• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.396-400
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• 2010

This experiment investigated the effects of increasing dietary vitamin E (VE) on production performance and egg quality traits of Indian reared Kadaknath (KN) hens. One hundred and eighty (180), day old female KN chicks were randomly distributed to three dietary treatment groups for a period of 30 weeks. Each treatment comprised three replicates, each containing 20 chicks. The basal diet ($T_1$) contained 15 IU VE/kg and the two experimental diets were supplemented with 150 and 300 IU VE/kg (diets $T_2$ and $T_3$, respectively). DL-${\alpha}$-tocopherol acetate was used as the source of VE. All chicks were provided feed and water ad libitum. Production performance in terms of body weight, egg weight and hatchability did not differ significantly (p>0.05), whereas sexual maturity, egg production and fertility differed significantly (p<0.05) in $T_2$ compared to the other two groups. Egg quality traits in terms of albumin weight, yolk weight, shell thickness, albumin index and yolk index did not differ significantly (p>0.05), whereas the Haugh unit score was significantly higher (p<0.05) in $T_2$ than the control ($T_1$) and high dose treatment group ($T_3$). From this study, it can be concluded that lower levels of dietary VE may be beneficial for production performance and Haugh unit score but have no effect on egg quality traits in Indian reared KN hens.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.13-16
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• 2010

The effect of exogenous administration of tamoxifen (TAM) on hormonal profile and sexual maturity in Indian native Kadaknath (KN) fowl was investigated. Day-old chicks from the same hatch were randomly divided into 15 groups with 20 chicks in each group (5 treatments${\times}$3 replicates). The chicks were placed in battery brooders with wire-mesh floors and reared under uniform husbandry conditions (14 h light/d, 25-32${^{\circ}C}$) on a standard basal diet. At the age of two weeks (wk), birds from the control group ($T_{1}$) were injected with maize oil intramuscularly (I/M), whereas the other four experimental groups $T_{2}$, $T_{3}$, $T_{4}$ and $T_{5}$ were given tamoxifen (I/M) dissolved in maize oil at the rate of 0.5 mg (0.5 TAM), 1.0 mg (1.0 TAM), 2.5 mg (2.5 TAM) and 5.0 mg (5.0 TAM)/kg body weight, respectively, up to 30 wks on every alternate day. At every 6-wk interval, blood samples were collected from nine birds of each treatment group for estimation of estrogen and progesterone. The same birds were sacrificed for determination of the weight of ovary, oviduct, liver and adipose tissue. There was no significant difference in egg production traits except onset of lay and egg number. Low doses of TAM ($T_{3}$) advanced the onset of egg laying by 15 days over the control. Tamoxifen influenced the hormonal profile (estrogen and progesterone) in a dose dependent manner. However, higher doses of TAM suppressed ovary and oviductal growth. From this study, it may be concluded that lower doses of TAM enhanced sexual maturity while higher doses suppressed ovary and oviductal growth.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.6-10
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• 2008

Five chicken populations viz. Chittagong, Ghagus, Kalasthi, Kadaknath, Tellichery were genotyped using 25 highly polymorphic microsatellite loci. White leg horn was taken as an outgroup. To reveal the relationship and distinctiveness among five indigenous breeds various genetic distances based on molecular co-ancestry were estimated and multidimensional scaling was performed. The Ghagus and Kalasthi breeds were closely related and their separation was recent, whereas Chittagong had a remote ancestry with other indigenous chicken populations.