Studies on growth pattern in Kadaknath breed of chicken under field condition

M S Thakur and S N S Parmar

Department of Animal Breeding and Genetics,
College of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry, JNKVV, Jabalpur (M. P.), India- 482001
drmohansingh@gmail.com

Abstract

Studies on growth pattern in body weight were conducted under ICAR ad hoc project on Kadaknath breed of poultry available in Jhabua district of western Madhya Pradesh. The recording of body weight was conducted with the help of two supervisors and ten enumerators in various centres using Questionnaire developed by National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources (NBAGR), Karnal.

The weekly average body weights of various survey centres recorded from 0 to 4 weeks of age for Jhabua-I (Meghnagar) and Jhabua-II (Jobat) ranged from 27.4±0.19 to 128±2.25 g and 28.7±0.15 to 101±0.60 g, respectively. The Overall average body weights pooled for both districts i.e. Jhabua-I (Meghnagar) and Jhabua-II (Jobat) from 0 to 4 weeks of age ranged from 27.6±0.17 to 111±1.43 g. The differences at 0 and 1 weeks age in body weights between two s were non-significant and at two week the difference was significant (p£0.05), whereas at 3 and 4 weeks of age the differences were highly significant (P£0.01). The overall average body weights from 6 to 20 weeks of age for males and females recorded at fortnightly interval for various survey centres under Jhabua-I (Meghnagar) ranged from 186±2.86 to 886±6.18 g, whereas corresponding figures for various survey centres under Jhabua-II (Jobat) ranged from 149±0.75 to 850±4.29 g. The pooled overall body weight for both the districts from 6 to 20 weeks of age ranged from 168±1.81 to 868±5.54 g, under field conditions in Kadaknath birds. The differences in body weights between two districts from 6 to 20 weeks of age were significant (P£0.05) to highly significant (P£0.01). The overall average body weights from 6 to 12 months of age for males and females recorded at monthly interval for various survey centres under Jhabua-I (Meghnagar) ranged from 1026±6.20 to 1576±7.05 g, whereas corresponding figures for various survey centres under Jhabua-II (Jobat) ranged from 973±5.74 to 1479±7.26 g. The overall average body weights pooled for both the districts i.e. Jhabua-I (Meghnagar) and Jhabua-II (Jobat) from 6 to 12 months of age ranged from 1003±5.97 to 1534±7.16 g, under field conditions. The differences in body weights between two districts were highly significant (P£0.01). The growth trends in both the districts i.e. Jhabua-I (Meghnagar) and Jhabua-II (Jobat) were similar from 0 to 20 weeks of age and thereafter upto 52 weeks districts Jhabua-I (Meghnagar) showed superiority in growth over the district Jhabua-II (Jobat). The Kadaknath birds attain 1 kg body weight between 6 to 7 months of age and the birds reached around 1.5 kg by 1 year of age.

Key words: body weight, kadaknath, growth rate

Introduction

Madhya Pradesh has great biodiversity of livestock and poultry. Out of many indigenous poultry breeds the state has one well-known breed of native origin named as “Kadaknath” or “Kalamasi” meaning a fowl having black flesh. The birds are being reared mostly by tribals / adivasies living in Jhabua district of Western Madhya Pradesh. The commonly available varieties of Kadaknath birds are Jet-black, Pencilled and Golden. The bird is very popular among the tribals / adivasies mainly due to its special capabilities such as adaptability to local environment, resistance to certain diseases, meat quality and many other criteria specific to breed type (Rao and Thomas 1984). 

Native chickens have special characteristics of tropical adaptability, better resistance to disease and meat quality. Exploitation of these qualities using advanced breeding methods would lead to economically viable backyard poultry keeping which can be used on larger scale in rural / tribal areas. The progress is mostly due to scientific methods of breeding, feeding, management and disease control. However, along with scientific methods of commercial poultry farming in urban / semi urban areas the traditional or backyard poultry farming is still popular in rural and tribal areas where scientific poultry farming is difficult (Sharma and Rao 2001). Among the poor villagers backyard poultry farming is an age old practice where they keep mostly desi / indigenous birds which scavenge in the backyard and nearby field with very less health care and management. There growth and potential is low, however what ever they produce is net profit to the farmers / owner. In the coming years, poultry would get still an increasing importance in the country, as the available per capita land availability for cultivation would go down. Now, poultry farming has been, rightly, identified as one of the subsidiary occupations having a vast scope for assured economic benefits and enhancing the employment opportunities of the rural population in general and for weaker. 

Materials and Methods

The studies on growth pattern in body weight were conducted as part of thesis research work under ICAR Ad-hoc project on Kadaknath breed of poultry available in Jhabua district of western Madhya Pradesh. The recording of body weight was conducted with the help of two Supervisors and ten Enumerators in various centres using Questionnaire developed by National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources (NBAGR), Karnal.  The body weights were recorded at weekly intervals from 0 to 4th weeks of age, at fortnightly intervals after 4th week to 20th week of age and at monthly interval thereafter up to 12 months of age.   

On the assumption that breeding tract of Kadaknath breed is restricted to Jhabua district of western M.P.  Stratified multi stage sampling design was adopted (Sukhatme et al 1984).  Different zones within a district were identified which constituted the main strata.  Villages within each zone constituted the second unit and houses within the village constituted the primary unit. Five zones in each of the two Centres were randomly selected.  From each zone, 10 to 20 villages were randomly selected. As per the density of Kadaknath breed of poultry two centres were established in Jhabua district namely Jhabua-I (Meghnagar) and Jhabua-II (Jobat). Each centre was further divided into five sub-centres/zones with the aim of covering maximum area of the district.  

Statistical analysis

The Mean, Standard deviation (SD) and Standard error (SE) were estimated as per the methods described by Steel and Torrie (1986) and t-test was used for testing the means of two districts i.e. Jhabua-I (Meghnagar) and Jhabua-II (Jobat) for body weights.  

Results and discussion

The present investigation was conducted to find out the growth pattern in body weight of the Kadaknath birds under field conditions. The centre wise body weights were recorded at weekly intervals from 0 to 4 weeks of age, at fortnightly intervals after 4 to 20 weeks of age and at monthly interval thereafter up to 12 months of age.  The body weights were recorded for males and females separately from 6th week onwards. The centre wise overall average body weights from 0 day to 20 weeks of age and from 6 to 12 months of age for district Jhabua-I (Meghnagar) and district Jhabua-II (Jobat) are presented in Tables 1 to 5. 

Weekly body weight (0-4 weeks) 

Jhabua-I (Meghnagar) 

The average body weights from 0 to 4 weeks of age for various centres under Jhabua-I (Meghnagar) are presented in Table 1. The overall average body weights along with SE for various survey centres of district Jhabua-I (Meghnagar) from 0 to 4 weeks of age for Thandla, Kalyanpura, Jhabua, Para and Rama centres ranged from 24.3±0.18 to 131.4±2.55, 29.9±0.22 to 107.8±2.24, 26.0±0.02 to 100±3.07, 26.6±0.10 to 144±1.16 and 30.4±0.35 to 156±2.21 g, respectively. The higher body weights from 0 to 4 weeks of age were observed at Rama centre as compared to Thandla, Kalyanpura, Jhabua, and Para centres. The higher body weight of birds from 0 to 4 weeks of age at Rama centre might be due to proper vaccination of birds at early age and providing sufficient grain supplement by the farmers. 

Jhabua-II (Jobat)

The average body weights from 0 to 4 weeks of age for various centres under Jhabua-II (Jobat) are presented in Table 1. The overall average body weights along with SE for various survey centres of district Jhabua-II (Jobat) from 0 to 4 weeks of age for Bhabra, Ambua, Udaygarh, Bori and Ranapur ranged from 28.6±0.18 to 97.5±0.62, 29.0±0.10 to 98.3±0.30, 28.12±0.08 to 97.6±0.67, 27.6±0.09 to 115 ±0.57 and 28.2±0.28 to 97.4±0.83 g, respectively. As shown in Table 1, body weights from 0 to 2 weeks of age were almost similar for all the survey centres, while from 2 to 4 weeks of age higher body weights were observed at Bori centre as compared to other centres. The higher body weight of birds from 2 to 4 weeks of age at Bori centre might be due to proper vaccination of birds at early age, sufficient grain supplement and better managemental practices. 

Fortnightly body weight (6-20 weeks) 

Jhabua-I (Meghnagar) 

The average body weights from 6 to 12 weeks of age recorded at fortnightly interval for various centres under Jhabua-I (Meghnagar) are presented in Table 2. The overall pooled body weights at various centres for males and females recorded at 6, 8, 10, and 12 weeks of age ranged from 186±2.86 to 433±4.17 g. As shown in Table 2, the males were found to be heavier than females in all survey centres at 6, 8, 10, and 12 weeks of age. Higher body weights from 6 to 12 weeks were observed at Thandla (218±3.85 to 521±5.35 g) and Para (215±2.08 to 517±2.05 g) centres as compared Kalyanpura, Jhabua and Rama centres. The higher body weights at Thandla and Para centres may be due to better managemental condition and grain feed supplementation by the farmers of these centres as compared to other centres. 

The average body weights from 14 to 20 weeks of age recorded at fortnightly interval for various centres under Jhabua-I (Meghnagar) are presented in Table 3. The overall pooled body weights at various centres for males and females recorded at 14, 16, 18, and 20 weeks of age ranged from 532±4.75 to 886±6.18 g. As shown in Table 3, the males were found to be heavier than females in all survey centres at 14, 16, 18, and 20 weeks of age. Higher body weights were observed at Para (633±4.07 to 1040±3.52 g), Thandla (633±6.46 to 1036±9.13 to g) and Kalyanpura (554±3.98 to 954±7.08 g) centres as compared to Jhabua and Rama centres. The higher body weights at Para, Thandla and Kalyanpura centres may be due to better feeding practices and managemental condition by the farmers at these centres as compared to other centres.

 Jhabua-II (Jobat):  

The average body weights from 6 to 12 weeks of age recorded at fortnightly interval for various centres under Jhabua-II (Jobat) are presented in Table 2. The overall pooled body weights at various centres for males and females recorded at 6, 8, 10, and 12 weeks of age ranged from 149 ± 0.75 to 388 ± 2.42 g. As shown in Table 2, the males were found to be heavier than females in all survey centres at 6, 8, 10, and 12 weeks of age. At 6 week of age centre Bori (172±0.89) and Ranapur (151±1.06) showed higher body weight while thereafter from 8 to12 weeks of age the higher body weights were observed at Bhabra (235±1.43 to 442±1.59 g), Bori (246±1.69 to 419±4.16 g), and Ambua (219±2.36 to 420±2.41 g) centres as compared Udaygarh and Ranapur centres. The higher body weights at Bhabra, Bori and Ambua centres may be due to better feeding and managemental practices at these centres as compared to other centres. 

 The average body weights from 14 to 20 weeks of age recorded at fortnightly interval for various centres under Jhabua-II (Jobat) are presented in Table 3. The overall pooled body weights at various centres for males and females recorded at 14, 16, 18, and 20 weeks of age ranged from 497±2.45 to 850±4.29 g. As shown in Table 3, the males were found to be heavier than females in all survey centres at 14, 16, 18, and 20 weeks of age. Higher body weights were observed at Ambua (560±2.41 to 952±4.38 g), Bhabra (557±2.56 to 920±4.36 to g) and Bori (500±2.55 to 818±3.49 g) centres as compared to Udaygarh and Ranapur centres. Higher body weights at Ambua, Bhabra and Bori centres may be due to better managemental practices and grain feed supplementation by farmers at these centres as compared to other centres.

Monthly body weight (6-12 months) 

Jhabua-I (Meghnagar) 

The average body weights from 6 to 9 months of age recorded at monthly interval for various survey centres under district Jhabua-I (Meghnagar) are presented in Table 4. The overall pooled body weights at various survey centres for males and females recorded at 6, 7, 8 and 9 months age ranged from 1026±6.20 to 1319±6.44 g.

As shown in Table 4, the males were found to be heavier than females in all survey centres at 6, 7, 8 and 9 months of age. Higher body weights from 6 to 9 months of age were observed at Thandla (1169±7.81 to 1408±9.25 g), Para 1176±4.66 to 1337±5.43) and Kalyanpura (1100±6.82 to 1476±6.01 g) centre respectively, as compared to Jhabua and Rama centres.  The higher body weights at Thandla, Para and Kalyanpura centres may be due to better managemental conditions and grain feed supplementation by the farmers of these areas.  

The average body weights from 10 to 12 months of age recorded at monthly interval for various survey centres under district Jhabua-I (Meghnagar) are presented in Table 5. The overall pooled body weights at various survey centres for males and females recorded at 10, 11 and 12 months age ranged from 1385±6.43 to 1576±7.05 g. 

As shown in Table 5, the males were found to be heavier than females in all survey centres at 10, 11 and 12 months of age. The higher body weights from 10 to 12 month of age were observed at Kalyanpura (1567±6.43 to 1766±8.44 g), Thandla (1427±9.23 to 1558±8.36 g) and Para 1362±6.05 to 1591±6.52 g) centres respectively, as compared to Jhabua and Rama centres.  The higher body weights at Thandla, Para and Kalyanpura centres may be due to better managemental conditions and sufficient grain supplement feeding by the farmers of these areas. As shown in Figure 1, fast growth trend was observed from 0 to 20 week of age in all the centres; however the growth became slower after 20 week of age up to 52 weeks of age.

Figure 1. Zone-wise comparison of body weight for Jhabua-I (Meghnagar)

 Jhabua - II (Jobat) 

The average body weights from 6 to 9 months of age recorded  at  monthly  interval for various survey centres  under  district Jhabua - II (Jobat) are presented in Table 4. The overall pooled body weights at various survey centres for males and females recorded at 6, 7, 8 and 9 months age ranged from 973±5.74 to 1219±5.77 g. 

As shown in Table 4, the males were found to be heavier than females in all survey centres at 6, 7, 8 and 9 months of age. The average higher body weights from 6 to 8 months of age were observed at Ambua (1095±5.83 to 1249±4.68 g) as compared to Bhabra, Udaygarh, Bori and Ranapur centres, however at 9 months of age, Ambua, Udaygarh and Bori centres showed almost similar body weights.  The higher body weights at Ambua may be due to better feeding practices at this centre as compared to other centres.  

The average body weights from 10 to 12 months of age recorded at monthly interval for various survey centres under district Jhabua-II (Jobat) are presented in Table 5. The overall pooled body weights at various survey centres for males and females recorded at 10, 11 and 12 months age ranged from 1286±6.32 to 1479±7.16 g. 

As shown in Table 5, the males were found to be heavier than females in all survey centres at 10, 11 and 12 months of age. The higher body weights from 10 to 12 month of age were observed at Udaygarh (1354±5.42 to 1586±6.73 g) and Bori (1338±5.46 to 1483±9.50 g) centres respectively, as compared to Bhabra, Ambua and Ranapur centres. Higher body weights at Udaygarh and Bori centres may be due to better feeding and managemental practices adopted by farmers of these areas as compared to others centres.  As shown in Figure 2, continuous fast growth trend was observed from 0 to 20 week of age in all survey centres under district Jhabua – II (Jobat).  However after 20th week the growth was slower up to 52 weeks.

Figure 2. Zone-wise comparison of body weight for Jhabua-II (Jobat)

Comparative growth pattern in body weight at Jhabua-I (Meghnagar) and Jhabua-II (Jobat)

The body weights from 0 to 4 weeks of age for district Jhabua-I (Meghnagar) and Jhabua-II (Jobat) were tested for significance level using t-test. The differences at 0 and 1 week of age were found to be non-significant and at 2 weeks the difference was significant (p≤0.05) whereas at 3 and 4 weeks of age the differences between the two centres/districts were found highly significant (p≤0.01). Mishra (1983) reported higher body weights at 0, 1, 2, 3 and 4 weeks of age in Kadaknath breed of poultry as 29.2±0.26, 37.1±.038, 58.0±1.00, 82.6±1.69 and 123±2.47 g respectively, under farm conditions; whereas the body weights were found marginally lower in the present study under field conditions.  

The pooled overall body weight for both the districts at 6, 8, 10 and 12 weeks of age were found to be 168±1.81, 239±2.53, 319±3.07 and 411±3.30 g, respectively under field conditions. The differences at 6,8,10 and 12 weeks of age were found to be highly significant (p≤0.01). Mishra (1983) reported higher body weights as 249±4.03, 397±5.23, 555±6.96 and 754 g, respectively at 6, 8, 10 and 12 weeks of age in Kadaknath breed of poultry under farm condition; whereas Singh et al (1988) also reported higher body weight (250 g) at 8 weeks of age in Kadaknath breed of poultry under farm conditions.

The body weights at 14, 16, 18 and 20 weeks of age were found to be 514 ± 3.60, 626 ± 3.94, 741 ± 4.47 and 868± 5.54 g respectively. The differences between body weights at 14, 16, 18 and 20 weeks between two districts were found to be significant (p≤0.05). Singh and Singh (1998) reported higher body weight (1050 g) at 20 week of age in Kadaknath breed of poultry.  

The pooled body weights at 6, 7, 8 and 9 months of age were 1003 ± 5.97, 1120 ± 5.87, 1199 ± 5.90 and 1276 ± 6.11 g respectively. The differences in body weights between two districts were found to be highly significant (p≤0.01).

The body weights recorded at 10, 11 and 12 months of age were found to be 1343±6.38, 1415±6.84 and 1534±7.16 g respectively. The differences in body weights between two districts were found to be highly significant (p≤0.01), which may be due to variation in managemental practices followed by the farmers in these areas. As shown in Fig 3, growth trend in both the districts i.e. Jhabua-I (Meghnagar) and Jhabua-II (Jobat) were similar upto 20 weeks of age and thereafter Jhabua-I (Meghnagar) districts showed superiority in growth over the Jhabua- II (Jobat) upto 52 weeks of age.

Figure 3. District wise comparison of body weight

Conclusion

• The growth trend in both the districts i.e. Jhabua-I (Meghnagar) and Jhabua-II (Jobat) were similar from 0 to 20 weeks of age and thereafter upto 52 weeks districts

• Jhabua-I (Meghnagar) showed superiority in growth over the district Jhabua-II (Jobat).

• The Kadaknath birds attain 1 kg body weight between 6 to 7 months of age and the birds reached around 1.5 kg by 1 year of age.

References

Mishra A K 1983 Comparative studies on Growth and Haematology of Kadaknath and white leghorn chickens at different age groups. M V Sc & A H, Thesis, J N K V V , Jabalpur.

Rao G V and Thomas  P C 1984  The breed characteristics of Kadaknath breed of indigenous (Desi) chicken. Avian Research  68 (12): 55-57.

Sharma R P and Roma Rao S V  2001  Propagation of poultry in adverse environment. National Seminar on approximate poultry for adverse environment pp. 29-40.

Singh V K, Mohan  M, Verma  S B, Mandal K G and Singh  D P 1999 Analysis of body weights at different ages in pure and crossbred chicken.  Indian Journal of Poulty Science 34 (2) : 156-160.

Sukhatme P V, Serkhatme  B V,  Sukhatme  S and Ashok  1984 Sampling theory of surveys with applications. Iowa state University Press.

Received 9 May 2011; Accepted 9 July 2011; Published 10 October 2011

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