Comparative study of growth performance, egg production, egg characteristics and haemato-biochemical parameters of Desi, Fayoumi and Rhode Island Red chicken

Abstract

A total of 2001 un-sexed day-old chicks of each Desi, Fayoumi and Rhode Island Red (RIR) breeds were obtained from hatchery of Poultry Research Institute, Rawalpindi. The birds were maintained on deep litter system for a period of 72 weeks. In floor pens, each breed was reared separately in a single pen until seven weeks of age when 2001 birds were randomly distributed between pens, with 21 to 24 birds of the same breed per pen (2.00 to 2.50 ft²/bird). The results revealed that the average day-old weight was highest in RIR, intermediate in Desi and lowest in Fayoumi. The RIR breed consumed more feed and gained maximum (p<0.05) weight than those of Desi and Fayoumi breeds at all ages of growing phase. The feed conversion was poor (p<0.05) in Desi and better in RIR breed. Desi and Fayoumi chicks had lowest (p<0.05) mortality than RIR breed. The breast and thigh meat composition was found non-significant (p>0.05) amongst three breeds. The age of sexual maturity was lowest in Fayoumi followed by RIR and Desi. The highest egg production was obtained by RIR with 41% followed by Fayoumi (36%) and the Desi breed (29%). The egg weight and egg mass were highest (p<0.05) in RIR, but non-significant (p>0.05) differences were found between Fayoumi and Desi breeds. The internal egg quality parameters including yolk weight, albumen weight, yolk plus albumin weight and albumin height were significantly higher in RIR breed than those of Fayoumi and Desi breeds. However, shell and yolk thickness did not differ significantly amongst three breeds. There was non-significant (p>0.05) difference in blood glucose, triglyceride, cholesterol, calcium, protein, uric acid and alkaline phosphatase values amongst three breeds. There was non-significant (p>0.05) difference in haematological values among all breeds. The total erythrocyte count, haemoglobin and packed cell volume increased with the advancement of age. However, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, mean corpuscular volume and mean corpuscular haemoglobin values decreased gradually with the advancement of age. It may be concluded that overall RIR chickens performed better than Fayoumi and Desi chickens. However, early age of sexual maturity was noticed in Fayoumi chickens, and low mortality was observed in Desi chickens.

Keywords:

• rural chickens
• body weight
• feed efficiency
• egg production
• egg characteristics

Introduction

Native rural breeds are valuable genetic resources for each country due to their adaptability to harsh conditions and their resistance against local diseases. In many developing countries like Pakistan, the local gene pool still provides the basis for poultry sector. The genetic resource base of the indigenous chickens can form a basis for genetic improvement and diversification to produce breeds adapted to local conditions. However, little information exists on potential productivity and production characteristics of indigenous chickens (Hoffman 2005). Breeding of rural chicken is important for small farmers to produce more income and also to conserve genetic variation of native breeds. International reports suggest that native breeds of livestock are becoming extinct as they cannot, economically, compete with commercial breeds with much higher production (Kiani-Manesh 2000). Genetic improvement of important economic traits would increase the production efficiency of native chicken and profitability of these birds. Kiani-Manesh (2000) showed that age at sexual maturity, number of eggs, egg weight and body weight at eight weeks of age are the most important traits for improving the economic efficiency of rural chickens.

Poultry production in rural areas is of great importance as a prime supplier of eggs and meat and source of income, especially to women. Majority of the Pakistan families are producing backyard chicken on a small scale (10–12 birds) for family use (Javed et al. 2003). Rural poultry production is regaining attention in smallholder agricultural systems, wherever low external production inputs are demanded. The traditional system is advantageous due to free feed resources in the surrounding environments and kitchen leftovers, use of rural breeds that are adapted to their environment and preserved ability to incubate and brood naturally (Sahota and Bhatti 2003a). However, poor reproductive performance, poor growth rates, diseases, mortality, predation and low level of literacy among farmers are some of the major constraints in smallholder chicken production (Conroy et al. 2005).

Rural poultry contributes 32.32% of total eggs and 16% chicken meat production in Pakistan (Economic Survey 2009–2010) and thus it plays an important role in supplying eggs and meat to the rapidly growing human population. Most of the consumers still prefer eggs from local native strains. Genetic variation in egg production between breeds, strains and lines has been reported (Hocking et al. 2003). Therefore, the poultry producers face many problems to get the proper breeds. The indigenous birds maintained by the rural peoples are non-descript locally called as ‘Desi’ and have been reported to produce 0.769 kg of meat at four months of age (Sahota and Bhatti 2003a) and laying an average of 30 eggs in a year (Sahota and Bhatti 2003b). Fayoumi breed has been introduced in Pakistan since 1980 and is well adapted to local environmental conditions. This breed is known to produce about 134 eggs in a year (Javed et al. 2003). Due to its non-broodiness character and strong immunity against common diseases, farmers keep this breed at their homes and at farms (Rajput et al. 2005). Among the breeds imported in Pakistan, Rhode Island Red (RIR) has gained more popularity than the others due to its good egg producing ability, that is, 178 eggs in one production cycle (Javed et al. 2003). Moreover, its long stay in Pakistan has made it well adapted to the local environmental condition. Basically it is a dual purpose breed of American class and is getting more popularity in rural areas as ‘Golden birds’ (Ashraf et al. 2003).

Desi, Fayoumi and RIR poultry breeds are being reared by the rural people of Pakistan indiscriminately, and very little information is available with respect to growth, production potential and egg quality characteristics of these breeds. Likewise, the literature on haematological and serum biochemical values of Desi, Fayoumi and RIR indigenous birds is also limited. Therefore, a study was planned to compare the production performance, egg characteristics and blood parameters of Desi, Fayoumi and RIR breeds to examine the best potential breed under local environmental conditions of Pakistan.

Materials and methods

Birds and experimental feed

A total of 2001 un-sexed day-old chicks of each Desi, Fayoumi and RIR breed were obtained from hatchery of Poultry Research Institute, Rawalpindi, Pakistan. The birds were maintained in floor pens on deep litter system for a period of 72 weeks. In floor pens, each breed was reared separately in a single pen until seven weeks of age when 2001 birds were randomly distributed between pens, with 21 to 24 birds of the same breed per pen (2.00 to 2.50 ft²/bird). Each pen included a two-tier (50 and 100 cm from the floor) perch assembly and a nest box. Perches (3×4 cm) were made of soft wood with rounded edges, and provided a space of 18 to 21 cm/bird. Four-nest, two-tiered nest boxes provided one nest for each five to six birds. Each nest box was hung on the rear wall of the pen with the nest box rails at 70 and 100 cm from the floor. The birds were exposed to both perches and nest boxes from the second week of age. Birds were fed manually and fresh water was made available round the clock. Nutrient content of the feed (Table 1) followed recommendations of the National Research Council (1994). All birds were reared with nine hours of light per day, which was increased to 14 hours at 18 weeks with an intensity of 5 lux throughout. Temperature and relative humidity were between 21 and 23°C and 70%, respectively. All birds were vaccinated following a programme typical of the region. Care and management of the birds followed accepted guidelines (FASS 1999).

Table 1. Ingredients and nutrients (%) composition of diets fed to Desi, Fayoumi and Rhode Island Red during different phases of growth.

Item	Week 1–8	Week 9–20	Week 21–30	Week 31–45	Week 46–72
Corn	35.60	42.00	49.65	52.00	54.00
Rice	23.00	12.00	9.00	10.00	10.90
Rice polish	10.00	9.48	6.00	6.34	6.00
Soyabean meal	10.00	16.00	15.00	13.00	12.00
Canola meal	8.00	6.40	5.00	4.00	4.00
Corn gluten meal (60%)	5.00	5.00	5.00	5.00	4.00
Fish meal	5.00	5.00	5.00	4.00	3.00
Lime stone	1.50	2.00	2.50	3.00	3.00
DCP	1.25	1.50	2.00	2.00	2.50
NaCl	0.33	0.27	0.25	0.30	0.25
Premix^a	0.25	0.30	0.30	0.30	0.30
DL-Methionine	0.07	0.05	0.05	0.06	0.05
Total	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00
Calculated nutrients
ME Kcal/kg	2800	2800	2800	2800	2800
CP	18.5	17	17.5	16.5	16
CF	3.80	4.30	4.55	4.90	5.00
EE	3.31	3.30	3.44	3.50	3.35
Ca	1.0	2.5	4.10	4.20	4.30
Available P	0.56	0.51	0.52	0.55	0.54
Lysine	1.00	0.69	0.75	0.85	0.90
Methionine	0.43	0.31	0.35	0.40	0.42
^aSupplied per kg of diet: vit. A, 12,000 IU; vit. D3, 2200 IU; vit. E, 10 mg; vit. K3, 2 mg; vit.B1, 1 mg; vit.B2, 5 mg; vit. B6, 1.5 mg; vit. B12, 0.01 mg; Nicotinic acid, 30 mg; Folic acid, 1 mg; Pantothenic acid, 10 mg; Biotin, 0.05 mg; Choline chloride, 500 mg; Copper, 10 mg; Iron, 30 mg; Manganese, 60 mg; Zinc, 50 mg; Iodine, 1 mg; Selenium, 0.1 mg; Cobalt, 0.1 mg.

Parameter measured

The growth performance data (initial body weight, final body weight, feed intake and feed conversion) were recorded at 14-day intervals. Mortality was also recorded in both regimens over the rearing and laying periods. At the age of 20 weeks, meat samples from breast and thighs of different birds of each breed were taken, dried, ground and then subjected to proximate analysis such as percentage moisture, dry matter, crude protein, fat and total ash. Samples were analysed using standard methods (AOAC 2011).

The production data (age at first egg, average number of eggs, egg production in percentage, feed intake, feed conversion, egg weight and egg mass) were recorded during 72 weeks’ trial.

Egg production was recorded daily at the same time and was calculated on a hen-day basis as follows: total number of eggs collected divided by total number of live hens per day in each group. Records of the feed intake were taken on biweekly basis. Birds were checked twice daily; weight of dead birds was used to adjust for feed consumption. Feed conversion was calculated as the ratio of grams of feed to grams of egg mass. To determine egg quality characteristics, 30 eggs from each treatment group were used at 14-day interval of the experiment from a 2-day collection of eggs during the week. Egg mass was calculated as a factor of egg weight and hen-day egg production. Eggs were stored 2-day biweekly to measure egg weight.

The shells of the broken eggs were washed under gently flowing tap water to release albumen residues, and were then air-dried and weighed. Shell thickness was determined biweekly on the same eggs from each treatment group (without the shell membranes): the measure was carried out with a digital calliper with a sensitivity of 0.001 mm at three points of the egg shell (air cell, equator and sharp end). The eggs were broken one by one on a flat surface, with a waiting period of five minutes. The heights of the albumen and thickness of the yolk were measured using the calliper. The yolks separated from the albumen were weighed and the weights were recorded.

Blood samples were collected from 20 birds of each breed at the age of 32 weeks old and analysed for the estimation of biochemical parameters such as glucose, triglyceride, cholesterol, calcium, protein, uric acid and alkaline phosphatase (ALP). For this purpose, 5 ml of blood was drawn from the brachial vein into dry clean centrifuge tubes containing heparin and immediately centrifuged at 3000 rpm for 15 minutes for separating serum. These samples were taken in the morning before feeding (between 8:00 and 10:00 hours). Serum samples were stored at –20°C till time of chemical analysis. Samples were analysed at Feed Testing laboratory, Poultry Research Institute, Rawalpindi. The biochemical characteristics of blood were determined colorimetrically on UV-visible spectrophotometer using commercial kits and diagnostic examinations. Total protein was quantitatively measured based on colorimetric determination as described by Cannon (1974). Glucose concentration was quantitatively measured based on enzymatic colorimetric method (Trinder 1969). Total cholesterol concentration was quantitatively determined based on enzymatic colorimetric method of Allain et al. (1974). The uric acid was determined by the method of Bergman and Shabtay (1954) through the absorbency of the supernatant at 290 mu. The activity of ALP was determined by the method described by Bergmeyer and Wanlefeld (1980).

The anti-coagulated blood was also used to determine red blood cell (RBC) count, packed cell volume (PCV), haemoglobin (Hb) concentration and white blood cell (WBC) count. Differential WBC counts were made on monolayer blood films, fixed and stained with Giemsa–Wright's stain. Total RBC and total WBC counts were determined manually using haemocytometer (Campbell 1995). PCV was measured by a standard manual technique using microhaematocrit capillary tubes centrifuged at 2500 rpm for five minutes. Haemoglobin concentration was measured by Cyanmethemoglobin method. Erythrocyte indices, that is, mean corpuscular volume (MCV), mean corpuscular haemoglobin (MCH) and mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentrations (MCHC) were calculated from total RBC, PCV and Hb (Ritchie et al. 1994), respectively.

Statistical analysis

All data were determined by using the SPSS version 9.5 (SPSS, Cary, NC, USA) statistical analysis program. A p-value of < 0.05 was considered for significant differences among groups and the comparison of means was made by using Duncan's Multiple Range Test (Steel and Torrie 1984).

Results and discussion

Performance during growing phase

The growth performance, mortality and meat composition of Desi, Fayoumi and RIR breeds during growing phase is shown in Table 2. The average day-old weight was highest in RIR, intermediate in Desi and lowest in Fayoumi. Similar trend was observed by Farooq et al. (2001), who reported higher day-old chick weight in RIR (35.32±0.86 g), in comparison to Desi (33.84±0.67 g) and Fayoumi chicken (30.74±0.72 g). Similarly, Mostageer et al. (1975) indicated that live weight at hatching averaged 28.5 and 34.5 g for the Fayoumi and RIR, with non-significant sex difference for the two breeds. The higher weight of newborn chicks of RIR could probably be due to larger egg size than Desi and Fayoumi chicks.

Table 2. Comparative growth performance and meat composition of Desi, Fayoumi and Rhode Island Red (RIR) breeds during brooding and growing periods.

		Breeds
Parameters	Age (weeks)	Desi	Fayoumi	RIR	p-Value
Day-old weight (g/bird)	–	25.9	20.90	31.30	–
Body weight (g)	0–8	400.62	385.00	514.60	–
	9–20	779.74	781.66	1125.40	–
	0–20	1180.63	1166.60	1640.00	–
Body weight gain (g/bird)	0–8	374.72±2.93^b	364.10±4.24^b	483.30±4.30^a	0.000
	9–20	405.02±5.04^b	417.56±5.69^b	642.10±3.08^a	0.000
	0–20	1155.63±3.33^b	1145.70±3.59^b	1608.00±4.36^a	0.000
Av. feed intake (g/bird)	0–8	3005±13.22^b	2210±10.41^c	3320±7.64^a	0.000
	9–20	4094±6.50^b	2740±10.40^c	4440±7.63^a	0.000
	0–20	7437±246.64^b	6720±116.66^c	7620±300.45^a	0.003
Feed conversion	0–8	7.50±0.35^a	05.75±0.14^b	06.45±0.17^ab	0.013
	9–20	5.25±0.15^a	03.50±0.14^b	03.95±0.29^b	0.003
	0–20	6.30±0.66^a	5.76±0.144^ab	4.64±0.36^b	0.028
Mortality (%)	0–8	3.00±0.07^c	07.00±1.04^b	12.00±0.29^a	0.000
	9–20	2.00±0.13^c	04.00±0.22^b	06.00±0.29^a	0.000
	0–20	4.000±.07^c	12.00±0.28^b	20.00±0.28^a	0.000
Meat composition (%)
Breast
Dry matter		26.10±03.60	26.83±00.99	27.30±0.20	0.155
Crude protein		82.68±02.00	84.10±02.10	83.60±02.25	0.168
Crude fat		06.90±02.80	06.55±03.00	06.75±00.22	0.175
Total ash		04.50±00.36	04.21±00.30	04.25±00.45	0.189
Thigh
Dry matter		25.00±0.88	28.36±1.90	29.32±4.00	0.175
Crude protein		67.65±01.85	67.35±02.20	67.42±02.50	0.188
Crude fat		17.60±00.24	17.89±02.90	17.69±02.40	0.190
Total ash		04.75±0.30	05.00±00.75	05.00±00.71	0.187
^a–cMeans with different letters in a row differ significantly (p≤0.05).

Rhode Island Red breed consumed more feed and gained maximum (p<0.05) weight than those of Desi and Fayoumi breeds at all ages of growing phase, which could be explained for the variation in genotype. However, there was non-significant variation (p>0.05) in feed intake and weight gain between Desi and Fayoumi breeds during growing phase. The slope of regression of the RIR breed was higher than that of Fayoumi and Desi breeds and all slopes were significantly different from zero (Figure 1). The feed conversion was significantly poor (p<0.05) in Desi while better (p <0.05) in RIR breed. The results showing low body weight gain in Desi birds than RIR are in line with the findings of Sahota and Bhatti (2001), who observed lower body weight gain in Desi in comparison to RIR and White Leghorn chicks at eight weeks of age. Halima et al. (2006) reported that day-old weight, final body weight, body weight gain and mortality rate in RIR were 35.2, 1394, 1359 g and 18.3%, respectively. In the current experiment, day-old weight of RIR was lower (31.30 g) than the previous study; however, final body weight (1640 g), body weight gain (1608 g) and mortality rate (20%) were noted higher than the previous study. The poor growth rate in Desi chickens, as observed in the present study, could be attributed to genetic built up of the birds. The female body weight of Desi (indigenous) adult chicken and pullet were 1300 and 900 g found by Hasnath (1980), while Huque and Ukil (1994) found 1141 g weight gain of local non-descriptive chicken of Bangladesh which is close (1155.6 g) to the finding of the present study. All three breeds had poor feed utilisation, the Fayoumi consumed 255 g more feed per kg of body weight than the White Leghorn and RIR. The difference in growth rate of chicken is due to interplay of multiple genes and this trait could be improved through genetic selection (Chambers 1990). These differences in body weight could also be attributed to the environmental conditions such as seasons, temperature, humidity and management.

Figure 1.  Weekly body weight changes of Desi, Fayoumi and RIR.

During the period of 9–20 weeks, feed conversion of birds seems to be better than the period of 0–8 weeks. A probable explanation is that with the increase of the age of the birds, their activity and making voice loudly also increases, which requires more maintenance energy. Due to that, birds may utilise the feed more efficiently. Haque et al. (1999) found that feed conversion ratio 5.7 and 4.9 for Fayoumi and RIR, respectively, in a group of three male and 20 females during the 6–17 weeks is almost similar in the present study.

The results showed that Desi and Fayoumi chicks had lowest (p<0.05) mortality. Mortality is an important indicator of poor welfare (LayWel 2006). In this study, the mortality during the rearing period was higher than growing period in three breeds; thus further improvement in managerial practices is necessary to reduce the mortality among the chicks regarding the fact that no particular infectious disease was reported during the experimental period. Farooq et al. (2002) reported the mortality rate of backyard chicken in Charsadda, Pakistan, was 24.1% for chicks, 18.7% for pullets and 28.1% for adults, while the average overall mortality of the flock was 23.6%. In Bangladesh, the mortality of different exotic breeds (Lohmann Brown, RIR and Fayoumi) under semi-scavenging conditions was 27.6, 32.6 and 25.2%, respectively (FAO 2005). Ershad (2005) mentioned that the mortality rate of Bangladesh native chicken was 14.5%. As reported by FAO (2005), the mortality rate of Desi and Naked neck Bangladesh indigenous chicken were 9.0 and 8.33%, respectively. Azharul et al. (2005) investigated the survivability in chicks of broody hens under Bangladesh conditions and reported that it ranged between 98.4 and 87.4%, which means that the mortality rate ranged between 1.6 and 12.6%. A reduce mortality in Desi and Fayoumi obtained in the current study is supported by Leenstra and Pit (1984), who reported that lower growth rate had better chance to survive.

The breast and thigh meat composition had non-significant (p>0.05) difference among three breeds. Poultry meat quality attributes may be affected by several factors such as genotype, rearing condition and feeding that impact on muscle metabolism as well as on chemical composition. Overall comparison of dry matter between breast and thigh revealed that there was higher percentage of dry matter in thigh muscle than breast in all breeds, while another study by Fujimura et al. (1996) suggested that water contents differed significantly with breed, whereas according to Zollitish et al. (1997) there was non-significant difference of dry matter between thigh and organoleptic traits of breast meat. In case of protein, it was observed that there was high content of crude protein in breast meat than that of thigh meat, while breed differentiation showed no significant (p>0.05) difference. The crude fat analysis showed that thigh contained more fat contents than breast, while Zollitish et al. (1997) demonstrated no difference of fat between both locations. The total ash content of meat was almost same irrespective of location and breed. This similarity might be explained due to same composition of feed being offered to the birds during trial. Same observations were recorded by Fujimura et al. (1996) in case of different broiler strains.

Fanatico et al. (2005) studied slow-, medium- and fast-growing genotypes raised outdoor and slaughtered at similar live weights and found no significant differences among genotypes as for dry matter, fat and ash even if slow-growing birds were numerically lower in fat. In thigh meat, the differences in fat content resulted more relevant than in breast with slow-growing birds showing half of the content than fast growing. Meluzzi et al. (2009) reported that chicken meat quality is strongly affected by genotype whereas feeding exerts a minor effect. The appropriate choice of genotype seems to play a very important role in the quality of organic chicken products.

Performance during production phase

The productive performance and egg quality parameters of Desi, Fayoumi and RIR breeds during production phase is shown in Table 3. A significant (p<0.05) difference in age at sexual maturity among breeds was observed. The age of sexual maturity was lowest in Fayoumi followed by RIR and Desi. Age at sexual maturity is generally determined by the age when first egg is laid, which is considered as one of the important factors in determining the overall profitability of the flocks. Asghar and Bhatti (1990) reported that age at first egg in Fayoumi breed on natural day light and 14 hours light upto 18 week and then gradually increased to 17 hours by increasing light 30 minutes fortnightly was 156.2 and 155.2 days, respectively. Age at sexual maturity has long been considered an important fecundity and heredity trait. The primary studies for this trait decided that it is one of the easiest characters to establish in a flock through selective breeding, especially if attention is given to the selection of maturity used of males from early maturity dams pullets starting to lay at an earlier age were smaller than those of late sexual maturity (Hutt 1949). Also, after selection for age at sexual maturity, it has correlated response on egg production traits. Concerning the effect of breed on age at sexual maturity, Kiling et al. (1985) reported that early-matured pullets laid their first egg before 136 days, while late-matured pullets when they were 152 days of age. Egg production traits such as egg number, egg weight, egg mass and body weight at sexual maturity are affected by age at sexual maturity in chickens and quails (El-Bodgady et al. 1993; Camci et al., 2002). The age at sexual maturity of indigenous Irani chicken were reported 157.1±0.8 days and for three genetic groups of indigenous chickens such as Naked Neck, Marandy and Public, sexual maturity age were 23, 25 and 22 weeks, respectively (Nasrollah 2008). The attainment of sexual maturity varied from breed to breed or strains, which occurred at a certain age and body weight. The differences in attaining sexual maturity might be due to breed differences. A sex-linked gene and an autosomal one was ascertained by Greenwood and Blyth (1951) to be involved in the inheritance of sexual maturity. This character is also influenced by many environmental factors such as temperature, nutrition, lighting intensity, and so on. The variation in age at first egg among breeds may be due to difference in body weight prior to onset of sexual maturity. This implies that age at first egg is correlated with body weight according to breeds, the smaller the body weight the earlier the age at sexual maturity as in the case of Fayoumi. Moreover, the modern poultry industry has succeeded to reduce age at first egg in layers at up to 20 weeks (Moreng and Avens 1984), which has been economically important. However, this must be considered with certain precision, because it may lead to the incidence of vaginal prolapse, and hence would increase mortality within the flock.

Table 3. Comparative performance of Desi, Fayoumi and Rhode Island Red (RIR) breeds during production phase.

Parameters	Breeds
	Desi	Fayoumi	RIR	p-Value
Age at first egg (days)	204±1.53^a	135±3.51^c	147±1.15^b	0.005
Av. number of eggs/hen	60±0.51	123±2.05	141±2.00
Egg production (%)	29±1.00^c	36±1.53^b	41±1.52^a	0.002
Feed intake (g)	112±2.08^b	106±2.51^c	117±2.00^a	0.003
Feed efficiency (g feed: g egg mass)	8.70±0.20^a	6.79±0.25^b	5.02±0.26^c	0.09
Egg weight (g)	44.41±0.88^b	43.34±0.69^b	56.82±0.54^a	0.06
Egg mass (g/day/bird)*	12.88±0.48^b	15.60±0.44^b	23.30±0.20^a	0.09
Yolk weight (g)	16±0.577^b	14±0.577^c	20±0.288^a	0.004
Albumen weight (g)	22±0.577^b	22±0.570^b	32±1.15^a	0.089
Yolk + albumen weight (g)	39±1.26^b	32±0.557^c	51±0.557^a	0.005
Albumen height (cm)	0.50±0.104^b	0.60±0.06^ab	0.90±0.07^a	0.034
Shell thickness (mm)	0.33±0.057	0.25±0.125	0.29±0.132	0.818
Yolk thickness (cm)	1.40±0.175	1.40±0.175	1.60±0.076	0.682
*Egg mass=(egg production×egg weight)/100.
^a–cMeans with different letters in a row differ significantly (p≤0.05).

The egg production of the three breeds differed significantly (p<0.05). The highest egg production was obtained by RIR with 41% followed by Fayoumi (36%) and the Desi breed (29%). Similarly, regarding rate of lay (number of eggs per hen), RIR scored higher (141) than the Fayoumi (123) and Desi (60) breeds. Feed efficiency (g feed: g egg mass) was poor (p<0.05) in Desi breed (8.70) as compared to Fayoumi (6.79) and RIR (5.02) breeds. These results are in line with the findings of Javed et al. (2003), who reported that RIR breed produced a higher number of eggs/bird than Desi chicken. The higher egg production of exotic chicken than Desi chicken could be attributed to their better genetic potential for higher egg production. In fact Desi is a non-descript indigenous chicken and so far no efforts have been made to do selective breeding for improving its egg production performance. Sazzad (1992) obtained the highest egg production by RIR with 55.8% followed by Barred Plymouth Rock (38.6%) and the indigenous breed (20.3%). Similar trend was found in the present study; however the egg production of RIR was recorded less (41%) than the above study.

The egg weight and egg mass were highest (p<0.05) in RIR, but non-significant (p>0.05) differences were found between Fayoumi and Desi breeds. Similarly, the internal egg quality parameters included yolk weight, albumen weight, yolk +albumin weight and albumin height were significantly higher in RIR breed than those of Fayoumi and Desi breeds. However, shell and yolk thickness did not differ significantly amongst three breeds. Egg production has a strong relationship with physical egg characteristics; the results illustrate significant differences in the various egg characteristics among three breeds. Type of chicken had significant effect on egg weight. Ali et al. (1993) reported larger egg weight (44.1 g) in Fayoumi birds under local conditions of Bangladesh than that observed (43.34 g) in the present study. Farooq et al. (2000) also reported a little larger egg weight in Fayoumi (46.36 g) and Desi (46.36 g) than the present findings. In contrast of above studies, Farooq et al. (2002) in Peshawar, Pakistan, and Dutta (1993) in India reported smaller egg weights (42.62 and 41.36 g, respectively) in Fayoumi breed than the current study. In comparison with the exotic heavy breed (RIR), egg weight of the indigenous chicken has been reported smaller size (FAO 2005). The lesser egg weight of the Desi and Fayoumi hens correlates with their lower body weight as compared to RIR. In addition, RIR is a well-established breed than Fayoumi and Desi chicken and selection for better egg size might have been made generation after generation.

Other egg traits such as albumin and yolk weights were significantly higher in the RIR than those in the Desi and Fayoumi. This is coincided with the former egg weight since the egg components are proportionately correlated with egg weight. As for egg components of the Desi, Fayoumi and the RIR, the results showed positive correlations between the egg weight and albumin and yolk weights. Albumin weight represented the highest portion of egg component in Desi, Fayoumi and RIR (49.54, 50.76 and 56.328%, respectively) followed by yolk weight (36.03, 32.30 and 35.20%, respectively). This indicates that selection for increased egg weight in the indigenous chickens will ultimately result in increased weight of the various egg components. The present results are also in agreement with the findings of Mekki et al. (2005).

Biochemical values

The biochemical values in three breeds are shown in Table 4. There was non-significant (p >0.05) difference in biochemical values among three breeds. The mean values of serum glucose (221.8 mg/dL), triglyceride (528.0 mg/dL), uric acid (4.75 mg/dL) and total protein (5.23 mg/dL) in Desi birds in the present study are close to the findings of Bhatti et al. (2001), who reported serum glucose (226.74 mg/dL), triglyceride (529.8 mg/dL), uric acid (4.63 mg/dL) and total protein (5.20 mg/dL) in Desi birds. The higher triglyceride concentrations in improved high laying RIR breed and relatively lower concentration in Desi chicken is attributable to an increased lipogenic activity of liver stimulated by the endogenous oestrogens resulting from selective breeding (North and Bell 1990).

Table 4. Mean values of serum glucose, triglyceride, cholesterol, uric acid, calcium, protein and alkaline phosphatase in Desi, Fayoumi and Rhode Island Red (RIR) at 20 weeks of age.

	Breeds
Parameters	Desi	Fayoumi	RIR	Reference*	p-Value
Glucose (mg/dL)	221.80±8.90	222.40±10.00	212.550±15.00	197–299	0.610
Triglycerides (mg/dL)	528.00±74.78	539.90±90.50	541.10±86.60	-	0.650
Cholesterol (mg/dL)	138.75±14.40	137.20±5.54	129.65±40.03	129–297	0.850
Calcium (mg/dL)	10.10±0.3	10.18 ±0.69	10.30±0.5	8.1–12	0.560
Protein (mg/dL)	05.23±0.32	04.98±0.16	05.10±0.40	3–4.9	0.510
Uric acid (mg/dL)	04.75±0.35	4.65±0.45	04.36±0.40	1.9–12.5	0.650
ALP (u/L)	1050.52 ±94.95	1061.01±84.89	1059.15 ±88.38	10–106	0.880
*Reference values of Clinical Diagnostic Division (1990).

It was noticed that there was no difference in serum cholesterol level amongst three breeds at laying stage, as was also reported by Bhatti et al. (2002). They explained that serum cholesterol level in different strains (Desi, Fayoumi, Crossbred (RIR × Fayoumi) and Naked Neck) during pre- and post-laying period was same which implies that laying condition did not exert any extra demand on cholesterol bio-synthesis and its release in the blood circulation. In the present study, serum cholesterol of Desi, Fayoumi and RIR chickens was found within range of reference (Clinical Diagnostic Division 1990). However, these values were lower than the values reported in pheasant (236.46 mg/dL) by Homswat et al. (1999) and in broilers (140 mg/dL) by Meluzzi et al. (1992).

In the process of egg formation, availability of dietary Ca is critical. The supply of Ca should be viewed in terms of evidence that there are cycles related to Ca metabolism and feeding in laying hens and supply of Ca to laying hens need to reflect this to increase efficiency of utilisation of Ca (Carrea-Cardona 1999). Ovulating hens have significantly higher calcium levels than non-reproductive females (Ritchie et al. 1994). This agrees with Kunjarathitiyapung and Ruenosuphaphichat (1987), who compared the levels of serum calcium between laying hens (18.10 mg/dL) and broilers (6.25–13.75 mg/dL). There was no difference in Ca level among three breeds at laying stage in the current experiment. The birds were found to be equally affected by the stage of egg laying during which there was mobilisation of Ca for shell formation. Similar results were reported by Bhatti et al. (2002). In the current experiment, serum calcium of three indigenous chickens was lower than domestic turkey (11.7–38.7 mg/dL), domestic fowl (13.2–23.7 mg/dL) and bobwhite quail (14.1–15.4 mg/dL) (Ritchie et al. 1994).

Total protein level in three indigenous chickens used in this study was higher (4.98–5.23mg/dL) than the reference range, that is, 3.0–4.90 mg/dL (Clinical Diagnostic Division 1990). In female birds, a considerable increase in total protein concentration occurs just prior to egg laying, which could be attributed to an oestrogen-induced increase in globulins. The proteins were the yolk precursors (vitellogenin and lipoproteins), which were synthesised in the liver and transported via the plasma to the ovary where they were incorporated in the oocytes (Ritchie et al. 1994). Moreover, total proteins of hens in three indigenous chickens were lower than the normal range of the domestic turkey (5.29–7.6 mg/dL) and pheasant (male = 5.65 mg/dL; female = 6.06 mg/dL), but higher than the normal range of the guinea fowl (3.5–4.4 mg/dL) and common quail (3.4–3.6 mg/dL) (Ritchie et al. 1994).

In birds, uric acid is a major product of the catabolism of nitrogen, being the end product of protein/amino acid metabolism, which indicates similar rate of protein/amino acid metabolism in different bird groups though genetically different (Sykes 1971). Age and diet may influence the concentration of blood uric acid in birds. The uric acid values (4.36–4.75 mg/dL) of three chickens in the present study are close to the values (4.16–4.63 mg/dL) determined by Bhatti et al. (2001) in Desi and Naked Neck hens.

During the egg shell formation there is an increase in the activity of ALP in the blood of laying hens (North and Bell 1990) due to calcification process. The ALP value was quantitatively low in Desi chicken (1050.5 u/L) than Fayoumi (1061 u/L) and RIR (1059.5 u/L). These results are in line with the findings of Bhatti et al. (2002), who found low ALP values in Desi chicken (841.51 u/L) than Fayoumi (1653.04 u/L) and crossbred (RIR × Fayoumi) chickens (1656.5 u/L). It may be concluded that Desi, Fayoumi and RIR possess identical genetic mechanism for regulation of glucose, triglyceride, cholesterol, calcium, protein and uric acid concentrations in blood like identical mechanism in different commercial broiler strains (Furlan et al. 1999).

Haematological values

The haematological values in three local breeds are shown in Table 5. There was no significant (p>0.05) difference in haematological values amongst three breeds. It is revealed from the present findings that total erythrocyte counter, Hb and PCV increased with the advancement of age, being lowest in four weeks and highest in 48 weeks of age. However, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), MCV and MCH values decreased gradually with the advancement of age. Values of ESR in Desi, Fayoumi and RIR are inversely related with age. Higher ESR at early age in this study was in accordance with those of Kundu et al. (1993). MCV values in this study for Fayoumi are lower than Desi and RIR. Similar results were reported by Sturkie (1965). The results of MCH are slightly lower in case of Fayoumi chickens than those reported by Sturkie (1965) but in case of Desi chickens the results are coincided or slightly differ to their quoted values. Similarly, MCHC values that are nearly coincided with those quoted by Sturkie (1965). Haematological parameters in birds have been shown to be influenced by various factors such as age, sex, season and nutrition. In general, haematological parameters are affected by diurnal fluctuations or changes in daily physical and metabolic activities (Piccione et al. 2005).

Table 5. Haematological parameters in breeds of Fayoumi, Desi and Rhode Island Red (RIR) breed at different ages.

		Age (weeks)
Parameter	Breed	4	12	24	36	48
TEC (Erythrocyte number) (106/mm^3)	Desi	1.70±0.04	1.74±0.02	2.43±0.12	2.69±0.08	2.98±0.21
	Fayoumi	2.55±0.06	3.18±0.05	3.33±0.03	3.39±0.04	3.46±0.03
	RIR	1.76±0.27	1.93±0.09	2.58±0.13	2.89±0.08	3.05±0.09
Hb concentration (g%)	Desi	7.73±0.14	7.76±0.12	8.57±0.04	9.19±0.33	9.37±0.24
	Fayoumi	7.06±0.6	7.68±0.12	7.90±0.06	7.93±0.07	7.94±0.22
	RIR	8.23±0.17	8.34±0.08	9.14±0.08	9.42±0.16	9.54±0.05
PCV (%)	Desi	27.73±1.21	28.36±0.56	31.25±0.77	31.86±1.47	34.60±0.64
	Fayoumi	26.56±0.66	27.38±0.46	28.05±0.63	29.00±0.81	30.08±0.41
	RIR	28.12±0.64	29.05±0.60	29.20±1.36	31.35±1.18	32.25±1.03
ESR in mm in first hour	Desi	1.00±0.00	0.70±0.00	0.25±0.00	0.10±0.00	0.00±0.00
	Fayoumi	3.17±0.18	2.44±0.11	2.06±0.11	1.54±0.17	1.32±0.22
	RIR	3.50±0.12	3.00±0.42	2.75±0.26	2.53±0.00	2.20±0.00
MCV (cubic micron)	Desi	163.56±8.21	163.28±3.64	128.76±6.88	118.47±6.27	116.66±7.57
	Fayoumi	103.99±2.74	86.18±1.64	84.27±1.94	85.57±2.60	86.99±1.48
	RIR	164.55±35.95	150.78±8.64	113.26±7.53	108.75±5.26	105.88±4.35
MCH (microgram or picogram)	Desi	45.59±0.65	44.66±0.61	35.30±1.94	34.16±1.89	31.57±1.82
	Fayoumi	27.72±0.74	24.19±0.59	23.74±0.29	23.40±0.33	22.97±0.67
	RIR	48.14±10.36	43.30±2.20	35.46±1.91	32.66±0.72	31.33±1.06
MCHC (%)	Desi	27.93±1.31	27.36±0.78	27.43±0.72	28.88±1.67	27.08±0.89
	Fayoumi	26.61±0.74	28.07±0.67	28.19±0.74	27.37±0.85	26.40±0.81
	RIR	29.29±1.00	28.75±0.64	31.36±1.44	30.08±1.25	29.61±0.93
ESR, erythrocyte sedimentation rate; MCHC, mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentrations; MCH, mean corpuscular haemoglobin; MCV, mean corpuscular volume; PCV, packed cell volume; TEC, total erythrocyte counter.

It may be concluded that overall RIR chicken performed better than Fayoumi and Desi chickens. However, early age of sexual maturity was noticed in Fayoumi chicken and low mortality was observed in Desi chicken.