Synthesis of stocks and phenotypic effects of dwarf and bantam sex-linked major genes in egg-type chickens

Abstract

The present study describes the production of stocks segregating dwarf (dw), bantam (dwB) and normal (dw+) alleles, as well as the characters, shank length, adult body weight, age at sexual maturity and egg production. Heterozygous K dw+/k dwB sires were mated to normal (dw+) dams to produce stock D6.a, and mated to dwB females to produce stock D6.b. Stock D4.a came from mating F1 heterozygous dwB dw sires to dwarf Leghorns. In a third series of matings, 7/8 Sebright and 1/8 dw-Leghorn dwB dw sires were crossed to three groups of dams of different genotypes. The progeny of the normal (dw+), dwarf (dw), and bantam (dwB) dams were designated as stocks D4.b, D4.c and D4.d, respectively. The dw+ dams were White Leghorn strain cross females. The difference between the rate of laying of normal (69.7%) and their bantam sisters (68.6%) was not statistically significant when the average 32-week body weight of the dw+ sisters was 1,897 g. However, when the 32-week body weight of the normal daughters from the same sires and smaller dams was around 1,646 g, the difference between the rate of laying of the normal (78.1%) and their bantam sisters (75.9%) was significant (P < 0.05). The dwB gene may have a similar but smaller effect on the rate of egg laying than its dwarf allele. The difference between sexual maturity of normal and bantam daughters of either the largest or the smallest dams was not statistically significant, even though the smallest dwB pullets were in average 2.9 days older at first egg. The use of shank length combined with adult body weight allowed a precise discrimination between bantams and dwarfs<br>Neste trabalho descreve-se a obtenção de seis plantéis experimentais, segregantes para os alelos ligados ao sexo, dwarf (dw), bantam (dwB) e normal (dw+), em galinhas para ovos. Comparações entre desempenhos entre plantéis hemizigóticos para genes maiores no locus dwarf também foram efetuadas com relação a comprimento de canela medida na 16ª semana de idade, peso do corpo adulto, produção de ovos e maturidade sexual. Machos heterozigotos (K dw+/ k dwB) foram acasalados com fêmeas normais (dw+) e com fêmeas bantam (dwB). As progênies fêmeas, nos referidos acasalamentos, foram denominadas de D6.a e D6.b, respectivamente. Galos 7/8 Sebright e 1/8 dw-Leghorn heterozigotos (dwB dw) foram acasalados com três grupos de galinhas de diferentes genótipos (dw+, dw e dwB). As progênies das mães normais (dw+), dwarf (dw) e bantam (dwB) foram denominadas de plantéis D4.b, D4.c e D4.d, respectivamente. As seguintes conclusões foram relatadas: a) a redução no peso corporal adulto de fêmeas dwarf, em todos os plantéis, em relação a fêmeas bantam, foi menor que a relatada em relação a galinhas normais do tipo ovo; b) a diferença entre a taxa de postura de galinhas normais e suas irmãs bantam não foi estatisticamente significativa em fêmeas dw+ (filhas de mães dw+), pesando 1897 g. Porém, em galinhas dwB com peso médio de 1646 g (filhas de mães dwB), a diferença entre a taxa de postura de galinhas normais e de suas irmãs bantam...