Performances De Productions De La Poule Locale Kabyle

The objective of this study is to evaluate the potential for meat and egg production of the local Kabyle hen through a characterisation of its growth and egg-laying performances. Growth performances have been carried out on 204 chicks over 17 weeks, from March to June 2011. At 16 weeks, the mortality rate was 9.31% and the index of consumption was 6.78. The Gompertz equation adopted as the growth model, led to the following relations. For males: y - 2409 × exp (-3.68 × exp (-0.0260 × t)) ; For females: y - 1835 × exp (-3.71 × exp (-0.0294 × t)) ; Where y is the weight of the chicks in grams, and the their age in days. The egg-laying performance was observed in 38 hens over 52 weeks, from August 2011 to August 2012. On average, egg-laying starts at 166 days of age and a weight of about 1334g. Hens lay on average 173 eggs per year, each weighing between 44 and 53g, on average. The variation in the mean weight is related to the age of the hen. To the light of these results, it seems that the Kabyle hen constitutes a promising local breed both from the points of view of growth in body mass, and egg-laying. From the collected data, it may be possible to develop a selection program to enhance its meat and egg production potentials.