Vol 4(2) May’14

International Journal of Livestock Research ISSN 2277-1964 ONLINE

Comparative Study of Performance of Rhode Island Red and Bovans White

under Intensive Management in Mekelle, Ethiopia
Niraj Kumar1*, Zinabu Nigus Belay1, Abebe Mekuria Shenkutie1, Habtamu Taddele1

1
College of Veterinary Medicine, Mekelle University, Ethiopia

*Corresponding author - nirajjha1925@yahoo.com

Rec.Date: Mar 23, 2014 09:15
Accept Date: Apr 02, 2014 22:45

Abstract
700 Rhode Island Red (RIR) and 600 Bovans White exotic poultry breeds were maintained under
intensive management by private poultry farm in Mekelle were studied for production performance. Age
of sexual maturity, day old body weight per bird, final body weight per bird, body weight gain, gain per
bird per day, feed intake per bird, feed intake per bird per day, FCR and mortality % traits were studied
for production performance in RIR and Bovans White. Age of sexual maturity, day old body weight per
bird, final body weight per bird, body weight gain and gain per bird per day of RIR was significantly
higher (p<0.05) than Bovans White. Feed intake per bird, feed intake per bird per day, FCR and
mortality % of Bovans White was significantly higher (p<0.05) than RIR.

Key words: RIR, Bovans White, performance, Mekelle

Introduction
Poultry production is one area of livestock production with significant contribution to human food
production. Chickens are widely kept in Ethiopia and the total population of chicken in Ethiopia is
estimated to be about 50.38 million and with regard to breed, 96.9 percent, 0.54 percent and 2.56 percent
of the total poultry were reported to be indigenous, hybrid and exotic, respectively. The estimate of total
number of eggs produced during the year is about 93.13 million (CSA, 2012/13).
The poultry sector in Ethiopia can be characterized into three major production systems based on some
selected parameters such as breed, flock size, housing, feed, health, technology, and bio-security. These
are large commercial, small scale commercial and village or backyard poultry production system. These
production systems have their own specific chicken breeds, inputs and production properties. Each can
sustainably coexist and contribute to solve the socio-economic problems of different target societies
(Tadelle et al., 2003). From the total population of chicken in Ethiopia, 99% are raised under the
traditional back yard system of management, while 1% is under intensive management system. The
traditional poultry production system is characterized by small flock sizes, low input and output and
92

periodic devastation of the flock by disease (Demeke, 2007). The Ethiopian indigenous chickens are
Page

characterized by slow growth, late maturity and low production performance. The mean annual egg

Hosted@www.ijlr.org
 Vol 4(2) May’14
International Journal of Livestock Research ISSN 2277-1964 ONLINE

production of indigenous chickens is estimated at 60 small eggs with thick shells and a deep yellow yolk
color (Yami and Dessie, 1997). The egg laying period and number of eggs laid per period are to some
extent higher in urban than in rural areas (CACC, 2003). The carcass weight of local chickens at 6 months
of age was 559 g which was significantly lower than that of the 875 g found for Leghorn (Teketel, 1986).
Local chickens are considered to be disease resistant and adapted to their scavenging environmental
conditions. However, local chickens kept under the intensive system of management (in confinement) are
inferior to exotic stock in health status and characterized by a lack of interest in their environment, wing
droppings, huddling at the corner, leg weakness and cannibalism. They are also slow in rate of feathering
and exhibit recurrent outbreaks of disease (Solomon, 2004). The percentage mortality from hatching to
maturity was significantly higher for local chickens kept under an intensive management system (24%)
compared to the Leghorns (7.3%) kept under similar condition. Higher mortalities and morbidities have
been reported among local birds than White Leghorns when raised under intensive management
conditions in Awassa (Teketel, 1986), Debre Zeit (Abebe, 1987), Arsi (Brannang and Persson, 1990) and
Alemaya (Abebe, 1992).
There is no recorded evidence indicating the exact time and locations of introduction of the first batch of
exotic breeds of chickens into Ethiopia. It is widely believed that the importation of the first batch of
exotic poultry was probably done by missionaries. Four breeds of exotic chicken (Rhode Island Red,
Australop, New Hampshire and White Leghorns) were imported to Jimma and Alemaya in 1953 and
1956, respectively under USAID project (Solomon, 2007). About 99% of the Ethiopian poultry
population consists of indigenous chickens, while the remaining 1% consists of imported exotic breeds of
chickens during the 1970s and 1980s (Alamargot, 1987). There has been an increase in the number of
exotic breeds of chickens and at present it is estimated that these make up about 2.56% of the national
poultry population (CSA, 2012/13). The contribution of exotic poultry to the Ethiopian economy is
significantly lower than that of other African countries (Yami and Dessie, 1997). All the available
evidence indicates that all the imported breeds of chickens performed well under the intensive
management system (Yami and Dessie, 1997). With an annual human population growth rate of 2.4%, the
present 77.4 million Ethiopia’s human population will increase to about 149.3 million by the year 2040
(FAO, 2005). Thus, the demand for animal products is expected to increase substantially. To meet the
ever-increasing demand for meat and eggs, introduction of superior/exotic breed has been proposed as
one of the plausible option. Production performance of exotic birds in Ethiopian condition needs to be
monitored regularly to provide guidelines for policy makers. However, information is limited about the
93

productive performance of exotic birds under intensive system in the study area. Lack of recorded data on
the productive performance of chicken makes it difficult to assess the importance and contributions of the
Page

past attempts to improve the sector (Moges et al., 2010). Growth and production performances are of

Hosted@www.ijlr.org
 Vol 4(2) May’14
International Journal of Livestock Research ISSN 2277-1964 ONLINE

immense importance to poultry breeding industries (Bain, 2005). Thus the major objective of the study
was to evaluate the production performances of two exotic breeds Rhode Island Red (RIR) and Bovans
White (BW) under intensive systems of management in Mekelle.

Materials and methods

Experimental site: The study was conducted at private poultry farm maintaining RIR and Bovans White
under intensive systems of management in Mekelle city. Mekelle is the capital city of Tigray Region and
located in the northern extremes of Ethiopia extending from 330251 to 390 381 north latitude and from
360271 to 400 181 east longitude at an average altitude of 2000 to 2200 meters above sea level. The mean
annual rain fall ranges from 11.3mm to 39.1mm and the temperature varies from 120C (in November and
December) to 270C (in January and March). Mekelle enjoys humid and hot climate and 783 km from
Addis Ababa (MoM, 1998).
Management of the birds: A total of 1300 birds out of which 700 were RIR and 600 were Bovans White
exotic poultry breeds were maintained under intensive management by private poultry farm in Mekelle.
The chickens were vaccinated against Newcastle disease, using HB1 vaccine on day one. Then they were
vaccinated with LaSota at the age of 3rd and 8th week. Additionally, they were vaccinated against fowl
typhoid at 7th week of age. All the chicks were weighed separately, using a sensitive balance. They were
placed in deep litter pens, using straw as litter material and light was provided according to Bovans White
and RIR breed management guide. They were offered a standard starter diet for a period of eight weeks
(brooding period) after that grower ration was fed for an additional period of 14 weeks (ad libitum). There
will be a continuous supply of drinking water. The feeding and water troughs were cleaned daily.
Data collection: Some pre-recorded data were utilized to study the production performance of Rhode
Island Red (RIR) and Bovans White exotic breeds of birds. Age of sexual maturity, day old body weight
of bird, final body weight of bird, total body weight gain, gain per bird per day, feed intake per bird, feed
intake per bird per day, feed conversion ratio (FCR) and mortality rates of both the breeds of chicken
were studied to determine the production performance. Age of sexual maturity was determined by the age
when the first egg was laid. Age at first lay is considered as one of the important factors in determining
the total profitability of the flock. All the chicks were weighed separately using a sensitive balance to
determine day old chick weight. Final body weights were taken on 22nd weeks of age. Body weight gain is
calculated as a difference between final body weights of birds and day old chick weight. Gain per bird per
day was determined by dividing the body weight gain with total number of days to attain final body
weight (154 days). Pre recorded data were utilized for determination of feed intake per bird. Feed intake
94

per bird per day was determined by dividing the feed intake per bird with total number of days to attain
Page

Hosted@www.ijlr.org
 Vol 4(2) May’14
International Journal of Livestock Research ISSN 2277-1964 ONLINE

final body weight (154 days). Feed conversion ratio was calculated as a ratio of feed intake and body
weight gain. Mortality rate was calculated between day old chicks to 22 weeks duration.
Data management and analysis: The data were analyzed using SPSS software version 17 (SPSS, 2007).
Differences in productive performances and egg quality traits were compared using means generated from
one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA).
Results and discussion
The Comparison of the performance of Rode Island Red (RIR) and Bovans White chickens has been
shown in Table 1. The RIR had significantly (p<0.05) higher mean age of sexual maturity (154.55±3.45
days) than that of Bovans White (139.40±2.95 days). Age of sexual maturity is the age at first lay and
considered as one of the important factors in determining the total profitability of the flock. Lower mean
of sexual maturity is reported to be 149.67 days in RIR under intensive management conditions in
Northwest Ethiopia (Halima, 2007) and 147±1.15 days in RIR under intensive management in Pakistan
(Tabinda et al., 2012). Higher mean of sexual maturity is reported to be 168 days in RIR under intensive
management in Bangladesh (Barua et al., 1992) and 239±5.73 days in RIR managed by small holder
farmers in Northern Ethiopia (Lemlem and Tesfay, 2010). Age of Sexual maturity has long been
considered an important fecundity and hereditary trait. The primary studies for this trait decided that it is
one of the easiest characters to establish in a flock through selective breeding, especially if attention is
given to the selection of maturity used of males from early maturity dam’s pullet starting to lay at an
earlier age were smaller than that of late sexual maturity (Hutt, 1949).
The RIR had significantly (p<0.05) higher mean day old body weight (35.42±1.14 g), final body weight
(1350±33.76 g), body weight gain (1314±31.77 g) and gain per bird per day (8.5±0.17 g) than those of
31.82±0.85 g, 1220±36.55 g, 1188±35.45 g and 7.7±0.23 g for Bovans White respectively. Similar mean
day old body weight (35.2 g), final body weight (1394 g), body weight gain (1359 g) and gain per bird per
day (8.8 g) were recorded in RIR under intensive management in North West Ethiopia (Halima et al.,
2006). Lower day old weight (31.30 g) and higher body weight (1640 g) and body weight gain (1608 g) in
RIR were recorded under intensive management in Pakistan (Tabinda et al., 2012). Lower day old weight
(28.08 g) and higher body weight (1522 g) in RIR were recorded under intensive management in
Bangladesh (Barua et al., 1992). The different mean values from different studies may be due to
difference in management and different agro-ecological conditions of study areas. The higher weight of
new born chicks of RIR could be due to larger egg size than Bovans White chicks. RIR breed gained
more weight than Bovans White which could be explained for the variation in genotype.
95 Page

Hosted@www.ijlr.org
 Vol 4(2) May’14
International Journal of Livestock Research ISSN 2277-1964 ONLINE

Table 1 Comparison of the growth performance of Rode Island Red (RIR) and Bovans White chickens in
Mekelle, Ethiopia from day-old to 22 weeks of age.
RIR BW
Mean±SE Mean±SE
Age of sexual maturity, (days) 154.55a±3.45 139.40b±2.95
a
Day old body wt/bird (g) 35.42 ±1.14 31.82b±0.85
Final body wt/bird (g) 1350a±33.76 1220b±36.55
a
Body wt gain (kg) 1314 ±31.77 1188b±35.45
a
Gain/bird /day (g) 8.5 ±0.17 7.7a±0.23
Feed intake/bird (kg) 8.75a±0.21 9.60a±0.32
a
Feed intake /bird/day (g) 56.75 ±4.32 62.30a±4.22
a
FCR (kg feed/ kg gain) 6.65 ±0.34 8.00b±0.41
a
Mortality (%) 10.30 ±1.30 17.50b±2.00
a, b
: Means with different superscripts in a row are significantly different at P < 0.05

Bovans White had significantly (p<0.05) higher mean feed intake per bird (9.60±0.32 kg), feed intake per
bird per day (62.30±4.22 g) and FCR (8.00±0.41) than those of 8.75±0.21 kg, 56.75±4.32 g and
6.65±0.34 for RIR respectively. Higher mean feed intake per bird (12.8 kg), feed intake per bird per day
(83.3 g) and FCR (9.5) were reported for RIR under intensive management in North West Ethiopia
(Halima et al., 2006). Lower mean feed intake per bird (7.62 kg) and FCR (4.64) were reported for RIR
under intensive management in Pakistan (Tabinda et al., 2012). Lower FCR (4.72) and average feed
consumption (7054.93 g) were also reported for RIR under intensive management in Bangladesh (Barua
et al., 1992). The difference in growth rate or body weight gain of chicken is due to interplay of multiply
genes and it could be improved through genetic selection (Chambers, 1990). These differences in body
weight could also be attributed to the environmental conditions such as season, temperature, humidity and
management. FCR is a measure of an animal's efficiency in converting feed mass into increases of the
desired output. Difference in FCR values in various studies may be due to different in feed composition,
feed moisture content, environmental conditions and management.
Mortality from hatching to maturity was higher (P<0.05) in Bovans White (17.50±2.00) than RIR
(10.30±1.30). Higher mortality rate in RIR is reported to be 18.9% under intensive management in North
West Ethiopia (Halima et al., 2006); 20% under intensive management in Pakistan (Tabinda et al., 2012)
and 12.5% under intensive management in Bangladesh (Barua et al., 1992). Mortality is an important
indicator for poor welfare (LayWel, 2006). Higher mortality was observed during growing period.
Improvement in managerial practices is necessary to reduce mortality among chicks.
Conclusion
96 Page

Hosted@www.ijlr.org
 Vol 4(2) May’14
International Journal of Livestock Research ISSN 2277-1964 ONLINE

Production performance of RIR and Bovans White under intensive system in Mekelle indicated that RIR
performed better than Bovans White. Higher mortality percentage and FCR among chicken indicate
improvement in managemental practices.
Acknowledgements
The authors are grateful to Dean and Head, College of Veterinary Medicine for general support during
this study.
References
1. Abebe H. 1987. Annual progress report of the poultry section of the Debre Zeit agricultural
research center. Mimeographed report. Debre Zeit Agricultural Research Center.
2. Abebe H. 1992. Terminal report on the comparative evaluation of native chicken in the Hararge
Administrative region and their crosses with the single comb white Leghorn. Memeographed
report. Alemaya University of Agriculture.
3. Alamargot. 1987. Avian Physiology of Industrial Poultry Farms in Ethiopia. pp.114-117.
Proceedings of the First National Livestock Improvement Conference 11-13 Feb. 1987. Addis
Ababa, Ethiopia
4. Bain M. 2005. Recent advances in the assessment of egg shell quality and their future application.
World's Poult. Sci. J., 61:268-277.
5. Barua A, Devanath SC. and Hamid MA. 1992. A study on the performance of Rhode Island Red,
White Leghorn and their cross with Naked Neck chicken. Asian-Aus. J. Anim. Sci. 5(1) : 25-27
6. Brannang E. and Persson S. 1990. Ethiopian animal husbandry. A Handbook. Swedish University
of Agricultural Sciences. International Rural development Center. Uppsala, Sweden.
7. CACC (Central Agricultural Census Commission). 2003. Statistical report on farm management
practices, livestock and farm managements Central Statistical Authority report of 2004-2005, 2,
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
8. Chambers JR. 1990. Genetics of growth and meat production in chickens. In: R.D. Crawford (ed.)
In poultry breeding and genetics. Elsevier Science Publisher, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, pp
599-643.
9. CSA. 2012/13. Agricultural sample survey. Report on livestock and livestock characteristics. The
Federal Democratic republic of Ethiopia, Central Statistical Agency (CSA). Private Peasant
Holdings. Statistical Bulletin 570, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, April, 2013.
10. Demeke S. 2007. Comparative nutritive value and protein qualities of Atella and industrial
brewers grains in poultry ration in Ethiopia. Livestock Research for rural Development. The
International Journal for Research into Sustainable Developing World Agriculture. CIPAV, Cali,
Colombia.
11. FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations) data, 2005. Rome, Italy.
12. Halima H. Mogesse. 2007. Phenotypic and genetic characterization of indigenous chicken
populations in Northwest Ethiopia. PhD Thesis. University of the Free State, Bloemfontein,
South Africa
13. Halima Hassen, FWC Neser, A de Kock and E Van Marle-Köster. 2006. Growth performance of
indigenous chickens under intensive management conditions in Northwest Ethiopia. South
African Journal of Animal Science 2006, 36 (Issue 5, Supplement 1).
14. Hutt F B. 1949. Genetics of the fowl. New York (NY): M.C. Grow-Hull Booco, Inc.
15. LayWel. 2006. Welfare implications of changes in production systems for laying hens: a
97

European project. (In particular Work Package 1: Laying hen welfare definitions and indicators).
[Cited 2008 Dec 10]. Available from: http://www.laywel.eu
Page

Hosted@www.ijlr.org
 Vol 4(2) May’14
International Journal of Livestock Research ISSN 2277-1964 ONLINE

16. Lemlem A and Tesfay Y. 2010. Performance of exotic and indigenous poultry breeds managed by
smallholder farmers in northern Ethiopia. Livestock Research for Rural Development. Volume 22,
Article #133. Retrieved March 7, 2014, from http://www.lrrd.org/lrrd22/7/leml22133.htm
17. Moges F, Abera M and Tadelle D. 2010. Assessment of village chicken production system and
evaluation of the productive and reproductive performance of local chicken ecotype in Bure
district, North West Ethiopia. African J. Agri. Res., 5 (13):1739-1748.
18. MoM. 1998. Mekelle office of metrology. Info. Doc. Note. Mekelle, Ethiopia.
19. Solomon D. 2004. Egg production performance of local and White leghorn hens under intensive
and rural household conditions in Ethiopia. Livestock Research for rural development. The
International Journal for Research into Sustainable Developing World Agriculture. CIPAV, Cali,
Colombia
20. Solomon D. 2007. Suitability of hay-box brooding technology to rural household poultry
production system. Jimma University College of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Jimma,
Ethiopia.
21. SPSS. 2007. Statistical Package for Social Sciences SPSS for windows. User’s guide: Statistics
version 17. Inc. Cary, NC.
22. Tabinda Khawaja, Sohail Hassan Khan, Nasir Mukhtar, Mian Asghar Ali, Tanveew Ahmed and
Abdul Ghafar. 2012. Comparative study of growth performance, egg production, egg
characteristics and hemato-biochemical parameters of Desi, Fayoumi and Rhode Island Red
chicken. Journal of Applied Research, 40(4): 273-283
23. Tadelle D, Million T, Alemu Y and Peters K. 2003. Village chicken production systems in
Ethiopia: 2. Use patterns and performance valuation and chicken products and socio-economic
functions of chicken. Lives. Res. for Rural Dev. 15 (1).
24. Teketel F. 1986. Studies on the Meat Production Potential of Some Local Strains of Chickens in
Ethiopia. PhD Thesis, J. L. University of Giessen, Germany.
25. Yami A and Dessie T. 1997. The Status of Poultry Research and Development in Ethiopia, pp.
40-60. In: Fifth National Conference of Ethiopian Society of Animal Production (ESAP), 15-17
May 1997, Addis Ababa Ethiopia.

98 Page

Hosted@www.ijlr.org