Body Weight and Linear Body Measurements of Three Nigerian Local Chicken Strains

The body weight and linear body measurements of the Nigerian local chicken strains were studied with a view to assess their relationship and contribution to the growth of the birds. A total of three hundred (300) local chicken strains comprising one hundred (100) frizzle feathered (FF), one hundred (100) naked neck (NN) and one hundred (100) normal feathered (NM) birds each replicated ten (10) times with ten (10) birds per replicate, were used in the study. Data on body weight (BW) in grams (g) and linear body measurements (cm) – body length (BL),heart girth (HG), neck length (NL) and shank length (SL) – collected weekly for ten (10) weeks and analyzed in a completely randomized design (CRD) of SAS, (2001) statistical package. Significantly different means were separated using the Duncan multiple range test (DMRT). Results showed that there were significant variations in BW, BL, NL and SL, an indication that breed differences is implicated in the growth and development of chickens.