INHERITANCE OF OVIDUCT WEIGHT AND INTERRELATIONSHIPS WITH OTHER PRODUCTION CHARACTERS IN LAYER CHICKEN

Oviduct weight at 72 weeks of age in a selected strain (x = 41.7 g) sh owed that non-normality of distribution in the form of negative skewne ss. Sire component heritabilily was 0.65+/-0.32 for oviduct weight, 0. 75+/-0.32 for body weight and 0.86+/-0.33 for egg weight. Oviduct weig ht had positive genetic correlations, being in the range of 0.52 to 0. 940, with body weight, egg weight, egg number, egg mass and egg produc tion efficiency. The phenotypic correlations were also positive but lo wer in magnitude.