Annual Egg Production Research Articles

Protein profile analysis of Jilin white goose testicles at different stages of the laying cycle by DIA strategy

BackgroundJilin white goose is an excellent local breed in China, with a high annual egg production and laying eggs mainly from February to July each year. The testis, as the only organ that can produce sperm, can affect the sexual maturity and fecundity of male animals. Its growth and development are affected and regulated by a variety of factors. Proteomics is generally applied to identify and quantify proteins in cells and tissues in order to understand the physiological or pathological changes that occur in tissues or cells under specific conditions. Currently, the female poultry reproductive system has been extensively studied, while few related studies focusing on the regulatory mechanism of the reproductive system of male poultry have been conducted.ResultsA total of 1753 differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) were generated in which there were 594, 391 and 768 different proteins showing differential expression in three stages, Initial of Laying Cycle (ILC), Peak of Laying Cycle (PLC) and End of Laying Cycle (ELC). Furthermore, bioinformatics was used to analyze the DEPs. Gene ontology (GO) enrichment, Clusters of Orthologous Groups (COG), Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) and protein-protein interaction (PPI) network analysis were adopted. All DEPs were found to be implicated in multiple biological processes and pathways associated with testicular development, such as renin secretion, Lysosomes, SNARE interactions in vesicle trafficking, the p53 signaling pathway and pathways related to metabolism. Additionally, the reliability of transcriptome results was verified by real-time quantitative PCR by selecting the transcript abundance of 6 selected DEPs at the three stages of the laying cycle.ConclusionsThe funding in this study will provide critical insight into the complex molecular mechanisms and breeding practices underlying the developmental characteristics of testicles in Jilin white goose.

Production Performance and Profitability of Small-scale Commercial Poultry Farms in Arsi and East-Showa Zones, Central Ethiopia

Poultry farming and the demand for chicken meat and eggs are growing due to their quality protein, essential nutrients, affordable price, and low investment cost. The current study was designed to investigate the productivity and profitability of small-scale commercial poultry enterprises. Data were collected from 221 poultry farms using a semi-structured questionnaire. The results were presented using descriptive statistics. Farm performances were measured by total-factor-productivity (TFP), benefit-cost-ratio (BCR), and net-profit-margin (NPM). The majority of the poultry farm owners were male (69.68%) and married (77.4%). Around 55.2% of poultry farmers aged 31-45 years. Group-owned farms had 4.59 ± 1.77 individual members. On average, a batch of layer chickens was kept for 17.0 ± 3.87 and 18.12 ± 4.25 months on individual and group-owned farms, respectively. Moreover, the mean selling ages of pullet and broiler chickens were 2.55 ± 0.71 and 2.18 ± 0.51 months, respectively. The flock size of layer chickens in sole-proprietor farms (562 ± 724) was significantly lower than in partnership farms (1165 ± 877). The average numbers of produced pullets by sole-proprietorship and partnership farms were 3177 ± 2360 and 3137 ± 1826, while the mean numbers of broilers produced were 2257 ± 1875 and 3269 ± 1669, respectively. The average egg and broiler weights in sole-proprietorship farms were significantly higher compared to group-owned farms. Annual egg production rates in individual and group-owned farms were 76.5% and 70.4%, respectively. The cost of feed, chicken, housing, labor, and medication were the top five production expenditures, while feed cost shares 60.4%. Egg producers had NPM, BCR, and TFP indices of 38.99%, 1.03, and 2.03, respectively, with notable differences by ownership types. The NPM, BCR, and TFP indices for broiler and pullet farms, respectively, were 42.78%, 0.93, and 1.93 for broilers and 35.21%, 0.92, and 1.67 for pullets. The results indicated that poultry firms performed optimally, regardless of ownership type. To further improve the efficiency and profitability of poultry enterprises, farmers need technical, finance, and management skills and input supply chains. Keywords: Broiler, Layer, Poultry, Production, Profitability, Pullet

Integrated analysis of whole genome and transcriptome sequencing uncovers genetic differences between Zi goose and Xianghai flying goose.

Zi goose is a famous indigenous breed originating from northeast China with high annual egg production. Xianghai flying goose is a composite breed and is bred by crosses of the wild swan goose and the Zi goose. Our previous study revealed significant differences in muscle fiber characteristics between the two populations. Here, we aimed to reveal the underlying genetic basis of the above phenotype differences through whole-genome and transcriptome analysis. A total of 20 blood samples (10 Zi geese and 10 Xianghai flying geese) were used for whole genome sequencing, and eight breast muscle tissue samples (four Zi geese and four Xianghai flying geese) were used for RNA sequencing. Using the FST and XP-EHH analysis, some highly differentiated genome regions annotated with egg production (RORB, WNT4, BMPR1B) and breast muscle development (WNT7B) between the two populations were detected. RNA-sequencing analysis revealed differentially expressed genes related to muscle development (IGF1, PAX7). Moreover, several genes were detected by both genome and transcriptome analysis, and some of them were reported to be associated with muscle growth (SLIT2, PREX1) and intramuscular fat (COL6A1). These findings will help researchers better understand the genetic basis related to egg production and muscle development in geese.

Reviewing and improving spatiotemporal modeling approaches for mackerel’s total annual egg production

Since the late 1970s the international ICES mackerel egg survey takes place in the Northeast Atlantic to obtain an estimate of total annual egg production (TAEP), to assess the spawning stock biomass and to support the sustainable management of the mackerel stock. However, its standard calculation of TAEP has some shortcomings: egg production is estimated from arithmetic averages of individual observations regardless whether they are extreme, rarely observed values, and has shown difficulties coping with the spatial expansion of mackerel spawning observed since 2007 (increasing the number of interpolated estimates). Various previous modeling efforts attempted to map the habitat of spawning mackerel to obtain more accurate egg production estimates by using generalized additive models (GAMs). In this study, we review and improve these models by introducing new features: We model both the western and southern components of the mackerel stock with a Tweedie distribution and test more than 400 model forms, including new predictors (like population size) and complex covariate interactions. We select the best model with various metrics, including the score of a tenfold cross validation. Our results show that environmental variables should be included in the model as simple functional, unimodal terms. This leads to a model that is more similar to a generalized linear mixed model than the typical GAM with smoothers. Models including only smoothers performed worse as they have a poor skill to extrapolate beyond the sampled region. Additionally, accounting for the effect of population size on the spatial distribution of eggs was shown to be fundamental to better model performance.Graphical abstract

Characterization and performance evaluation of indigenous geese of Assam

The present study aimed to phenotypically characterize the indigenous geese of Assam, in North East India. These geese were observed to have two types of plumage colour (white and cinnamon) and plumage pattern (solid and bordered); and three different bill colours (black, orange, yellow). The shank and feet colour was found to be mostly orange and sometimes yellow. The eye colour was found to be black, brown and sometimes grey and skin colour as white. The least squares means for body weight at hatching, 4, 6-8 and 12 months and above age were 0.087±0.001, 3.030±0.022, 3.480±0.055 and 3.970±0.025 kg, respectively. The average age at first egg, annual egg production, clutch size and clutch interval were 320.196±2.882 days, 19.886±0.306, 9.897±0.143 and 59.206±0.531 days. Average fertility and hatchability percentage under natural condition were found to be 87.11% and 80.53%, respectively. The study revealed that the indigenous geese of Assam are heavier birds with high potential for meat production with two colour variants, viz. White and Cinnamon in the study area covering four districts. The study generated baseline information on physical characteristics, productive and reproductive performances of indigenous geese of Assam under native field condition which would be of great help in documentation and development of breed descriptors for registration, improvement and conservation.

Management Systems and Productivity of Indigenous Chickens in Busokelo District, Mbeya Region, Tanzania

A study was conducted in Busokelo district, Mbeya region to assess the management systems and productivity of indigenous chickens under village management conditions. A total of 90 respondents from three purposively selected wards were involved in the study. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire and data collected included household characteristics and those related to chicken management practices including selection, housing, feeding, culling practices, marketing of chickens, diseases, and health care practices. Other information collected was the productive and reproductive traits of chickens. Data was entered into excel and analysis was carried out using SAS software [1]. The average chicken flock size was 29.88 with the flock dominated by chicks and few cocks. The majority of farmers were raising the chicken in scavenging (55.6%) and semi-intensive (40%) systems. More than half of the respondents reported practicing supplementation, providing drinking water, housing, and treating birds when they are sick. The average age at sexual maturity for male and female chickens was 6.93 and 7.24 months respectively. Clutch size per hen, hatchability, survivability, and annual egg production per hen per year was 14.4 eggs, 83.71%, 55.64%, and 46.6 eggs respectively. Indigenous chicken production in Busokelo district is largely practiced in small-scale semi-intensive and free-range systems with a reasonably good rate of adoption of good management practices such as supplementation, provision of housing, drinking water, and healthcare. The productive and reproductive performance of the chicken is within the range reported for most other indigenous chickens in Africa. However, chick mortality was observed to be very high due to diseases and predation. Improvement in management of chickens, especially young chicks is recommended to increase flock size and reduce loss due to high mortality.

Association analysis of polymorphisms of candidate genes for laying traits in Yangzhou geese

Egg production is an important economic trait in the Chinese goose industry. Due to the low heritability of annual egg production traits in geese, large-scale individual selection based on annual egg production measurements cannot be carried out. Therefore, new selection methods must be applied for large-scale early selections. To screen for effective molecular markers for early Yangzhou geese selection, the genotypes and gene frequencies of mutated loci of five candidate genes related to egg production, MAGI-1, ACSF2, ASTN2, KIAA1462, and ARHGAP21, were detected and analyzed by PCR-direct sequencing.Furthermore, correlation analysis was performed with annual egg mass and body weight at the point of lay and egg weight, and the results were as follows:Magi-1 (Record-106975)was A > G, ACSF2 (Record-106582)was A > C, ASTN2 (Record-111407)was A > T, KIAA1462 (Record-134172)was A > T, and the base of ARHGAP21 (Record-112359) was G > T. At all the five loci above, the Yangzhou geese population followed the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (P > 0.05). The results of the association analysis between different genotypes and production performance showed no significant differences in annual egg production, body weight at the point of lay, and egg weight, among different genotypes (P > 0.05) at the mutation loci of MAGI-1 and ASTN2. At the ACSF2 and KIAA1462, the annual egg production of AC was significantly higher than that of AA and CC (P < 0.05), the annual egg production of TT was significantly higher than that of AA (P < 0.05), and there were no significant differences in body weight at the point of lay and egg weight, among the three genotypes (P > 0.05). At ARHGAP21, the body weight at the lay point of the TT genotype was the highest, which was significantly higher than that of GG (P < 0.05); however, there was no significant difference with the heterozygous GT genotype for this trait (P > 0.05). Therefore, Genotype AC at ACSF2 and genotype TT at KIAA1462 could be used as favorable genotypes for egg production, and genotype TT at ARHGAP21 could be used as a favorable genotype for weight in Yangzhou geese.

Annual egg productivity predicts female-biased mortality in avian species.

Among avian species, the differential cost entailed by either sex in competition for mates has been regarded as the main evolutionary influence on sex differences in mortality rates. However, empirical evidence suggests that sex-biased adult mortality is mainly related to differential energy investment in gamete production, with a greater annual mass devoted to egg production leading to higher female mortality. We explicitly tested the generality of this pattern in a comparative framework. Annual egg production can be relatively large in some species (up to 200% of female body mass) and annual mortality is generally biased toward females. We showed that greater annual egg productivity resulted in higher mortality rates of females relative to males. Mating system was secondarily important, with species in which males were more involved in mating competition having more equal mortality rates between the sexes. However, both traits explained only a limited fraction of the interspecific variation in female-biased mortality. Other traits, such as sexual size dimorphism and parental care, had much weaker influences on female-biased mortality. Our results suggest that both annual mass devoted to gamete production by females and mating system contribute to the evolution of the fundamental life-history trade-off between reproduction and survival in avian taxa.

A response surface model to predict the profitability of raising small-scale free range domestic pigeon

The study aimed to investigate the comparative profitability of raising different breeds of small- scale free range domestic pigeon in the Chattogram metropolitan area of Bangladesh. A cross-sectional survey was carried out for a period of three months from July to September 2021 using a structured questionnaire. Results indicated that there were no differences among the performance parameters of the non-descriptive, Gola and Giribaz breeds of pigeon. However, the non-descriptive breeds produced more eggs and thus squabs per year than the Gola and Giribaz. Similarly, the average pause size, feed supply per day and market age were lower in the local breeds compared with Gola and Giribaz. Hatchability percentage of the local breed was higher than the other breeds. Average mortality was moderately higher in the Giribaz. The average flock size was 4.9±0.70 pair. The average annual egg and squab productions were 20.6±1.10 and 10.7±1.00 pairs, respectively. The average daily feed supply was 37.8±1.5 g/bird. The average clutch and pause sizes were 2.0 and 17.3 day, respectively. Average market age, hatchability and mortality were 30.6±0.90 day, 51.4±2.20% and 7.6±1.6%, respectively. Mean feed and housing cost were 1008±24.7 and 443±42.8 Bangladeshi taka (BDT) per pair/year, respectively. Mean market price per pair adult and per squab was BDT 365±18.6 and 130±4.9, respectively. Flock size and pause size had strong positive and negative correlations with annual squab production. There were no significant differences between the net profit of the farms rearing different breeds of pigeon. However, farms raising local breeds had the highest annual net profit (BDT 823/pair) compared with other farms raising Giribaz (BDT 478/pair) and Gola breeds (BDT 319.70/pair). Principal component analysis identified annual egg production and feed cost as the principal eigenvector determining net profit. It was concluded that despite marginal profit, small-scale free range domestic pigeon farming was economically viable for the subsistence of the rural livelihoods. Keywords: Free range, Giribaz, Gola, Pigeon, Profitability.

Evaluation of Mewari, a native chicken breed vis-à-vis Pratapdhan, an improved chicken variety under an intensive system of rearing

Mewari is an indigenous chicken breed and Pratapdhan is a dual purpose chicken variety developed using Mewari, coloured broiler and Rhode Island Red. Pratapdhan birds were well accepted by the farmers of Rajasthan and adjoining areas. The study was undertaken for comparative evaluation of Mewari and Pratapdhan chicken under intensive system. The data were analyzed using factorial design with genotype, sex and generation (2 × 2 × 3) as main effects. The body weights differed significantly at all ages with significant higher weights in Pratapdhan as compared to Mewari chicken. Sex had significant effect on body weights at all ages except at 2nd week. Males had significantly higher body weights across the genotypes and generations. The interaction effects were significant between the genotypes, sex and generations, except at 2nd week of age. The body weights showed an increasing trend over the generations with few exceptions. ASM and egg weights significantly varied between the genotypes and across the generations with significant interaction effects. The average annual egg production and egg weight (72 weeks) in Mewari and Pratapdhan chicken were 92.02±0.52 and 158.25±1.20 and 46.85±0.22 and 55.74±0.28, respectively. The fertility per cent was 80.39±1.45 and 83.28±0.64 in Mewari and Pratapdhan, respectively. The results suggest that Pratapdhan could be one of the potential improved germplasm for backyard poultry production.

Effect of body size on the long-term reproductive output of eastern Atlantic loggerhead turtles Caretta caretta

We assessed the relationship between body size and several important life history parameters to understand the demographic significance of interpopulation variability in the body size of loggerhead turtlesCaretta carettanesting on Boa Vista Island (Cabo Verde). The adult growth rate (0.34 ± 0.60 cm yr-1), annual mortality rate (0.13, 95% CI: 0.12-0.15) and remigration interval (3.1 ± 1.2 yr) were independent of curved carapace length (minimum curved carapace length [CCLmin]). Conversely, the body condition index decreased significantly with female CCLmin. The clutch size, mean egg mass, mean hatchling straight carapace length and mean hatchling mass increased significantly with female CCLmin. However, there was no relationship between female size and hatching success. Randomization and bootstrapping were used to incorporate variability when calculating the average individual fecundity over 20 yr, a period that accumulated, on average, 94% of the adult mortality. The overall fecundity during this period increased with carapace length at first maturity (71 cm CCLmin: 815 eggs, 95% CI: 653-863; 80 cm CCLmin: 906 eggs, 95% CI: 822-959; 90 cm CCLmin: 1089 eggs, 95% CI: 926-1415). However, only 8% of the adult females nesting on Boa Vista Island are larger than 90 cm CCLmin, and they produce less than 12% of the total annual egg production. The scarcity of large females might result from a shortage of high-quality foraging grounds where females may reach first sexual maturity at a large carapace length and from the combined effect of a small carapace length at first sexual maturity, low adult somatic growth and high adult mortality.

Comparative analysis of production system and marketing pattern of commercial desi chicken farming venture and backyard poultry farming in Tamil Nadu

A study was taken up to evaluate the production system and marketing pattern of commercial desi chicken farming venture in relation to backyard poultry farming in Namakkal district of Tamil Nadu. The findings revealed that the farmers of commercial desi chicken farming venture differ significantly (from backyard poultry farmers with respect to management, production and marketing aspects, viz. type of housing, provision of drinker and feeder, feeding practices for different age groups, feeding of kitchen waste, type of brooding, use of disinfectant and adoption of vaccination, deworming and delicing. The use of litter material and method of incubation also differed significantly between farming methods. The production performances like body weight at eight and 12 weeks of age, annual egg production, number of clutches per year, hatchability of eggs, livabilty of birds and marketing age of the birds were also significantly different between the two methods of desi chicken farming.

Bioenergetics of egg production in Northeast Atlantic mackerel changes the perception of fecundity type and annual trends in spawning stock biomass

Egg surveys are used worldwide for the estimation of spawning stock biomass (SSB) of small pelagic fish species, requiring detailed knowledge about their reproductive biology. In the present study, we revisit the current conceptual framework of teleost fecundity types using Northeast Atlantic (NEA) mackerel (Scomber scombrus) as case study due to conflicting views across different assessment methods. We hypothesized that the herein presented unique time series on protein and lipid content for this stock would help in resolving the long-lasting, intrinsic fecundity type problem. First, we document that the body surplus energy has varied substantially over time, with a significant drop to historically low levels following a stock increase from 2005 to 2015. This fluctuating pattern is in stark contrast to the stable relative fecundity (oocyte g−1 females) measured in connection with the egg surveys. Second, we show that the feeding levels are at the highest during the spawning season. These findings are consistent with an indeterminate fecundity type as opposed to the presently accepted determinate-type classification dating back to the 1990s. Furthermore, we quantify the batch fecundity and find it to be largely constant. Hence, the main reproductive output regulator that is driven by the bioenergetic status should therefore be the number of batches shed. Based on this novel framework for an indeterminate spawner, we provide alternative estimates of relative realized fecundity, which significantly change the egg survey-based SSB indices, reduces the contrast to the other data sources in the mackerel stock assessment (1990–2019), improves the assessment model fit and reduces the uncertainty of the stock size estimate. The presented algorithms and lines of thinking are applicable to other teleosts and may improve the precision and accuracy of the estimation in cases where the annual egg production method is used to assess stock size.

Current Status of Indigenous and Highly Productive Chicken Breeds in Ethiopia

In Ethiopia, chicken production plays an important role in providing human food consumption, growth of domestic products, and creating employment opportunities. Despite their importance, the production and reproduction performance of chickens in the country is under expectation owing to the gap between low productive indigenous and low adaptive ability of highly productive chicken breeds. By considering this, the present paper aims to deliver, synthesize, and summarize the compiled information on the current status of indigenous and highly productive chicken breeds. Currently, there are several highly productive chicken breeds available in Ethiopia. Among these, Rhode Island Red, Fayoumi, Potchefstroom Koekoek, Sasso, Bovan Brown, Issa Brown, and Leghorn are being kept under various husbandry systems. Besides, indigenous chicken ecotypes such as barley plumage color, red plumage color, white plumage color, and black plumage color have been characterized in the country. However, the average annual egg production of indigenous and highly productive chicken breeds did not exceed 60 and 250 eggs, respectively. On the other hand, the meat production ability of indigenous chickens is limited as cockerels and pullets may reach 1.5 and 1.05 kilogram live weight at 6 months of age, respectively. Concerning the husbandry system, a majority of owners supplied feed to chickens on the ground and water in plastic containers while scavenging is being the common feeding system in most parts of the country. Furthermore, the majority of the owners are using no separate housing system and treat their chickens traditionally. Thus, awareness should be emphasized on enhancing the improvement of chicken husbandry systems for better production and reproduction performance.

Performance evaluation of the parents of the improved backyard poultry germplasm in sub-tropical condition of North Eastern Hill Region of India.

Productivity of traditional backyard poultry in developing countries can be enhanced by introduction of improved germplasm of backyard chicken which is adaptable to diverse ago-climatic condition. The growth and reproductive performance of parents of improved backyard chicken (Vanaraja and Srinidhi) were evaluated under intensive production system in humid sub-tropical region of North East India. We also evaluated the growth performance and mortality in terminal crosses of above parents until 6 weeks of age. At day 0 and at 25 weeks of age, body weight of Srinidhi male parent was significantly (P<0.05) higher than Vanaraja male parent. During brooding stage, mortality was 15.7% in Srinidhi male parent, 14.5% in Vanaraja male parent, 13.9% in Srinidhi female parent, and 8% in Vanaraja female parent. Hen-day egg production (HDEP) of Vanaraja female parent varied from 0.2 at 25 weeks to 54.9% at 54th weeks of age. In Srinidhi female parent, HDEP reached 60% at 35 weeks and peaked 63.9% at 39 weeks of age. Srinidhi female parent has significantly (P<0.05) lower age at first lay. Average annual egg production was significantly (P<0.05) higher in Srinidhi female parent (202 eggs vs. 137 eggs). Egg weight at 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, and 50 week of age was significantly (P<0.05) higher in Vanaraja female parent. Egg shape index and yolk index at 40 weeks of age were significantly (P<0.05) higher in Srinidhi female parent. Fertility of Vanaraja female parent was significantly (P<0.05) lower in winter. In case of Srinidhi female parent, fertility was significantly higher (P<0.05) in winter as compared to summer. In case of terminal crosses, body weight at 6 weeks of age was significantly (P<0.05) higher in Vanaraja as compared to Srinidhi. Cumulative mortality during brooding phase was 9.2 per cent in Vanaraja and 9.6 per cent in Srinidhi. In conclusion, parents of Vanaraja and Srinidhi are suitable and well-adapted birds in humid sub-tropical condition of North East India. These birds could be introduced in the region on large scale for up-scaling of traditional backyard poultry.

Investigating growth and reproduction of the Mediterranean swordfish Xiphias gladius through a full life cycle bioenergetics model

A Wisconsin type bioenergetics model was developed to investigate the growth and reproduction of the Mediterranean swordfish Xiphias gladius L., 1758. Reproduction was simulated using an energy allocation algorithm with a fixed part of assimilated energy stored for egg production. Stomach contents were used to estimate the daily ration of swordfish (3% of body weight for adults) in order to calibrate the consumption compartment. The model outputs of growth were in agreement with fisheries observation data, with estimates of annual egg production (~17.5 million eggs) per individual similar to those stemming from stock assessment datasets. Our study highlights the importance of bioenergetics in the reproduction of swordfish, suggesting that each individual is reproductively active for ~15 d, while the commonly reported spawning season of the whole population lasts ~90 d. Sensitivity analysis showed that swordfish growth and reproduction is largely controlled by consumption and respiration parameters. We provide a detailed description of a full life cycle swordfish bioenergetics model that could be embedded as a module in an end-to-end modelling framework, ultimately describing the population dynamics of the Mediterranean swordfish stock in relation to environmental variability.

Strategy of innovative development of animal husbandry in the Bryansk region

The article substantiates the strategy of innovative development of animal husbandry in the Bryansk region. The main indicators of animal husbandry development are studied. The dynamics of the population of animals, poultry, rabbits and bee colonies is analyzed. The structure and dynamics of livestock products manufacturing, including the production of cattle and poultry in carcass weight, milk, eggs and honey, are calculated. The productivity of animals is estimated, including the average daily weight gain of cattle and pigs, the average annual milk yield per cow, and the average annual egg production of laying hens. The best practices of animal husbandry effective development on an innovative basis are considered. Major investment projects implemented in the livestock industry are considered. The scenario forecast of production of the most important types of animal products (milk and meat of cattle and poultry) is presented. The directions of the strategic development of the industry are justified.

Morphological characteristics of native chicken of village Chhajjian, Haripur Pakistan

:The present study was conducted to describe the variations in morphological characteristics of different selected populations of indigenous chickens. Five populations of chickens in different (localities) of Chhajjian, KP, Pakistan, were studied based on qualitative traits recorded for a total of 100 chickens. Each of the study populations contains multiple variants of plumage colors and other physical features. The average flock size was observed to be 38. Predominant plumage color was grayish and other mixtures along with different percentages in different localities. Pea comb was the dominant comb type in all localities. Most of the chickens were yellow skinned. Males in all populations were heavier and taller than the females. This recorded variation in morphological traits will help in the conservation of these chickens.

Characterization of Maithili duck in middle Gangetic plain of Bihar

A study was conducted in middle Gangetic plain of Bihar to evaluate the smallholder duck production systems in the regions. A total of 70 duck farmers in Bihar were selected for this study. The information were collected by using standard questionnaire and an interview. The majority of the farmers (60%) belonged to middle-aged category. Majority of duck rearers in Bihar rears the duck more than 20 years. The average flock size was 6.1±0.33. Ducks were raised under semi-intensive management system and mostly depend on scavenging for their nutritional needs in the study area. About 88.6% farmers provided some kind of housing for their ducks, usually constructed mainly from simple and locally available materials in their backyard. Farmers did not possess any permanent shelter. Majority of the farmers (94.29%) did not vaccinate against the diseases of ducks due to unavailability. In both drake and duck, body carriage was slightly upright and Bill shape was horizontal. The ducks are raised both for meat and eggs. The average annual egg production per duck was ranged to be 30–60 eggs per annum. The average body weight of drake and duck were 1.40±0.07 and 1.37±0.08 kg, respectively. The predominant plumage colours of the Head, neck, breast, wing, and tail were brown (43.75%), brown and white mix with or without white ring (53.75%), brown (80.00%), brown, black and white mix (57.50%) and brown (40.00%) respectively. The dominant bill colour were yellow (43.75%) and web colour were orange (56.25%) respectively in Maithili duck. Mosaic plumage colour pattern was predominant in Maithili duck of Middle gangetic plain.

Performance of Vanaraja and Kaveri poultry birds in tribal villages of Jharkhand

To improve the socio-economic status of the traditional farmer, backyard poultry is a handy enterprise with low-cost initial investment, but high economic return along with guarantee for improving protein deficiency among the poor. A study was conducted to find out the performance of backyard poultry viz. Vanaraja and Kaveri in tribal villages in Jharkhand. In total 117 (76 male and 41 female) tribal backyard poultry farmers were purposively selected for the present study from four villages of Ranchi district. These farmers procured improved variety of egg from institute farm for hatching in traditional method by deshi broody hen during 2015 to 2019. The data were collected for growth, feed intake, egg production, egg weight, egg consumed, egg sold, live bird sold including rearing cost and return on back yard poultry farming. The socioeconomic data reveals that 63.24 % farmers depended on crop and livestock for their livelihood and 24.79 % on a combination of crop, livestock and non-farm sources whereas, a small proportion (11.97 %) depended solely on livestock. The day old body weight of Vanaraja and Kaveri birds were 36.43±1.27 g and 30.32±0.85 g whereas, body weight at 240 days were 1974.35±43.14 g and 1885.12±47.35 g, respectively. The average age of sexual maturity, annual egg production and egg weight at 280 days age was 172.36±2.23 and 190.11±5.25 days, 156.15±15.6 and 144.33±13.14 numbers and 55.85±5.53 and 50.21±3.54 g for Vanaraja and Kaveri, respectively. The comparative benefit-cost (B:C) ratio (gross return/ gross cost) was 2.02 and 1.89 for Vanaraja and Kaveri birds, respectively. The economics of rearing Vanaraja and Kaveri poultry birds at farmer’s house was found to be beneficial for income generation and can contribute to rural livelihoods.