China Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine ›› 2021, Vol. 48 ›› Issue (8): 2901-2909.doi: 10.16431/j.cnki.1671-7236.2021.08.022

• Genetics and Breeding • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Identification and Comparison Analysis of Feather Development,Growth Performance and Reproductive Performance of Early and Late Feathering Beijing-You Roosters

JIANG Linlin1,2, LI Yunlei2, YUAN Jingwei2, MA Hui2, SHI Lei2, NI Aixin2, WANG Panlin2, WANG Yuanmei2, GE Pingzhuang2, ZONG Yunhe2, BIAN Shixiong2, CHEN Chao2, CHEN Jilan2, SUN Yanyan2, MA Tenghe1   

  1. 1. College of Life Sciences and Food Engineering, Hebei University of Engineering, Handan 056038, China;
    2. Key Laboratory of Animal(Poultry) Genetics Breeding and Reproduction, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Institute of Animal Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100193, China
  • Received:2020-12-08 Online:2021-08-20 Published:2021-08-19

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Abstract: In order to provide basic data for breeding and fine housing of Beijing-You chickens, the pure line of Beijing-You chicken was used here to compare the feather development, growth and reproductive performance of early and late feathering roosters.According to the relative length characteristics of the primary feathers and the coverts, the newborn male chicks were identified and divided into early and late feathering subgroups.For which, the early feathering included K1 (primary feather is at least 5 mm longer than the covert feather) and K2 (primary feather is 2-5 mm longer than the covert feather);the late feathering included M1 (the primary feather length is equal to or slightly longer than (<2 mm) the covert feather), M2 (the primary feather is shorter than the covert feather) and M3 (the primary feather is not growing out).Before 7 days of age, the length of primary feathers and coverts were measured every other day, and every other week from 7 to 42 days.Body weight was measured every week from 1 to 8 weeks, and every other week from 9 to 18 weeks.The overall plumage condition was observed at 10 weeks of age.Determination of general semen quality, sperm kinetic parameters, and fertilization and hatching traits of early and late feathering roosters was performed at 47 weeks of age.The results showed that the early and late feathering accounted for 11.60% and 88.40% of Beijing-You male chickens, respectively.The majority of late feathering hens were M2 type, and there were a few M1 and M3 type.There was no difference in body weight between late and early feathering male Beijing-You chickens during the brooding age (1-18 week)(P>0.05).Besides the fact the primary feathers and the coverts of late feathering chickens grew slowly than the early ones, only 44% of the late feathering chicks showed intact plumage of back and the thigh area, and this percentage was the highest (over 90%) in the equal-length type late feathering chickens, and low (17%) in the no-primary feathers type.The early and late feathering roosters did not show difference in general semen quality traits, while the sperm linearity was higher (P<0.05)and the straight-line velocity was inclined to be higher (P=0.06) in late feathering.The fertility of early feathering male Beijing-You chickens was higher than the late feathering ones (P<0.05).Although not significant, the hatchability of setting eggs and hatchability of fertilized eggs was apt to higher than the late feathering ones (P>0.05).The results of the present study showed that feather development and reproductive performance of Beijing-You chickens could be affected by feathering phenotype.It is necessary to further study the cause of the late feather development and identification method.Furthermore, the selection breeding for semen quality traits should be enhanced in the late feathering roosters of Beijing-You chickens.

Key words: early and late feathering; Beijing-You chicken; roosters; feather development; reproductive performance

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