Vol. 1, Issue 1, Part A (2016)

Author(s): G Gonmei, N Barua, N Kalita and RN Borpuzari

Abstract: The present study was conducted on two hundred farm hatched day old indigenous and two hundred day old Vanaraja chicks were maintained following standard feeding and managemental practices under deep litter system of management. The body weight of the birds was recorded at day-old, 8, 14, 20 and 40 weeks. The egg production was recorded in numbers from age at sexual maturity up to 40 weeks of age. The mean body weight of indigenous chicken at day-old, 8, 14, 20 and 40 weeks of age were recorded at 27.19 ± 0.23, 389.56 ± 5.42, 827.91 ± 7.77, 1122.75± 8.56 and 1394.72± 16.36g for males and 22.39 ± 0.18, 258.90 ± 3.96, 620.22 ± 5.75, 835.49 ± 11.85 and 1048.57 ± 6.50g for females. Significantly (P≤0.05) higher egg production was recorded for Vanaraja (52.25±0.19 numbers) than indigenous (31.25±0.28 numbers) from sexual maturity up to 40 weeks of egg production. Vanaraja had significantly higher body weight and higher egg production. But the indigenous birds were found to have lower mortality rate. Rearing of indigenous birds under deep litter system was found to be economically not viable as production cost far exceeded the income.