Genetic Evaluation of Pekin, Nageswari and Pekin × Nageswari Crossbred Duck for Growth and Egg Production Traits Under Intensive Management Condition

Duck is an important genetic resource primarily used for egg and meat in Bangladesh. This study evaluated the growth performance and egg production potentials of Pekin (P) × Nageswari (N) crossbred ducks compared to its parental Pekin and Nageswari breeds. The growth performance data of 440 P×N crossbreds were collected from three generations (F1, F2, and F3), while the first two generations' data on productive and reproductive traits were considered. Besides, performances of parental Pekin and Nageswari ducks (100 from each breed) were included in the evaluation process. The growth performance significantly differed among the Pekin, Nageswari and P×N crossbreds from day old to the 12th week of age (P < 0.001). The average live weight of the Nageswari duck was 1367 ± 17.38 g at the 12th week of age and was 1703.02 ± 19.76, 1910.46 ± 18.81 and 1826.49 ± 20.63 g, respectively, in F1, F2 and F3 crossbreds that close to the parental Pekin duck (1908.26 ± 34.18 g). Growth performance was superior in all three crossbred generations up to the 12th week of age except day old. The positive heterosis varied from 3.86 to 15.64% at marketing age (12th week). The P×N crossbreds attained sexual maturity two weeks earlier than the Pekin duck. The hen day egg production (HDEP%) was significant (P < 0.01) among the genotypes up to the 40th week of age except the 28th week. The total number of eggs up to 280 days in Pekin, Nageswari and two P×N crossbred F1 and F2 generations were 90.54, 92.32, 86.61 and 94.08, respectively. The egg weight of parental pure breeds and P×N crossbreds differed significantly (P < 0.05) during the investigated periods from the 24th to the 40th week of age. This result reflects the significance of non-additive genetic effects on growth traits. In conclusion, the genetic evaluation involving three generations of data essentially helps to establish the performances of the developed P×N crossbred duck.