GeneticsStudies in Three Generations of Japanese Quails (Coturnixcoturnix japonica)

Abstract

Genetic study was conducted on Japanese quails at the Animal Science Department Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria. At first a total of 100 birds were used. Those were the base population. The first and second generation birds originated from 20 females and 10 malesmated in ration of 2 females to 1 male to obtain 100 hatch birds for each of the first and second generation.The following traits were recorded at each generation from each male bird: body weight, age at maturity, testicular weight, pectoral major weight and abdominal fat weight. The following traits were recorded at each generation from the female birds: body weight when birds were 35 days old, body weight at the time first egg was laid, weight of the first laid egg, age of the bird when the first egg was laid, follicle number, follicle size, oviduct weight, and ovary weight, pectoral major and abdominal fat weight. Response to selection, Selection differential and heritability were calculated for each of the above characters. These three characters were also calculated for carcass weight of males and live body weight of the females when they were 35, 42, 49 and 56 days old. The base population had significantly higher mean values while the first generation had the lowest mean values in all of the above male traits except in average age of the male birds, Similarly, the base population of the female birds had significantly higher mean values while the first generation birds had the lowest mean values in all of the above female characters except in mean age, follicle number and ovary weight. Age of males at sexual maturity and weight of testis had the highest and second highest heritability, respectively. Among the females, egg weight had the highest heritability. Results of this paper seems to be suggest that selection for body weight may be effective where birds are 35 days old because the 35 days old birds had the highest response to selection, selection differential and heritability, irrespective of sex.