Turkey Breeders Flashcards
what is a hybrid artisan gold look like
- black legs/feet
- darker feathers
- roosts
- exotic flavour
what day is hen day egg production
101-124 eggs per hen
what is poult production
85 - 106 poults per hen
what type of housing do they hae
- litter floors
- smaller pens during the breeding the period (femals numbers per pen relates to insemination capacity )
what are the brooding and rearing numbers
0-30 weeks
breeding period
30-58 weeks
- males and females kept seperate
- nest control from keeping the females from going broody ( instinct to set eggs)
what do you select for toms in breeder canidates
- anatomical defects and body weight
- start three to four times as many toms as required
- group according to size
what do they select for with hens
- freedoms from defects
- hourse 25% more hens than required
how do you control growth rate in toms and what are the advantages
- feed restriction and low protein
- imporved reproductive capacity and improved feed efficiency
what is selected for in hens
- full feed on a low protein pre breeder ration
- feed restriction
what is artificial insemination
- all turkeys reproduct through AI
- stud farms (doesnt freeze)
- AI schedule - inseminate before first eggs, more frequent early, weekly thereafter
- initiate periodic twice a week insemmination after 9 weeks of lay
what are lighting programs
- daylength ( light tight barns, early brooding and rearing not as important, reduce daylength in late rearing)
what are lighting programs for toms
- less requirement for short daylength
- lit before hens
lighting programs for hens
- lit at 29 to 30 weeks of age
- may increase daylength by 1 or 2 hours later in breeding cycle
broodiness prevention
- walk through flock
- use semi trap nests
- frequent egg collection
- remove hens from nests
- uniform light
what should you do if you suspect broodiness
- paint suspect hens
- rectal palpation (is it dry)
- evert oviduct
- good ventilation ( less comfortable)
- switch breeder pens
why do you want uniform light
-prevent dark spaces in barns
- birds like to lay eggs in dark areas
what is a broody pen
- a series of pens that are meant for broody birds to stop behaviour
- different flooring type
- bright light and long day length
- cool temperatures and ventilation
- flooring, light and air are the biggest things we can influence
- works on most birds
how long should birds be in the broody area
- 4 days
what types of vaccines are available
- immunize against vasoactive intestinal peptide
- regulates prolactin release
- prolactin induces broodiness
- restricted to one company in minnesota
