Genetic analysis of residual feed intake, feed conversion ratio and related growth parameters in broiler chicken: a review

SUMMARY

Major feed ingredients, like maize and soya, and land resources are used by both humans and animals, causing competition and affecting costs. To make the poultry industry profitable, it is important to prevent wastage of feed, and feed efficiency is therefore important. Residual feed intake (RFI) and feed conversion ratio (FCR) are two measures of feed efficiency used to assess production efficiency. This review describes a different aspect of feed efficiency measures and how their correlated traits affect poultry production. Bird selection, based on RFI and FCR at the 5th week or market age, is effective since both are low to moderately heritable (heritability estimates of RFI and FCR are 0.21–0.49 and 0.11–0.44 respectively). Both RFI and FCR selection results in reduced feed intake without compromising growth rate. Selection based on RFI is better in comparison to FCR for improving feed efficiency, as it is a trait independent of the maintenance energy requirement of an individual bird. Bird with low RFI value can be expected to have better feed efficiency and can be helpful in lowering the cost of poultry production.

KEYWORDS:

• Feed efficiency
• residual feed intake feed conversion ratio

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Anand Prakash

Anand Prakash, S/o Sri. Narendra Nath Singh and mother Late Indumati was born in District Azamgarh, Uttar Pradesh. He completed his scholastic and pre-university studies from Azamgarh and graduated (BVSc & AH) from Nagpur Veterinary College in 2009 and M.V.Sc. (2011) and Ph.D. (2017) in Poultry Science with academic excellence from the Indian Veterinary Research Institute. His M.V.Sc. work on poultry breeding in Guinea fowl. He did his Ph.D. work on microarray analysis in colored broiler divergently selected for residual feed intake. He has also qualified ASRB NET 2012 (I) in the Animal science with first-class marks. Before his present assignment as Assistant professor in Guru Angad Dev University of veterinary and animal sciences, he has served as a veterinary officer in the animal husbandry department, Uttar Pradesh.

Vishesh Kumar Saxena

Vishesh Kumar Saxena is now an additional director general in the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, New Delhi. Before it, he was the director in the Central avian research institute, Izatnagar. He did his B.V.Sc. & A.H. (1984) from Mathura Veterinary College, Mathura, UP, India. After it, he completed his M.V.Sc. (1987) and Ph.D.(1990) from Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Izatnagar 243122, India. He is a member of many prestigious committees and scientific society viz. Member Niche Area Committee, DBT New Delhi, Member, DBT Task Force on Animal Biotechnology-I, DBT, New Delhi, Member Expert Group on, “Identification of Biotechnological Research Priorities in Poultry� DBT New Delhi, etc. he got many awards viz. Ayurvet Research Award, Indian Poultry Science Association, Award of DBT Overseas Associateship: for 6 months, DBT New Delhi, Travel grant award, XXI World’s Poultry Congress, held at Istanbul: Turkey during 8-14 June, WPSA, IPSA Best Poster Award, etc. he is much experienced in Poultry Breeding and Biotechnology, (Development of commercial broiler germplasms through specialized selection and breeding program, Development of immune-divergent lines and their evaluation through functional genomic tools under induced challenge various pathogens, Candidate gene analysis, RNAi applications in broiler and Recombinant cytokines production for utilization as adjuvant and growth promoter. in his academic carrier he guided 3 MVSc and 3 Ph.D. scholars as a major guide, member advisory committee of several M.V.Sc and Ph.D. scholars and co-guide of 7 MSc and 8 Ph.D. scholars from universities and SAUs. Dr. Saxena instructs advances courses in Genetics and breeding to PG Scholars.

Manish Kumar Singh

Manish Kumar Singh, S/o Sri. Umesh Prasad Singh and mother Late Indira Singh was born in an agricultural family in a village Chaksingar, District Vaishali, Bihar. He completed his scholastic and pre-university studies from Chapra (Bihar) and graduated (BVSc & AH) from Bombay Veterinary College, Mumbai in 2011 and M.V.Sc. (2013) and Ph.D. (2016) in Poultry Science with academic excellence from G. B. Pant University of Agriculture & Technology, Pantnagar. His M.V.Sc. work on Neem supplementation in Guinea fowl was adjudged as the outstanding post-graduate research work, for which he received the ‘AP Chapter Award’ of the CARI, Izatnagar, Bareilly, UP in IPSACON Annual Conference (2013-14), Namakkal, Tamil Nadu. He has also qualified ASRB NET 2014 (I) in the concerned discipline with flying colors. Before his present assignment as Poultry Farm Manager of U.P. Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Pashu-Chikitsa Vigyan Viswavidyalaya Evam Go-Anusandhan Sansthan, Mathura, UP (since 20th March 2017), he has served as Asst. Prof. (ILFC), KCVAS (GADVASU), Amritsar (2016-17); Guest Faculty, NDUAT, Faizabad (2016); Inseminator cum Data Recorder, Senior Research Fellow and Skill Associate in ICAR funded research projects of G.B.P.U.A. &T, Pantnagar (2013-16).His expertise in judging the Lactating Cows and Buffaloes, Dry Cows, Restraining of Large Ruminants, Broiler and Layer birds as supported by the prizes won by him in the said competitions organized the Department of Livestock Production Management (LPM), G.B.P.U.A. &T, Pantnagar. His academic skills are well evident through his functioning as Member of Advisory Committee, Associate Editor; Editorial and Reviewer board of more than 20 Journals.