CALIFORNIA AGRICULTURAL EXTENSION SERVICE CIRCULAR 143 APRIL, 1948 select i ho tor Keys FOR BREEDING IMPROVEMENT W. E. NEWLON AND V. S. ASMUNDSON improved Market Quality of Turkeys ... is the goal of all those in the industry. The part that selection of breeding stock plays in achieving this goal has been brought sharply to attention in recent months by the new Marketing Agreement for Turkey Breeding Improvement in California. THIS CIRCULAR is designed to aid turkey grow- ers of all categories— flock owners, breeders, and hatcherymen— in selecting their breeding stock for improvement of market quality. It is the intention to treat only those physical characteristics which can be seen and measured. No attempt is made to discuss the relative merits of the different varieties. WITH PRACTICE any grower can gain the skill necessary to handle turkeys and to recognize the de- fects and deformities which are obvious. This skill in selection, plus the proper use of selected birds, will pay good dividends in the production of turkeys of improved market quality. The Authors: W. E. Newlon is Specialist in Agricultural Extension. V. S. Asmundson is Professor of Poultry Husbandry and Poultry Husbandman in the Experiment Station. Selecting Turkeys for Breeding Improvement W. E. Newlon and V. S. Asmundson THERE ARE certain factors which, irrespective of color or variety, will enter into the selection of turkeys of good breeding stock. These include the superior meat qualities which are to be found in birds with broad, well- fleshed breast; straight, long keel; and flat, wide back. They also include the elimination of deformities and defects such as blindness, crooked keel, split wing, and abnormal legs, hocks, and toes. Certain of these abnormalities are known to be hereditary; others may also be heritable. Hence any such defective birds should be eliminated from the breeding flock. The variety of turkey must be con- sidered for color and size, and for nor- mal conformation. Each variety of turkey has its* own typical color of plumage. Each variety has an ideal body weight. Likewise, there is a typi- cal conformation or body structure for each variety. These factors have been established in the American Standard of Perfection and in the National Tur- key Improvement Plan. They are the first factors to consider in making a selection. Selection Not Enough; Birds Must Be Used Mere selection without an adequate program to use the selected birds may not result in improvement. Many will use the selected birds without further subdividing them in the breeding pens. If relatively few birds are eliminated by the selection, such use of the se- lected birds will result in little change or improvement in subsequent years. Where it is desired to improve the flock, the best third or, at most, the best half, should be placed in a sepa- rate breeding group or groups and next year's poults raised from these specially selected birds. More rapid progress may be made by purchasing enough poults from a breeder who has a superior strain (preferably one who is doing trapnesting, pedigree breed- ing, and family selection), to furnish males to head the special breeding pens for the next year. Cure in Co tching und Handling Pays Dividends The importance of using care in catching and handling turkeys cannot be overemphasized. Many experienced growers do not use the proper care to avoid injury, and thus are penalized by a reduced market quality of many birds. There are several accepted methods for catching the turkeys. One popular method is to run the birds up an ele- vated chute and onto a catching plat- form about waist high. Some growers use chutes or runways at ground level; these may have pits dug at the side which place the handler at waist level, [3 and allow the ground around the pit to serve as a handling table. A third method is to drive the birds into a small enclosure. For such a pen, one end of a piece of wire fencing may be fixed to a fence or to the side of a build- ing, and the other end may be used as a gate. Observe Approach For Norma/ Gait Whatever method is used for cor- ralling the birds, the arrangements should be such that the handler can observe each individual turkey as it approaches. For the handler to be at eye level with the bird aids in this in- spection. However, if a chute or catch- ing platform is not used then the birds should be carefully observed on the ground before being caught. It is at this point that birds with abnormal gait are to be eliminated. Abnormal gait is indicated by hocks which visibly turn in or out, making birds appear knock-kneed or pigeon- toed, and by lameness in walk. ._>" Guard Against Injury . , . . . . In Catching If the bird is below waist level, then it should be caught by the wings as near the body as possible. To avoid possible injury the bird never should be carried by one wing, and preferably should be carried by the shanks and one wing as illustrated. Note that the legs are held below the feathers, thus avoiding bruising the muscles and pulling the feathers. Holding the legs rigidly straight tends to prevent strug- gling. If the bird is at or above waist level the bird should be caught by both shanks in such a way that the breast does not drop hard enough to bruise it. The bird should then be lifted as shown in this picture. . . . tn Holding There are several ways of holding a turkey while deciding on its fitness for the breeding pen. Perhaps the most common is to hold the shanks with one hand, leaving the other hand free for making the examination. The bird may rest on the knee, on the ground, or on a table. . In Examining If a second person is available to hold the bird, the examination is made easier and faster. . . . In Releasing To guard against injury place the bird on the ground before releasing it. The heavier the bird the more important it is to handle it carefully. [6] Some Defects are Plainly Visible , . . Some turkeys can be eliminated quickly because of their obvious de- fects of crooked back, split wing, and pendulous crop, pictured on this page and the next. Other defects which can be immediately seen are off-color, de- formed tail, and abnormal gait, and these may be eliminated before the final handling. The defect of crooked back is shown plainly in the dressed bird on the left above, and may be compared with the desired broad, flat back of the bird on the right. [7] . . . Other Defects are found Only in Handling After eliminating turkeys with ob- vious defects, remaining birds must be examined individually. For this work a definite procedure should be adopted. For example, the order might be head, wings, back, breast, legs. The order may be different, but it is best to adopt a routine procedure so that no part of the bird is overlooked. The head may be examined with a glance to assure that the beak and both eyes are normal. Foot defects also are easily seen: the hocks should not be puffed or enlarged, and shanks and toes should be straight. Examine the back as shown in the picture above, being sure it is reason- ably flat, wide throughout its entire length, and free from deformities. Inspect Open Wings for feathering and folding The wings should be opened for ex- amination to make certain that no abnormality has been missed. In the upper picture, the wing is held open by pressing fingers on the elbow joint. In examining the wings it must be remembered that an immature bird may not have grown in the axial feather and nearest primaries, and what appears to be a deformity may be corrected as the bird matures. Birds of market age showing the deformity should be discarded. In a normal wing, the primary feath- ers (those between wing-tip and axial feather) fold under the secondary feathers (those between axial feather and elbow joint). If the feathers do not fold in this fashion, the bird should be discarded. Turkeys have bilateral symmetry— that is, each bird is alike on both sides. Feather deformity and even the color or markings of a single wing feather may be repeated on both sides of the bird. [10] Straight Heel Important To High Market Value The breast is probably the most im- portant part of the turkey, since it is raised primarily for meat. In selecting breeding birds the conformation of the breast should be carefully ob- served. This can be done only by han- dling. The deformity of crooked keel is a particularly serious one. It is difficult to picture in a live bird, but can be felt easily. The dressed birds pictured above show how this deformity may interfere with slicing breast meat and therefore greatly reduces market value. Turkeys may develop knobs or dents on the keel. This defect is shown in the drawings at right in which a defective bird may be compared with a normal one. The deformity of knobbed keel may develop from early roosting on narrow roosts. A well-fleshed turkey has good muscle development which makes the bird less susceptible to this deformity. While crooked keels may result from vitamin D deficiency and incorrect roosting, the tendency to produce such birds is apparently inherited. Birds with this defect should not be used for breeding. [ii] When in Doubt, Measure In the picture above it is quite ob- vious that the bird on the left is not broad breasted enough to make a good breeder. However, many times this characteristic is not so easy to see. The good rule to follow is: When in doubt, measure. According to the National Turkey t t t Improvement Plan specifications, to qualify as "broad breasted" a bird must have a breast S 1 /}" wide, 134" above the keel. There are numerous measur- ing devices which may be purchased. The commercial calipers have the ad- vantage of being adjustable to meas- ure the actual width of the breast. A good homemade device is just a semi- circle 3J/2" wide and 134" high, inside measurements, cut of plywood. A pat- tern is given here for use in cutting. The necessity to measure is demon- strated below. Without measuring it would appear that the two feathered turkeys are about equally broad breasted. Actually the bird on the left does not meet even the minimum re- quirements, while the bird on the right measures more than four inches wide. Dressed birds of similar measurements clearly show the superior meat quali- ties of the broad breasted turkey. Hens are Broader Breasted Than Toms of Same Age Contrary to what might be expected from their larger size, torn turkeys do not have wider breasts than hen tur- keys of similar age and breeding. When 24 weeks old, hens have slightly wider breasts than toms of similar breeding, although the toms are fifty per cent heavier. Both of the birds shown here qualify as "broad breasted." Since the torn has as much influence on next year's turkey flock as ten or more hens it pays to spend a little extra time to select the best. Points Considered in Grading for Market For birds of the same variety, width of breast has an important bearing on market grade. Shown below are hen turkeys illustrating, from left to right, market grades A, B, and C. There are three points on which each market tur- key is considered in grading, namely, fleshing, or the amount of flesh on the carcass; fat, that is the amount of fat under the skin, indicated by color be- neath the skin; and feathering, the ab- sence of pin feathers. There is a direct correlation between weight of bird and width of breast. Consequently, relatively few birds of small varieties, such as the Beltsville Small White, will qualify as broad breasted under the National Turkey Improvement Plan. mmmsm ■t :&:-- , : ,,, :: ::-.,,,:: S ::V r ,., :-^^_ ■■mm^m^ Desirable Weights in the Breeding Stages Six varieties— Bronze, Black, Slate, Narragansett, Bourbon Red, and White Holland— are described in the American Standard of Perfection, pub- lished by the American Poultry As- sociation. Several other varieties- Beltsville Small White, Jersey Buff, Royal Palm, Nittany, Crimson Dawn (Black-winged Bronze), and others such as the popular Broad Breasted Bronze— have not yet been admitted to the Standard of Perfection. All these varieties may be grouped into large- Standard Bronze and Broad Breasted Bronze; intermediate— N arr agansett, Bourbon Red, White Holland, Black, Slate, and Crimson Dawn; and small— Beltsville Small White, Jersey Buff, Nittany, and Royal Palm. The table below gives the maximum and mini- mum weights suggested for these groups of turkeys in the Breeding Stages of the National Turkey Im- provement Plan. SUGGESTED MINIMUM OR MAXIMUM BODY WEIGHTS BY AGES FOR VARIOUS VARIETIES IN ALL NATIONAL PLAN BREEDING STAGES Minimum Body Weight Maximum Body Weight Broad Standard Standard Beltsville Beltsville Other Small Breasted Other Than Bronze Small White Small White Varieties Bronze Bronze (Pounds) (Pounds) (Pounds) (Pounds) (Pounds) (Pounds) Toms 24 weeks 18 14 15 12 16 17.5 26 weeks 20 15.5 16.5 13 5 18 19 5 28 weeks 22 17.0 18 15 20 21.5 30 weeks 23 18.0 19 16 22 23 5 32 weeks 24 19.0 20 17 23 24.5 Hens 24 weeks 12 8.5 9.5 7 10 11 26 weeks 12.5 9 10 7 5 10 5 11.5 28 weeks 13 9.5 10 5 8 11 12 30 weeks 13.5 10 11 8.5 12 13 32 weeks 14 10.5 11.5 9 12.5 13 5 Cooperative Extension work in Agriculture and Home Economics, College of Agriculture, University of California, and United States Department of Agriculture cooperating. Distributed in furtherance of the Acts of Congress of May 8, and June 30, 1914. B. H. 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