Abstract: F₂ resource populations, consisting of 4 branch families, were constructed from reciprocal out-crossings of Xinghua chickens (Line A), White Recessive Rocks (Line B) and Taihe Silkies (Line C), in which the mating of male line A and female line B, male line B and female line A, male line A and female line C, male line C and female line A produced full-sib and half-sib individuals, with outbred F-2 design. From then growth performance and meat quality traits in F₂ individuals were measured and depicted by stages. The analysis of phenotypic values indicated that the measured traits on growth performance and meat quality were segregating well in F2 individuals. The population size is large enough, and the resource population can correct maternal and environmental effects. It can promise the scale and density of single nucleotide polymorphisms and the accuracy of QTL mapping. Therefore, the construction of resource populations achieved the expected aim.

Key words: chicken, growth trait, meat trait, resource population, quantitative trait loci (QTL)