

This study examines the effect of grandparent, parent, and hybrid brown chickens, selected from 3 generations of pure lines, on hybrid egg-laying performance. The study was conducted at the Poultry Research Station of Ankara. In the first stage, 4 grandparent lines were derived from 2 pure line base populations. Grandparent lines included 2 male lines (low body weight and high egg weight) and 2 female lines (low body weight and high egg production). In the second stage, grandparent male and female lines were reciprocally crossed to produce 4 parent lines. In the third stage, male and female parental lines were crossed to produce 4 hybrid lines. The average age at first egg of grandparents, parents, and hybrids was 147.68, 154.46, and 157.53 days, respectively; body weight was 1662.95, 1699.19, and 1684.24 g, respectively; average number of eggs was 128.10 (43 weeks), 241.84 (64 weeks), and 303.89 (72 weeks), respectively; and egg weight was 57.46 (43 weeks), 58.28 (64 weeks), and 68.89 g (72 weeks), respectively. As a result, this study produced 4 parent lines with good combining ability for hybrids.