Genotype-Environment Interactions in Egg Production Stocks of Chickens

Abstract

IN THE last 15 years poultry breeding has rapidly changed from a large number of local breeders serving small areas to several dozen very large breeders operating on a national or international basis. The large breeders generally produce for commercial use only one or two egg production lines or stocks which are sold over a wide range of environments. Strains that generally perform satisfactorily over a wide range of environments may not be superior in specific environments such as in different areas of the country or under various types of management conditions or levels of disease exposure. As the industry becomes more specialized, the stocks with general adaptability may become less useful. The current study is one of a series of studies conducted by participants in the Southern Regional Poultry Breeding Project (S-57) to determine the importance of genotype-environment interactions in egg production stocks. In determining whether stock by location . . .