TY - JOUR AU - Gwaza, D. S. AU - Dim, N. I. AU - Momoh, O. M. PY - 2015/10/27 Y2 - 2024/03/29 TI - Investigation of Possible Genetic Background of Embryonic Mortality in two Populations of Nigeria Local Chicken Ecotypes JF - Asian Journal of Agriculture and Food Sciences JA - AJAFS VL - 3 IS - 5 SE - Articles DO - UR - https://ajouronline.com/index.php/AJAFS/article/view/2932 SP - AB - <p>The study was conducted at Akpehe poultry farm  Makurdi on 120 hens . The birds were housed  singly in wire screened cages and hand mated in the cage. Data were collected on  1600 fertile eggs that were used to evaluate embryonic mortality. The eggs were incubated in batches. Candling was carried out on the 7<sup>th</sup> and 14<sup>th</sup> days to identify eggs with dead embryos. Sire , dam and ecotype had significant effect on embryonic mortality. The influence from the dam may be due to either chromosomal aberration and or the additive and non-additive genetic variance of the dam that determined its maternal effects, egg environment and nutrients delivery systems. While the influence from the sire may be due to either deleterious and lethal genes, or genes that had transition that disrupted proper messenger splicing due to chromosomal aberrations that were contributed by the sire to the embryo.   The study revealed that there was genetic influence on embryonic mortality of the Nigerian local chicken ecotype. The Fulani chicken ecotype had lower embryonic mortality compared to the Tiv ecotype. This may be due to genetically strong risk factors during incubation that varied between the ecotypes. The Fulani ecotype appeared to be more adapted compared to the Tiv ecotype on this trait.</p><p> </p> ER -