CRITERIA FOR SELECTION OF HIGHLY PRODUCTIVE GUINEA FOOLS FOR REPRODUCING PARENT STOCK

Abstract

In order to increase the reproductive qualities of guinea fowls of the parent flock bred on a farm, along with egg production, it is necessary to control the age of puberty of the bird. By using sperm from early-maturing males in artificial insemination of guinea fowls, incubation rates can be significantly increased when breeding Volga white guinea fowls on a farm. The selection of poultry based on precocity will improve the composition of the parent flock of guinea fowl, increase the profitability of the farm by improving the quality of eggs obtained from them and increasing the number of hatchlings. A comprehensive study of the patterns of growth and development of farm guinea fowl, as well as the introduction of new approaches to breeding, will make it possible to develop and implement methods for selecting guinea fowls based on phenotypic and genotypic characteristics. It will also provide an opportunity to create a promising breeding program and develop a methodology for selecting highly productive guinea fowls based on traits with additive and non-additive conditioning. It will be important to determine appropriate selection parameters for paternal and maternal guinea fowl lines based on reproductive performance and meat qualities. Optimal parameters of the live weight of birds in different age periods have been established. The introduction of this program over 4 years of breeding work has increased the yield of meat from the parent pair of guinea fowl by 5.1–5.8%, while maintaining a high yield of edible parts and excellent taste characteristics of meat.