Data for economic parameters of IWH line of Indian White Leghorn for three generations

Abstract

Data spanning three generations from 2020-23 was recorded for different production and growth traits up to 72 weeks of age in the female IWH population. First of all, body weight of chicks at the time of hatch (BW0) was recorded. Thereafter, when female birds were housed in individual cages, body weight at different intervals viz. 16 (BW16), 20 (BW20), 40 (BW40) and 52 (BW52) weeks was successively recorded. Reproduction trait like age at sexual maturity (ASM) was also recorded for all the birds. Production data comprised of egg production or egg numbers up to 24 (EP24), 28 (EP28), 40 (EP40), 52 (EP52), 64 (EP64) and 72 (EP72) weeks and egg weights at 28 (EW28), 40 (EW40) and 52 (EW52) weeks of age. Egg production of individual birds was recorded daily and egg production up to a certain age was arrived at by summing the daily production up to that age. Egg production data after 40 weeks was not available for the third generation. Therefore, EP52, EP64 and EP72 data used to derive the genetic parameter estimates belonged to two generations only. Further, egg weight at a particular age was estimated by taking the average of egg weight measurements of five consecutive days at that age. For instance, at 28 weeks of age, egg weight was recorded for five successive days for each bird and the average of those five measurements was finally considered as EW28.