Early body‐weight selection of broiler breeder males in relation to reproductive and growth performance of their offspring
- 8 November 1979
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Taylor & Francis in British Poultry Science
- Vol. 20 (6) , 565-570
- https://doi.org/10.1080/00071667908416622
Abstract
1. The effectiveness of selection of broiler breeder males for body weight at 3 weeks of age on later growth, semen quality and performance of progeny has been tested. 2. Correlation between 3‐ and 20‐week body weights in the breeders was poor but significant. 3. On the basis of 3‐week body weight males were divided into heavy birds (mean+ 0.5 standard deviation) and all birds. 4. Semen quality was not different between the two groups, but some selection for semen quality was practised within groups. 5. There were no differences in fertility and hatchability of eggs produced from hens artificially inseminated with diluted, stored semen from both groups. 6. There was a small, positive, but non‐significant, effect of selection of breeder males on body weight of progeny at 6 weeks of age.Keywords
This publication has 1 reference indexed in Scilit:
- Fertility and hatchability results with fowl spermatozoa stored in fresh and freeze?dried diluentBritish Poultry Science, 1972