Veronica M. A. Nurgiartiningsih, N. Mielenz, R. Preisinger, M. Schmutz, L. Schüler
This study aimed to estimate heritabilities and genetic correlations based on group mean records, taking into account mortality. Three different definitions of group mean records, i.e. hen-housed production (HHP), hen-housed production corrected for mortality (HHPc) and survivor hen production (SHP), were analysed in relation to survivor production in single cages (SCP). The program VCE 5.1 (KOVAC et al., 2002) based on the REML method for one-trait sire and two-trait animal-sire models were used to estimate variance and covariance components of cumulative egg production in single and group cages. Heritability estimates were highest for survivor egg production in single cages, followed by survivor production in group cages. Hen-housed production in group cages had the lowest heritabilities. Genetic correlations between egg productions in different time periods were similar for HHP, HHPc and SHP, but differed between lines. High genetic correlations were found between survivor egg production in single cages and group mean records. Rank correlations of sire breeding values for SCP with egg production in group cages (SHP, HHPc and HHP) were high and similar in both lines, if analyses were based on two-trait models. © Verlag Eugen Ulmer, Stuttgart.
Animal Husbandry Faculty, Brawijaya University, Malang, Indonesia; Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, Institute of Agricultural and Nutritional Sciences, Germany; Lohmann Tierzucht GmbH, Cuxhaven, Germany; Institute of Agricultural and Nutritional Sciences, Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, D-06108 Halle, Adam-Kuckhoff-Straße 35, Germany
