Inheritance of broodiness in the domestic fowl

Broodiness is a behavioural trait observed in most common breeds of domestic fowl with the exception of the White Leghorn. The genetics of broodiness has been investigated and has produced conflicting observations: some authors have produced evidence suggesting that the trait is polygenic with a major sex-linked effect (review Hutt, 1949; Saeki, 1957; Saeki and Inoue, 1979), while others found no evidence of sex-linked genes for broodiness in the Rhode Island Red (Hays, 1940). The aim of this study was to reassess the possibility that there is a major gene located on the Z chromosome implicated in the control of broodiness. The identification of the location of such a gene or its markers would facilitate marker-assisted selection against broodiness...