Comparison of growth performances with three different Korean native chickens for a twelve-week post hatch period

This study was conducted to compare the growth performances of three groups of commercial Korean native chickens (KNCs) including two strains of crossbreeds and H3 (Hanhyeop 3) from hatch to twelve weeks of age. (1A, 2A, and H3). A total of 468 one-day-old chicks were allocated in a completely randomized design with 15 replicates per treatment for the crossbreeds and 9 replicates per treatment for H3 (12 birds per cage). Commercial broiler diets (i.e., Week 0 - 5 crude protein [CP] 22.0%, metabolizable energy [ME] 3,025 kcal·kg^-1; week 5 - 8 CP 20.0%, ME 3,100 kcal·kg^-1; week 8 - 12 CP 19.0%, ME 3,150 kcal·kg^-1) were provided according to the Korean Feeding Standard for Poultry on an ad-libitum basis with fresh clean water during the twelve-week period. Body weight gain and shank length (SL) were measured weekly until week 6 and bi-weekly during week 6 to 12. Compared to H3, the two crossbreed groups had a higher body weight (BW) on weeks 3 to 8; however, the bodyweight of H3 on week 10 was significantly higher than the other groups (p < 0.05). Moreover, the average daily feed intake (ADFI) of H3 was higher than that of the two crossbreed groups from hatching to 84 days except for week 3, and H3 showed a lower average daily gain (ADG) on weeks 3 and 10 (p < 0.05). Furthermore, H3 had a higher feed conversion ratio compared to another crossbreed chicken on weeks 1 to 8 and the last week after hatching. Among all the groups, there was no significant difference for shank length during the experimental period.