GENETIC DIFFERENCES IN REPRODUCTIVE PARAMETERS IN TURKEY MALES

Abstract

The present study was canied out at Mahallet Mousa, Kafer El-Shickh Governorate, Animal and Poultry Research Institute. The aim of this work was to study the genetic differences for the semen traits for Black Bronze and White Holland turkey breeds and their crosses which reared under Egyptian environmental conditions. 60 Black Bronze (BB) and 60 White Holland (HH) females were mated with 10 tomes form the same breeds to obtain three successive hatches. The result's obtained from this study indicated that Bronze males and females were heavier body weight than Holland. The result also showed that crossbreds (BH and HB) was higher body weight and body measurements (shank length and body depth) when compared with purebred. The BH crossbred had the lowest GOT level, highest abnormal sperm and higher semen volume when fed 12 or 17% protein before start of starvation, while HB crossbred had the lowest either dead sperm or abnormal sperm per 200 sperm. Purebred Bronze and Holland revealed the highest reduction for sperm concentarion as compared with crossbreds (BH & HB) at 7 days of the end of starvation.