Influences of altitude on growth curves in Tibetan chicken and its hybrid

Abstract

Tibetan chicken is a precious resource in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, China. In order to study its growth rhythm and heterosis of its hybrid, three groups comprising Tibetan chicken (T), Dwarf Recessive White (D) and Tibetan × Dwarf Recessive White (TD) were reared under the same management conditions at low and high altitudes. Body weight and shank length were measured, and growth curves were fitted using Richards model. The results showed that the model fitted well with the chickens’ growth courses in weight and shank with R² at more than 0.99. The high-altitude might retard the growth of chickens, with decreases in inflection point values, final values and maximal growth rates, and prolongation of inflection point time. The final weight, inflection point weight, and maximal growth rates of Tibetan chicken were 1008.3 g, 477.9 g and 11.69 g respectively at low-altitude, and 525.3 g, 229.5 g, and 5.12 g at high-altitude. This showed a decline of 47.9%, 52.0%, and 56.8% at the high-altitude; the degree of influence of altitude was less than that of Dwarf Recessive White. The TD had high heterosis in weight gain, and at high-altitude the heterosis of final weight, inflection point weight, and maximal growth rates were 59.5%, 56.8% and 52.3% respectively. Therefore, the Tibetan × Dwarf Recessive White cross was good for improving the Tibetan chicken.

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