Evaluation of Morphological Characteristics and Productive Performance of First-Generation Mong Chickens in Cao Bang Province
This study was conducted to evaluate the growth performance, reproductive performance, and selection results of the first-generation Mong chicken (black-bone, black-meat chicken) nucleus flock in Cao Bang Province. The results showed that the chickens were well adapted to mountainous production conditions. The survival rate reached 91.33% during the 0 - 8 week period, and by 20 weeks of age, it was 90.51% in females and 91.02% in males. The average body weight reached 659.16 g (males) and 609.36 g (females) at 8 weeks of age; at 20 weeks, it increased to 1,649.03 g (males) and 1,251.22 g (females), indicating a stable growth performance. Selection significantly improved both body weight and flock uniformity. At 8 weeks of age, the selected flock achieved 759.49 g (males) and 645.18 g (females), representing increases of 100.33 g and 35.82 g, respectively, compared to the base population. The coefficient of variation (CV) decreased from 14.44% to 7.59% in males and from 12.75% to 9.40% in females. At 20 weeks of age, body weight of the selected flock reached 1,802.80 g (males) and 1,329.76 g (females), increasing by 153.36 g and 78.54 g, respectively; the CV decreased from 10.13% to 5.21% in males and from 11.16% to 6.19% in females, demonstrating the clear effectiveness of selection. In terms of reproduction, hens started laying at 142 days of age, with a peak laying rate of 42.71% at 33 weeks of age. Egg production reached 83.08 eggs/hen/cycle, with a feed conversion of 4.26 kg per 10 eggs. The fertility rate was 90.06%, and the hatchability of fertile eggs reached 81.0%. These results confirm that the first-generation H’Mong nucleus flock exhibits stable growth and reproductive performance, meeting the technical requirements for selection and genetic conservation programs.
