ABSTRACT
This research evaluates the effectiveness of local hatcheries in producing quality broiler day-old chicks in Ghana. A total of 600 Cobb 500 unsexed day-old broiler chicks obtained from 3 local hatcheries were raised for 6 wk with recommended starter and finisher diets from a registered source. The parameters measured included feed intake, body weights, body weight gain, feed conversion ratio, percent mortality, and haemagglutination inhibition test against Newcastle Disease virus and Infectious Bursal Disease virus (IBDv) during the first 2 wk. At the end of the study, 2 birds from each hatchery were selected and slaughtered to assess carcass parameters and primal parts including shank, neck, and head. Data were analyzed using the GLM Procedure of SAS 9.4 at P < 0.05 and LS means separated by the PDIFF of SAS. Results indicated that with the exception of the initial weight of the chicks, all other parameters were not different between the 3 hatcheries. The maternal antibody titre against IBDv was higher for all chicks but the response to Newcastle Disease virus and IBDv was relatively low in 1 hatchery. It could be concluded that the sources of chicks influenced initial chick weight but not the post-hatch performance. There is concern about the maternal antibodies levels of the chicks, which could be due to lack of appropriate and efficient vaccination of chicks.
