Variance components and selection response for feather-pecking behavior in laying hens
2005
Su, Guosheng | Kjaer, Joergen B. | S¢rensen, Poul
Variance components and selection response for feather pecking behavior were studied by analyzing the data from a divergent selection experiment. An investigation indicated that a Box-Cox transformation with power ? = -0.2 made the data approximately normally distributed and gave the best fit for the model. Variance components and selection response were estimated using Bayesian analysis with Gibbs sampling technique. The total variation was rather large for the investigated traits in both the low feather-pecking line (LP) and the high feather-pecking line (HP). Based on the mean of marginal posterior distribution, in the Box-Cox transformed scale, heritability for number of feather pecking bouts (FP bouts) was 0.174 in line LP and 0.139 in line HP. For number of feather-pecking pecks (FP pecks), heritability was 0.139 in line LP and 0.105 in line HP. No full-sib group effect and observation pen effect were found in the 2 traits. After 4 generations of selection, the total response for
Show more [+] Less [-]AGROVOC Keywords
Bibliographic information
Publisher Poultry Science Association (PSA); Elsevier (bis 2019 Oxford Univ. Press)
ISSN 1525-3171 | 1537-0437 | 0032-5791This bibliographic record has been provided by Thünen-Institut