The effect of different levels of management on the assessment of differences within a variety of chicken

Abstract

The data relating to twenty single location trials, involving the progeny of seven sires from one variety mated with random females from another, have been analysed to obtain estimates of sire × location (genotype–environment) interaction for egg production, 23- and 64-week body weights and 32-and 45-week egg weights. In no case was a significant interaction found, indicating genetic correlations not significantly different from unity.The between- and within-sire components of variance have been calculated for each trait on each location separately. The regressions of these components on the mean levels at the locations have been obtained. Though low and non-significant, they tend to support the use of those locations giving maximum expression of a trait for comparisons involving that trait.