Genetic study for some body weight and egg traits in Domyati and Khaki-Campbell ducks.

Abstract The duck industry makes an important contribution to the availability of animal protein sources in Egypt, however little known about the genetic factors, particularly the heritability and genetic correlations of body weight and egg production in ducks. Body weight is the most essential feature for genetic improvement due to its ease of selection, high heredity, and large impact on meat production costs. The target of this study was to evaluate and explain genetic traits such as the heritability, the genetic and phenotypic correlations, and sire breeding value in Domyati (local) and Khaki-Campbell (foreign) ducks in order to improve body weight and egg traits. A total of 160 (80 Domyati and 80 Khaki-Campbell ducks utilized to measure body weight (at 16 and 20 weeks g), as well as 7000 eggs (2500 Domyati and 4500 Khaki-Campbell) to measure egg traits (the egg number, egg weight, and egg mass are all measured throughout the first 90 days of laying). In Domyati and Khaki-Campbell ducks, the heritability estimated for body weight was moderate to high, ranged from 0.35 to 0.40, and 0.21 to 0.30 for egg production, and the genetic correlations among body weight and egg traits were all positive and had high values, 21 and among BW16 and BW20 were stronger than between other traits (0.90); (99). The genetic improvement in BW16 could be followed by an increase in BW20 weeks