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A Study on the Performance of Fayoumi, Rhode Island Red and Fayoumi X Rhode Island Red Chickens Under Rural Condition of Bangladesh

A. Barua
Department of Poultry Science, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh 2202, Bangladesh

M. A. R. Howlider
Department of Poultry Science, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh 2202, Bangladesh

Y. Yoshimura
Graduate School for International Development and Cooperation, Hiroshima University Higashi Hiroshima 739-8529, Japan

Abstract/ Executive Summary:

Two months old Fayoumi, Rhode Island Red, and Fayoumi x Rhode Island Red chickens were reared up to 512 days of their age in the villages surrounding Bangladesh Agricultural University in order to study comparative performances of the 3 genetic groups with or without extra feeding to scavenging system of rearing and also, to study the suitability of these breeds reared under the rural condition. Fayoumi attained earlier sexual maturity (238.5 vs 262,5 d) and laid more eggs than other breeds/types. Rhode Island Red produced the largest eggs, but mortality rates were highest and Fayoumi showed the greatest resistance to diseases. Crossbred was heaviest (1,275 g at 247.5 d of age) and had the highest hatchability than parental breeds. Age at sexual maturity (247.5 d), 50% egg production, peak production and mortality in crossbreds were mostly influenced by sire Fayoumi but for the egg weight and body weight, the effect of the dam Rhode Island Red was significant. Extra feeding was found more beneficial to the chickens irrespective of breeds and types. The crossbred Fo x RIR chickens were found more suitable under rural scavenging system than the exotic breeds, Fayoumi and Rhode Island Red in the rural areas of Bangladesh

Keywords: Fayoumi, Rhode Island Red, Crossbreeding, Laying Performance, Scavenging System, Bangladesh

Location:

Start Date:

End Date:

Program Area: Comparative study

Commodity: Chicken

Objectives:

No investigation has yet been made on the comparative performance of Fayoumi, Rhode Island Red and their crossbred chickens under a free-range scavenging system. Moreover, it is unknown whether feed supplementation to scavenging would improve the performance of these breeds under free-range conditions. Therefore, the present study was designed to compare the performance of Fayoumi (Fo), Rhode Island Red (RIR), and their crossbreds (Fo X RIR) with or without extra feeding under rural scavenging conditions of Bangladesh.

Methodology:

The study was conducted in the villages surrounding the Bangladesh Agricultural University at Mymensingh.

Management condition

Birds Two months old 240 Fayoumi, 240 Rhode Island Red and 240 Fayoumi x Rhode Island Red chickens were distributed randomly among 120 previously selected small and marginal farmers who have reared chickens. Each farmer received 1 male and 5 female chickens which were maintained with or without extra feeding under a scavenging system for a period of 512 days of age. Each farmer received one breed or type. Prior to the distribution of experimental birds, all the birds possessed by the farmers were removed. Extra feeding to birds was provided by 60 formers (each genetic group was distributed to 20 formers), whereas birds of the rest were left without feed. Each genotype of bird replicated into 10 groups in each feeding regime.

Housing Birds in each group were properly identified by wing bending. All birds were kept as scavengers as generally practiced by the villagers. During the day, the birds roamed freely as far as they liked to scavenge for food and at night they returned to their sheds. Sheds made of materials that were easily available in the area such as bamboo or wooden planks were provided, they were built at the back of the owner's houses. The roof was made of palm thatch or galvanized iron. Feed and water troughs were also made of local materials or old plastic or aluminum basins.

Feeding and disease prevention Chickens were usually fed once or twice times in a day (in the morning and in the evening) as generally practiced in the rural poultry rearing. In the morning each bird received an average of 30 g of commercial grower feed mixture (containing 16% CP and 2,700 kcal/kg) until they laid their first egg and then 40 g of commercial layer ration (containing 18% CP and 2,800 kcal/kg) per bird per day. For the rest of the day, the chickens were kept free to find their own food. The diet under scavenging usually consisted of earthworms, varieties of insects, young shoots, grasses and fruits. In the evening birds were fed kitchen wastes, left-over food materials such as rice or other foods as were available in the rural household. Birds were vaccinated according to routine procedures and dewormed once every two months.

Data collection and statistical analysis The following records were collected during the experimental period: (1) Age at sexual maturity determined by the first egg laid by the pullets belonging to each group, age at 50% egg production; age at peak egg production and egg production up to 512 days of age; (2) Bodyweight and egg weight at sexual maturity, at peak egg production and at 512 days of age; (3) Hatchability of eggs collected from 3 groups of birds were hatched by broody hens and mortalities were recorded daily for each group when occurred. The data collected on various parameters were analyzed for a 3 (breed) x 2 (feeding regime) factorial experiment in Completely Randomized Design. The variance was partitioned into the breed, feeding regime, breed x feeding regime interaction, and error for comparison.

Source of Information: AJAS 1998 11 (No. 6) 635-641

Article Link (Online Journal):

Funding Source:

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Achievement/Findings:

As observed in the present study, under the similar rural scavenging condition without extra feeding the Fo x RIR crossbred chickens produced approximately 55 eggs in 265 days, had a mature body weight of approximately 2.0 kg in 290 days of age. In contrast, indigenous Bangladeshi chickens laid 35-40 eggs per year (Sazzad et al, 1990) with a mature body weight of 1.0-1.2 kg (Okada et al., 1987), It appears that Fox RIR had the advantage for larger egg size, bodyweight of RIR, and precocity, egg production and disease resistance of Fayoumi to perform satisfactorily under the scavenging system of management. It also reveals that Fox RIR crossbred chicken with extra feeding to scavenging performed better than indigenous chickens under the same rural condition and maybe a good stock for rural farmers to rear economically under their condition.

Knowledge Management: Journal