GENETIC STUDIES ON PRODUCTIVE AND REPRODUCTIVE TRAITS OF JAPANESE QUAILS

Data on body weight at 4 weeks age, age at first egg and cumulative egg Production up to 12, 16 and 20 weeks of age of a total 617 Black and Brown strains of Japanese quails were analyzed. Strains, generations and hatches had significant influence on all the traits studied. Black quails were significantly heavier and laid more eggs. The quails of fifth generation recorded lowest least-squares mean for age at first egg with higher egg production. Heritabilities varied from moderate to high in Black and were high in Brown strains. Genetic and phenotypic correlations among the traits varied from low to high.