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ABSTRACT
1. The aim of the study was to estimate the heritability of the laying performance in the cumulative and partial production of eggs and predict the breeding values of native Zatorska geese in a conservation programme using Best Linear Unbiased Prediction (BLUP) methodology. Second, the trajectory of the egg production curve was examined.
2. The data contain information about the laying performance of 1831 individuals in the first year of laying. To describe the trajectory of the laying performance, 10 mathematical models were tested. For the genetic parameter estimation of egg production, data from 1038 birds were used with a production higher than 20 eggs during the first season of laying.
3. The analysis of egg production was based on single and multi-trait models. Heritability, genetic and phenotypic correlations between phases of the laying performance as well as breeding values were estimated.
4. The best adaptation to the goose egg laying curve was the Ali and Schaeffer model. The estimates of heritability were 0.20 (0.06 SE) using the single-trait model and ranged from 0.12 to 0.24 using the multi-trait model.
5. The results suggest that the BLUP method can support the conservation programme.
Acknowledgements
The authors are grateful to the Section Editor and two anonymous reviewers for their valuable and helpful comments.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.