Bioeconomic linkages between efficient meat production and reproductive fitness in meat-type chickens

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

This program focuses on optimizing the genetic and environmental influences on the broiler chicken production continuum from commercial pureline genotypes, through parent stock production, incubation, broiler growth and meat yield dynamics. The approach employed is to characterize commercial products in terms of reproductive fitness (egg production, egg quality, feed efficiency), incubation physiology (residual yolk utilization and chick quality), broiler chicken growth rate, feed efficiency, breast muscle yield, muscle biology, carcass composition) and ultimately link the biology of the bird to commercially valuable traits in the whole bird, and further processed. Commercial breeding companies benefit through our physiological approaches used to identify selection criteria, based on intensive individual bird characterization. The program directly aids the Canadian broiler chicken supply chain by providing decision support to the hatching egg, broiler, and meat processing industries.