ABSTRACT:

Various strains possess distinct genetic characteristics that influence egg yield and laying reliability. This study was conducted to comparatively evaluate the egg production performance of Isa Brown layer and Nera black chicken strains at the teaching and research farm of Akwa Ibom State University. A total of 100 birds, 50 each of Isa Brown and Nera black chickens were used for the study. The parameters measured include feed intake, age at first egg, age at 5% lay, Age at peak lay, body weight at first egg and egg number on henday basis. The experimental design used was a completely randomized design composed of two treatments with five replicates of 10 birds per replicates for each treatment. Descriptive statistics was used to summarize all data obtained from the experiment. Data collected in the experiment was subjected to an independent T-test to compare means between the two strains. The results obtained for feed intake indicated that Nera black and Isa-Brown showed similar trends in feed intake; as the egg reaches its peak and started reducing, the feed intake decreased as well. The Nera black strain was more efficient in converting feed to egg, despite its higher feed consumption. Results on Reproductive performance revealed that the age at first egg lay for Isa brown and Nera black was 128.00 days (18 weeks) and 120.67 days (17 weeks) respectively. Nera black was the more efficient egg producer, laying its first egg earlier and reaching peak production later at 308 days (44 weeks) than Isa brown 280 days ( 40 weeks old). Results on egg production showed that Nera Black hens reached a peak production rate of 96%, outperforming Isa Brown hens, which achieved 91%. This suggests Nera Black’s superior efficiency in egg production. As the hens aged, a slight decline in the production curve was observed, indicating a gradual decrease in egg output over time. It was therefore concluded that Nera Black hens demonstrated superior productivity and efficiency in egg production, outperforming Isa Brown hens in peak production rate and age at first egg lay making them a preferred choice for egg production in the study area