Electrophoretic serum protein fractions in dwart and normal layer hens and their correlations with productive traits

Normal and dwarf Fayoumi-cross layers aged 43 weeks, belonging to 7 sire families, were compared for serum protein profiles, using a polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis technique. Phenotypic correlations between serum protein percentages and productive traits were estimated. Albumin p. 100 for dwarf layers represented 91.8 p. 100 of that of the normal ones. Dwarf layers had significantly higher beta sub(1)-globulin p. 100 than their normal counterparts. Total globulin p. 100 was higher for dwarf layers than for the normal ones. Sire family effect was only significant for gamma sub(1)-globulin p. 100, while the sire family x genotype interaction did not show any significance for serum protein percentages. Most of the phenotypic correlations of serum protein percentages with productive traits were insignificant. gamma sub(2)-globulin p. 100 was negatively correlated with body weight at 8 weeks of age.