Key Features:

No of Pages: 49

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Abstract:

Sex determination of Nigerian indigenous frizzle feathered and naked neck chicks has been a difficult task especially due to the monomorphism and high variation in the feather colour of this indigenous chickens using the feather sexing method. Thus, the vent sexing method is cheap and easy to carry out depending on the level of expertise and the molecular sexing technique was developed from recent studies to accurately sex birds using a PCR based sex determination protocol targeting the CHD-W and CHD-Z genes in the chicken’s chromosome Z and chromosome W respectively. The percentage accuracy of vent sexing method obtained in this study were 66.7% and 77.8% for the frizzle feathered and naked neck chicks respectively. The result observed from this study show that the vent sexing method is easy and cheap to carry out but relatively low in accuracy and carrying out the PCR method was expensive and inefficient due to the ineffectiveness of the DNA premix used in this study.

Table of Content:

Title Page …………………………………………………………………...…………………i

Certification ………………………………………………………...…………….…..…………. ii

Dedication……………………………………………………………………...………..………..iii

Acknowledgement…………………………………………………...………………………….. iv

Abstract……………………………………………………………………………………………v

Table of contents………………………………………………………….………………………vi

List of Tables……………………………………………………………………...…………...….ix

List of Figures…………………………………………………………………………………….ix

List of Plates……………………………………………………………………….……………..ix

CHAPTER ONE

1.0 INTRODUCTION……………………………………………………………...…………1

1.1 Justification…………………………………………………………..……………4

1.2 Objectives………………………………………………………..………………..4

1.2.1 Broad Objective………………………………………………..………….4

1.2.2 Specific Objectives……………………………………………….....…….4

CHAPTER TWO

2.0 LITERATURE RIVIEW

2.1 The Nigerian Indigenous chicken……………………………………..…………..5

2.2 The Frizzle feathered chicken……………………………………….…………….6

2.3 The Naked neck chicken……………………………………………….………….7

2.4 Sex Identification in chicken………………………………………...……………8

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2.5 Vent sexing of chicken……………………………………...……………………..9

2.6 Molecular techniques for sexing of chicken…………………………..…………10

2.6.1 DNA sampling………………………………………………………..….10

2.6.2 DNA storage……………………………………………..………………11

2.6.3 DNA extraction methods……………………………...…………………11

2.7 Sexing techniques based on Polymerase chain reaction (PCR)……………….…11

2.7.1 Reagents in regular PCR…………………………………………………12

2.7.2 PCR process and regular temperature profiles……………………...……13

2.8 Electrophoresis………………………………………………………...…………15

2.8.1 Gel electrophoresis………………………………………….……………15

2.9 CHD gene - based sex identification……………………….……………………16

CHAPTER THREE

3.0 MATERIALS AND METHODS

3.1 Experimental site……………………………………………………..………….18

3.2 Experimental birds……………………………………………...………………..18

3.3 Management of birds…………………………………………………………….18

3.4 Semen collection and Artificial insemination……………………………………18

3.5 Egg collection and Incubation……………………………………...……………19

3.6 Collection of chicks and Tagging…………………………….………………….19

3.7 Vent sexing……………………………………………………...……………….19

3.8 Collection of Genomic DNA Samples……………………………………..…….20

3.9 Genomic DNA Extraction…………………………………………..……………20

3.10 Genomic DNA quantity and quality check…………………..…………………..21

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3.11 Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) amplification……………….……………….21

3.12 Electrophoresis……………………………………..…………………………….22

3.13 Data Collection………………………………………..…………………………22

3.14 Verification exercise……………………………………………………………..23

3.15 Statistical Analysis……………………………………………………………….23

CHAPTER FOUR

4.0 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

4.1 Results…………..………………………………………………………………..25

4.2 Discussion…………………….………………………………………………….34

CHAPTER FIVE

5.0 CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION

5.1 Conclusion……………………………………………………...………………..35

5.2 Recommendation………………………………………….……………………..35

REFERENCES……………………………….………………………………………………….37