Browsing by Author "Abimiku, H.K"

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    Assessment of flock structure, preference in selection and traits of economic importance for domestic turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) genetic resources in Nasarawa State, Nigeria
    (Department of Animal Science, Nasarawa State University, Keffi., 2014-01-16) Yakubu, Abdulmojeed; Abimiku, H.K; Musa Azara, I.S; Idahor, K.O; Akinsola, O.M
    Village poultry have been raised for thousands of years and the selection pressure present in the village environment has resulted in indigenous stock that are well adapted to local conditions. The present investigation examined the flock composition, preference in choice of breeding stock, production traits and culling criteria in indigenous turkeys of Nasarawa state, Nigeria. A semi-structured questionnaire was administered to 53 randomly selected households engaged in turkey farming in the study area. A low tom: hen ratio of 1: 2.75 was observed in the turkey population. Body size, egg number, hatchability, heat tolerance, body conformation and disease resistance were the preferred traits for selection of breeding stock. Higher rankings (P<0.01) were accorded economic traits such as high reproductive performance, increased egg production and large body size. Most of the households culled toms with low body size, low fertility and poor health while fertility, egg number, body size and mothering ability were highly ranked as culling criteria for hens. The rate of inbreeding (ΔF) calculated for the indigenous turkey flock considering the existing flock size and management practice was 0.0013 (0.13%), an indication that the population is not at the risk of extinction. It is concluded that community or village-based selective breeding schemes should consider farmers’ traits of preference as a good option to rational and sustainable way to improve and conserve turkey genetic resource in the study area.
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    Path analysis of body weight and morphometric traits of Nigerian indigenous Muscovy ducks
    (Department of Animal Science, Nasarawa State University, Keffi., 2009-09-10) Yakubu, Abdulmojeed; Musa Azara, I.S; Aya, V.E; Abimiku, H.K; Barde, R.E
    Body weight and seven biometric traits namely, body length, breast circumference, thigh circumference, bill length, neck length, foot length and wing length of 221 adult Nigerian Muscovy ducks were subjected to path analysis. The ducks, reared under the traditional scavenging system, were randomly selected in Nasarawa State, north central Nigeria. The investigation aimed at determining the explanatory variables that most effectively influenced the body weight of indigenous ducks of both sexes. Sex-associated differences (P<0.05) were observed in all the studied traits, with superior values recorded for males (drakes). Bivariate correlations between body weight and linear body measurements in drakes ranged from 0.743-0.919. Correspondingly, a range of 0.745- 0.894 was obtained in female ducks. The path analysis revealed that thigh circumference had the strongest direct effect on body weight of drakes, followed by body length, wing length and foot length (path coefficient = 0.326, 0.312, 0.286 and 0.115 respectively). However, a different trend was observed in females, where the influence of wing length on body weight was greatest, followed by thigh circumference, bill length and foot length (path coefficient = 0.340, 0.289, 0.217 and 0.171, respectively). The optimum linear multiple regression model in drakes included forecast indices such as thigh circumference, body length, wing length and foot length, with a determination coefficient (R2) of 0.962 and determination coefficient of error of 0.038. The corresponding indices in female ducks were wing length, thigh circumference, bill length and foot length with R2 value of 0.917 and determination coefficient of error of 0.083. These models could be useful in weight estimation in the field and for selection purposes.
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    Preliminary investigation of haemoglobin polymorphism and association with morphometric traits in West African Dwarf goats in north central Nigeria
    (Department of Animal Science, Nasarawa State University, Keffi., 2014-02-14) Yakubu, Abdulmojeed; Abimiku, H.K; Musa Azara, I.S; Barde, R.E; Raji, Abdulrazak O.
    The aim of this study was to characterize the genetic pool of the West African Dwarf (WAD) goats using haemoglobin (Hb) polymorphism, as well as the association of some morphological traits with the Hb variants. Blood samples were collected from a total of 104 mature goats of both sexes belonging to the WAD breed in north central Nigeria. The red cell lysates were subjected to cellulose acetate electrophoresis and specific staining procedure to reveal the band patterns of haemoglobin. Three co-dominant alleles, causing the presence of three genotypes (AA, AB and AC) were detected among individual goats. The frequencies of the A, B and C alleles were 0.69, 0.30 and 0.01, respectively. The corresponding genotype frequencies for AA, AB and AC in the goat population were 0.37, 0.61 and 0.02, respectively. The discrepancy between the observed and the expected genotype number was significant (P<0.05) thereby violating the Hardy-Weinberg frequencies. The expected heterozygosity (H), which is a measure of gene diversity in the population, was 0.57; while the local inbreeding coefficient (F) was -0.055 indicating disassortative mating. Apart from body weight and heart girth which were higher (P<0.05) in individuals with Hb AA genotype, other body parameters were not significantly influenced (P>0.05) by Hb variants. There is a need for further study encompassing more number of goats covering larger areas, use of DNA markers and their relationship with economic traits as well as performance study for detailed understanding of breed characteristics, conservation and genetic improvement of WAD goats in north central Nigeria.