Heterozygosity at Red Cell Antigen Locus L and Fertility in Chickens.

A literature review on chicken blood groups provides ample evidence in support of an association between red cell antigens of chickens and performance traits of economic importance such as egg production, hatchability, weight of chicks at 9 to 10 weeks, and liveability of progeny, (see reviews by GILMOUR [1960] and BRILES [1964]). This evidence indicates a selective advantage of heterozygosis for blood group genes. The purpose of the present paper is to record further evidence of a similar advantage of heterozygosis at blood group locus L in either parent for fertility.