Journal of Animal Science, Vol 70, Issue 7 2045-2052, Copyright © 1992 by American Society of Animal Science

JOURNAL ARTICLE

Two generations of selection on restricted best linear unbiased prediction breeding values for income minus feed cost in laying hens

C. Hagger
Department of Animal Science, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zurich.

Two generations of selection on restricted BLUP breeding values were applied in an experiment with laying hens. Selection had been on phenotype of income minus feed cost (IFC) between 21 and 40 wk of age in the previous five generations. The restriction of no genetic change in egg weight was included in the EBV for power-transformed IFC (i.e., IFCt, with t-values of 3.7 and 3.6 in the two generations, respectively). The experiment consisted of two selection lines plus a randomly bred control of 20 male and 80 female breeders each. Observations on 8,844 survivors to 40 wk were available. Relative to the base population average, the restriction reduced genetic gain in IFC from 4.1 and 3.9% to 2.0 and 2.2% per generation in the two selection lines, respectively. Average EBV for egg weight remained nearly constant after a strong increase in the previous five generations. Rates of genetic gain for egg number, body weight, and feed conversion (feed/egg mass) were not affected significantly. In the seventh generation, a genetic gain in feed conversion of 10.3% relative to the phenotypic mean of the base population was obtained.