Body Composition and Other Physical Parameters as Determinants of Age at Sexual Maturity and Performance Efficiency in Dwarf Hens Divergently Selected for Body Weight

Hens in this study were produced from random breeding within lines (high, low, and control) of dwarf White Leghorns that had been divergently selected for four generations for 20-week body weight. Birds were weighed at 10 weeks of age and placed in individual cages at 18 weeks of age. Body weights, shank lengths, and egg weights were obtained at sexual maturity (day of first egg) and at 4, 8, 12, and 16 weeks after sexual maturity. Egg production was recorded during 28-day periods. Thirty hens/line were sampled at sexual maturity and at the above times after sexual maturity for body composition (percent fat, protein, moisture, and ash). High line hens showed increased percent body fat and reduced percent protein and moisture compared to low and control hens. Coefficients of determination (R2) for age at sexual maturity and body weight were small (R2 less than or equal to .20) for high and control hens. There were no meaningful relationships between body weight or other physical measurements and sexual maturity in low hens. There were no significant relationships between body composition and age at sexual maturity in high and control hens. There was a strong cubic association (R2 = .73; P less than .001) between percent ash and age at sexual maturity in low hens, although the biological importance of this relationship was uncertain. Coefficients of determination between body weight and performance efficiency (egg mass per body weight) were small to moderate (R2 = .04 to .46) for high and control hens.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)