Breeding method and application of broiler breed with high production performance and whole chicken consumption

Abstract

This invention relates to the field of poultry genetics and breeding technology, and particularly to a method and application for breeding broiler breeds suitable for whole-chicken consumption and with high production performance. This breeding method employs a three-line hybridization model, using a specialized white-feathered broiler sire line of the Cornish bloodline as the terminal sire line, a high-producing layer hen sire line of the Loch Ness Red bloodline as the first sire line, and a high-producing layer hen dam line of the Loch Ness White bloodline as the first maternal line. Through systematic selection and hybridization, a small white-feathered broiler breed suitable for whole-chicken consumption and with high production performance is bred. The commercial offspring have a symmetrical body shape, pure white feathers, yellow skin and shanks, and a moderate size, meeting the needs of whole-chicken consumption and processing such as braised chicken and roasted chicken. The parent stock has high reproductive performance, and the commercial offspring exhibit fast growth rate, high feed conversion rate, good carcass quality, low feed conversion ratio, and high breast muscle percentage. It allows for self-distinguishing between gold and silver feathers in the parent stock and between male and female offspring based on feather growth rate, significantly improving production management efficiency and possessing broad market prospects.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of poultry genetics and breeding technology, and in particular to a method and application for breeding broiler breeds that are suitable for whole chicken consumption and have high production performance. Background Technology

[0002] The 817 broiler chicken is a small-sized broiler chicken breed developed by the applicant on August 17, 1988, using a hybrid breeding model that utilizes fast-growing broiler male roosters as the paternal line and high-yielding commercial brown-shelled egg-laying chickens as the maternal line. After nearly 40 years of development, the number of small white-feathered broilers slaughtered and the amount of meat produced have both increased significantly, making it an important breed in broiler production.

[0003] The traditional 817 broiler breeding model is a six-line system. Currently, there is no standardized breeding system for 817 broilers in the market. Breeding is still done by simply crossbreeding fast-growing white-feathered broilers and ordinary laying hens without systematic supporting experiments. This results in mixed germplasm, unstable traits, and low production efficiency. Moreover, the traditional six-line system is cumbersome and has extremely high breeding costs, which limits its implementation by small and medium-sized breeding entities and restricts the sustainable and healthy development of the industry.

[0004] The existing patent 2015103339801 discloses a three-line breeding method for small white-feathered broilers, which realizes the structural simplification of "six-line breeding to three-line", but there are still the following industry technical problems: (1) The germplasm material is extensive. The terminal paternal line is directly purchased from general white-feathered broilers. The genetic heterozygosity of the germplasm is high, the uniformity of the body shape of the commercial chickens is poor, and the segregation of traits is serious. It cannot meet the standardized demand of the current high-quality whole chicken consumer market; (2) The supporting material is single and fixed. The parent maternal line adopts conventional hybrid materials of Loch Ness Red and Loch Ness White, which easily leads to poor production performance and low production economic benefits of commercial chickens; (3) The breeding process relies only on simple hybridization, resulting in poor variety stability and rapid generation degeneration. It cannot achieve large-scale stable breeding and insufficient production performance.

[0005] To address the aforementioned issues, it is urgent to develop a systematic and rationally combined breeding system for small-scale white-feathered broiler chickens that improves production performance and is suitable for high-quality whole-chicken slaughter, based on simplifying the six-line system and reducing production costs. This would standardize the quality of market seedlings, improve production performance, and promote the sustainable and healthy development of the small-scale white-feathered broiler chicken industry. Summary of the Invention

[0006] This invention provides a method and application for breeding broiler breeds that are suitable for whole chicken consumption and have high production performance. The selection of germplasm materials better meets the needs of targeted breeding, the combination of materials is reasonable, the cost is low, the commercial production performance is high, and the broiler body size is accurately adapted to the slaughter and consumption of premium whole chickens, thus solving the problems existing in the prior art.

[0007] One of the technical solutions adopted in this invention is: A method for breeding broiler breeds that are suitable for whole chicken consumption and have high production performance is provided, comprising the following steps: (1) Terminal paternal line selection Using specialized paternal lines of white-feathered broiler chickens with the White Cornish bloodline as breeding material, specifically, male and female paternal lines of white-feathered broiler chickens with the White Cornish bloodline were bred together to obtain generation 0 male and female chicks, and a generation 0 base group was established, named A line; closed-group family selection was carried out with early growth rate, feed conversion ratio, breast muscle rate and survival rate as the main selected traits; a combination of family selection and individual selection methods were used, and breeding was carried out based on a comprehensive selection index constructed from multi-trait breeding values, and breeding continued until the 4th generation to obtain the terminal paternal line A line; (2) Breeding of the first paternal lineage C and the first maternal lineage D The high-yielding laying hen paternal line of the Loch Ness Red lineage was used as the first paternal line and named the C line; the high-yielding laying hen maternal line of the Loch Ness White lineage was used as the first maternal line and named the D line. Pure breeding and selection were carried out on both lines, and pure breeding and selection were carried out until the 4th generation of chicks. Specifically, the C strain is obtained by breeding high-producing male and female hen chickens of the Rhode Island Red lineage. It is of medium size, produces a large number of eggs, and has brownish-red feathers. The D strain is obtained by breeding high-producing female hen chickens of the Rhode Island White lineage. It produces a large number of eggs and has white feathers. The C and D strains are selected with the main focus on improving reproductive performance. The family breeding method is adopted, with no less than 60 families for each strain. Avian leukosis and pullorum disease are tested at hatching, laying, and breeding time to achieve complete eradication of vertically transmitted diseases. C-type roosters have brownish-red plumage and the genotype is Z. s Z s D-strain hens have white feathers and the genotype is Z. S W; A cross between C and D lines, with male chicks born from parental CD females having silver plumage (Z). S Z s The mother chick's feathers are golden (Z). s W can distinguish the sex of the parents by their gold and silver plumage at 1 day old, with a self-distinguishing rate of over 98%, greatly reducing the error and labor cost of traditional vent-turning identification. (3) Select adult roosters of the fourth generation of C line and adult hens of the fourth generation of D line for breeding to obtain offspring of CD line; after the chicks are raised to adulthood, select CD line hens for the next step of crossbreeding; (4) Using terminal paternal line A-line roosters and CD-line hens to produce commercial ACD chicks. The commercial chicks are sexed by their feathering speed, with roosters having slow feathering and hens having fast feathering. The commercial chicks are of moderate size, with white feathers, yellow skin and shanks, fast growth rate, and high feed conversion rate, making them suitable for whole chicken consumption and processing. The above A lineage refers to fast-feathered chickens, and the rooster genotype is Z. k Z kThe C lineage is slow-feathered, and the rooster genotype is Z. K Z K The D lineage is fast-feathered, and the hen genotype is Z. k W; The offspring of the cross between the C and D lines, the CD line hens, are slow-feathered and have the genotype Z. K When W.A strain roosters are bred with CD strain hens, the commercial roosters are slow-feathered (Z). K Z k The hen is a fast-feathered (Z) k After hatching, the sex of a bird can be determined by its feather speed (length of the first wing feathers).

[0008] Furthermore, in step (1), the terminal paternal line A line improves the reproductive performance of the paternal parent through the BLUP method during the selection and breeding process of each generation, adjusts the light regime, weight control standards and sperm collection training time, so as to achieve the same breeding time as the maternal parent and solve the problem of large differences in the sexual maturity time between the paternal and maternal parents.

[0009] Furthermore, during the A-strain breeding process, all individuals in the flock were weighed at 25 days of age, and roosters whose weight was less than the mean minus 0.5 standard deviations were culled. At 6 weeks of age, weight, body size, and slaughter performance were measured, and about 300 roosters were selected as replacement roosters based on a comprehensive analysis of weight, feed conversion ratio, and breast muscle rate. Before being released for breeding at 40 weeks of age, eggs were collected to test for avian leukosis P27 antigen, the virus was isolated from rooster semen, and serum was collected to test for Salmonella, with positive individuals being culled. At 43 weeks of age, the BLUP method was used to calculate the breeding values ​​of body weight, meat production, feed conversion ratio, and egg production traits, and a multi-trait selection index was fitted for balanced mating to establish new families.

[0010] Furthermore, the A-line breeding process adopts the family-based breeding method, with no less than 60 families for each line. Each family consists of 1 rooster and 10 hens. During incubation, eggs from the same family are placed in the same hatching box, and after hatching, wing numbers are used to mark the individual and the family.

[0011] Furthermore, in step (2), when breeding purebred C and D lines, the main focus is on improving reproductive performance, with particular emphasis on the number of eggs laid, fertilization rate, and hatching rate of hens at 66 weeks of age; each line should retain no less than 60 families per batch, with a male-to-female ratio of 1:10 or higher; avian leukosis and pullorum disease should be tested during hatching, laying, and breeding, and negative flocks should be selected for breeding.

[0012] Furthermore, the reproductive performance of the C and D lines based on key traits includes age at first laying, number of eggs laid at 66 weeks of age, number of qualified hatching eggs, fertilization rate, and chick survival rate.

[0013] Furthermore, each line undergoes testing for avian leukosis and salmonella during hatching, laying, and breeding to achieve complete eradication of the vertically transmitted diseases "double white" (pullorum disease and avian leukosis). Negative flocks are selected for breeding to improve the health of chicks and their resistance to high-density farming.

[0014] The second technical solution adopted in this invention is: The above-described breeding method is applied to the selection and breeding of small white-feathered broiler chicken breeding lines that are suitable for whole chicken consumption and have high production performance.

[0015] The beneficial effects of this invention are: 1. This invention addresses the limitation of existing simplified three-line breeding technology for 817 broiler chickens, which is merely a simple improvement. By selectively breeding germplasm materials and employing a complete set of new breeding materials, breeding processes, and supporting technical routes, this invention uses a distinctive core breeding line as the terminal paternal line and parent line as the maternal line. This breaks through the limitations of existing materials and, compared to existing simple hybridization breeding, enables large-scale and standardized breeding. It solves the objective problem of mixed germplasm in 817 broiler chickens, further reducing breeding costs and improving the breed's production performance and market competitiveness. Specifically, compared with the traditional six-line breeding 817 broiler chickens, the parent breeder chickens of this invention produce 5 more eggs per 66-week-old hen, saving 4.5g of feed per egg and 4.2 yuan per set of parent breeder chickens; the average weight of males and females at 6 weeks of age is increased by 33.4g, the feed conversion ratio is reduced by 0.06, and the cost is reduced by about 0.3 yuan per bird; compared with the existing improved three-line breeding small white-feathered broiler chickens, the parent breeder chickens of this invention produce better eggs, qualified eggs, and chick survival rate at 66 weeks of age. The feed conversion ratio of the commercial chickens of this invention is 1.63~1.69:1, which is significantly reduced, resulting in lower economic costs. The slaughter rate of hens at 42 days of age is 89~91%, and the breast muscle rate reaches 19~22%, giving it a greater competitive advantage in the market.

[0016] 2. The breeding method of this invention uses the first paternal line of the parent line as the paternal line of the Loch Ness Red lineage, which is crossed with the first maternal line of the Loch Ness White lineage to obtain the stable maternal line CD line of golden feathers. This achieves the fixation of traits such as feather color, body shape, and growth performance. The hybridization matching degree and germplasm purity are far higher than those of the existing extensive hybridization model.

[0017] 3. Based on the aforementioned novel materials and supporting methods, the seed production method of this invention establishes a dual sex differentiation system. The maternal parent generation uses gold and silver feather identification technology to achieve sex differentiation after hatching, with a differentiation rate of over 98%. The commercial generation uses feather speed identification technology to achieve sex differentiation, which greatly reduces the error, labor cost and disease transmission opportunities of traditional cloacal identification.

[0018] 4. The commercial chickens of this invention are smaller in size and more uniform in body shape, with white feathers, yellow skin and shanks, and moderate weight (average weight of 1350~1620g for males and females at 42 days old). They meet the consumption and processing needs of whole chickens such as braised chicken, roasted chicken, and dressed chicken, and are more suitable for the mainstream market demand of whole chicken and clean vegetable consumption in supermarkets and fresh food terminals. They fill the market gap of small and high-quality 817 broiler chickens and have broad market prospects.

[0019] 5. Compared with the prior art, the seed production method of the present invention has a lower feed-to-weight ratio, a higher breast muscle rate, and better slaughter performance. Under the same breeding cost, the economic benefit is greatly improved, solving the problem that traditional improved varieties reduce costs but do not increase efficiency. On the basis of retaining the three-line matching and having a production cost far lower than that of six-line matching, the method of the present invention breaks through the performance upper limit of the existing three-line matching, achieving multiple technological breakthroughs of low cost, high performance, standardization, and more precise adaptation to the market. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the supporting seed production method of the present invention; Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the mode of sexing male and female by the plumage color of the female parent of the parent stock of the present invention; Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of the mode of sexing male and female by the feather speed of the commercial generation of the present invention.

[0021] Among them, s represents the gold feather gene, S represents the silver feather gene, K represents the slow feather gene, and k represents the fast feather gene. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0022] To clearly illustrate the technical features of this solution, the present invention will be elaborated in detail below through specific embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0023] 1. Breeding of the terminal sire line A (a) Collection of breeding materials and establishment of the base population White - feather broiler specialized sire line male and female chickens with White Cornish bloodline are selected for breeding to obtain chicks, which are raised until sexual maturity. 90 roosters and 900 hens are selected to establish the base population of generation 0. During the breeding process, avian leukemia and pullorum disease detection are carried out. When the chickens of this generation reach 42 days old, individuals with weights below 2 standard deviations are eliminated. Before 120 days old, the flock is transferred. Before transfer, all pullorum - positive individuals are eliminated. When the flock starts to lay eggs, the first three eggs of the hens are tested for avian leukemia, and the roosters are tested for semen. All positive individuals are eliminated; after the flock starts to lay eggs, 20% of the hens with late onset of laying are eliminated, 40% of the roosters with the lowest semen volume are eliminated, and hens with laying egg weights greater than the average egg weight are eliminated. In this way, the A line of generation 0 is screened out.

[0024] (b) Main selected traits Early growth rate (weights at 25 days old and 6 weeks old), feed - to - weight ratio (from 25 to 42 days old), breast muscle rate, survival rate.

[0025] (c) Measurement indexes Body weight: All individuals in the flock were weighed at 25 and 42 days of age; 120 male and 120 female chickens were randomly selected at other ages. Feed conversion ratio: The feed conversion ratio was calculated from 25 to 42 days of age. Body size and slaughter performance: 200 male and 200 female chickens from different families were randomly selected at 42 days of age to measure body length, keel length, shank length, shank circumference, dressing percentage, eviscerated percentage, semi-eviscerated percentage, leg muscle percentage, breast muscle percentage, and abdominal fat percentage. Reproductive performance: Age at first laying, weight at first laying, number of eggs laid at 43 and 66 weeks of age, hatching egg qualification rate, fertilization rate, and hatchability were measured. Vertical transmission disease eradication: Eradication of avian leukosis and pullorum disease was carried out.

[0026] (d) Breeding methods and procedures Day 1: Select healthy chicks to wear wing tags, collect meconium from each chick, test for avian leukosis P27 antigen, isolate Salmonella, and cull full-sib families containing positive individuals.

[0027] At 25 days old: all individuals in the flock were weighed, and roosters whose weight was less than the mean minus 0.5 standard deviations were culled. Feed intake was recorded from 25 to 42 days old.

[0028] At 6 weeks of age: Body weight, body size and slaughter performance indicators are measured, feed conversion ratio, breast muscle rate and other indicators are calculated, and about 300 roosters are selected as replacement roosters; serum samples are collected from the whole flock to test for avian leukosis, and positive individuals are culled.

[0029] At 24 weeks of age: Individuals with unsatisfactory body shape and appearance, poor development of secondary sexual characteristics, or weak constitution are culled and transferred to individual cages for egg production performance testing; at the start of laying, two hatching eggs are collected from each chicken to test for P27 antigen, and serum is collected for Salmonella testing, and positive individuals are culled.

[0030] At 40 weeks of age (before breeding): collect two hatching eggs from each hen to test for avian leukosis P27 antigen, and isolate the virus from the semen of roosters; collect serum from the entire flock for Salmonella plate agglutination testing, and cull positive individuals.

[0031] At 43 weeks of age: the number of eggs laid by all individual hens was counted, and the breeding values ​​of traits such as body weight, meat production, feed conversion ratio, and egg production were calculated using the BLUP method. Multi-trait selection indices were fitted for balanced mating, and new families were established while avoiding inbreeding. The semen quality of roosters was tested, and individuals with poor semen quality were culled.

[0032] At 66 weeks of age: body weight was measured, and the number of eggs laid and the survival rate during the laying period were recorded.

[0033] 2. Breeding of the first paternal lineage C and maternal lineage D The C strain is obtained by mating high-producing male and female Rhode Island Red hens with high-producing female Rhode Island White hens with high-producing female hens with high-producing female hens with high-producing female hens. Both the C and D strains are selected primarily to improve reproductive performance. Individual cage rearing and family breeding are employed, and mating and hatching are carried out using the full-sib family mating method. Each strain has no fewer than 60 families, with a male-to-female ratio of no less than 1:10. Avian leukosis and pullorum disease are tested at hatching, the start of egg production, and for breeding purposes to ensure complete eradication of vertically transmitted diseases.

[0034] The main traits selected for the C line are: age at first laying, number of eggs laid at 66 weeks of age, and number of qualified hatching eggs.

[0035] Key traits for the D-series: age at first laying, number of eggs laid at 66 weeks of age, number of qualified hatching eggs, fertilization rate, and chick survival rate.

[0036] Adult roosters of the C line and adult hens of the D line were bred to obtain offspring of the CD line; after the chicks were raised to adulthood, CD line hens were selected for the next step of crossbreeding.

[0037] 3. Matching system hybrid parent generation Adult fast-feathering roosters of the A strain and mated adult slow-feathering hens of the CD strain were crossbred.

[0038] C-type roosters have brownish-red plumage and the genotype is Z. s Z s (Sex-linked golden feather gene homozygous); D-strain hens have white feathers and the genotype is Z. S W (sex-linked silver feather gene). C lineage (♂Z) s Z s ) and D series (♀Z) S W) hybridization, the male offspring have the genotype Z. S Z s The plumage is silvery-white; the mother chick's genotype is Z. s The W variety has golden-yellow plumage. Sexes can be distinguished by the color of the down feathers on their backs at hatching.

[0039] 4. Matching product line: male and female components, and production performance. The terminal paternal line of line A is Kuaiyu, and the rooster genotype is Z. k Z k The C lineage is slow-feathered, and the rooster genotype is Z. K Z K The D lineage is fast-feathered, and the hen genotype is Z. k W;C series (♂Z) K Z K ) and D series (♀Z) k W) hybridization, the offspring CD line hens are slow-feathered and have the genotype Z. K W. A series (♂Z) k Z k )×CD series (♀Z)K W), the commercial rooster genotype is Z. K Z k (Slow-feathered), the hen's genotype is Z. k W (Fast Feather). On the first day after hatching, the sex of chicks can be distinguished by observing the length of their wing feathers (fast feather chicks have wing feathers that are significantly longer than their coverts, indicating they are female; slow feather chicks have wing feathers that are the same length as or shorter than their coverts, indicating they are male), thus enabling the sex of commercial chicks to be determined on the day of hatching and avoiding the impact of raising different sexes on profitability.

[0040] I. Production performance of parent breeder chickens: Table 1. Main Production Performance of Parent Breeding Chickens II. Product manufacturing performance: Table 2 Main Production Performance of Commodity The above specific embodiments should not be construed as limiting the scope of protection of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, any alternative improvements or modifications made to the embodiments of the present invention shall fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0041] Any aspects of this invention not described in detail are well-known to those skilled in the art.

Claims

1. A method for breeding broiler chickens suitable for whole-chicken consumption and with high production performance, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: (1) Terminal paternal line selection Using specialized paternal lines of white-feathered broiler chickens of the White Cornish bloodline as breeding material, a generation 0 base group was established and named A line. Closed-group family selection was carried out, and a combination of family selection and individual selection was used to continue selection until the 4th generation to obtain the terminal paternal line. (2) Breeding of the first paternal lineage C and the first maternal lineage D The high-yielding laying hen paternal line of the Rhode Island Red lineage was used as the first paternal line and named the C line; the high-yielding laying hen maternal line of the Rhode Island White lineage was used as the first maternal line and named the D line; pure breeding was carried out separately. C-type roosters have brownish-red plumage and the genotype is Z. s Z s D-strain hens have white feathers and the genotype is Z. S W; A cross between C and D lines, with male chicks born from parental CD females having silver plumage (Z). S Z s The mother chick's feathers are golden (Z). s W, enabling parents to use their own gold and silver feathers to distinguish between male and female; (3) Select adult roosters of the C line and adult hens of the D line for breeding to obtain offspring of the CD line; after the chicks are raised to adulthood, select CD line hens for the next step of crossbreeding. (4) Using terminal paternal line A-line roosters and CD-line hens to produce commercial ACD chicks. The commercial chicks are sexed by their feathering speed, with roosters having slow feathering and hens having fast feathering. The commercial chicks are of moderate size, with white feathers, yellow skin and shanks, fast growth rate, and high feed conversion rate, making them suitable for whole chicken consumption and processing.

2. The method for breeding broiler breeds suitable for whole chicken consumption and with high production performance according to claim 1, characterized in that, Step (1) Closed-group family selection focuses on early growth rate, feed conversion ratio, pectoral muscle rate and survival rate as the main selected traits; the early growth rate is based on the body weight at 6 weeks of age and the feed conversion ratio is based on the feed conversion ratio at 25-42 days of age.

3. The method for breeding broiler breeds suitable for whole chicken consumption and with high production performance according to claim 2, characterized in that, During the A-strain breeding, all individuals in the flock were weighed at 25 days of age, and roosters whose weight was less than the mean minus 0.5 standard deviations were culled. At 6 weeks of age, weight, body size and slaughter performance were measured, and 300 roosters were selected as replacement roosters based on a comprehensive evaluation of weight, feed conversion ratio and breast muscle rate. Eggs were collected from 40-week-old chickens before breeding to test for avian leukosis P27 antigen, virus was isolated from rooster semen, serum was collected to test for Salmonella, and positive individuals were culled. At 43 weeks of age, the BLUP method was used to calculate the breeding values ​​of body weight, meat production, feed conversion ratio, and egg production traits. Multi-trait selection indices were fitted for balanced mating to form new families.

4. The method for breeding broiler breeds suitable for whole chicken consumption and with high production performance according to claim 1, characterized in that, In step (2), when breeding purebred C and D lines, the main focus is on improving reproductive performance. The selection of reproductive traits such as egg production, fertilization rate, and hatching rate of hens at 66 weeks of age is prioritized. Each line should retain no less than 60 families per batch, with a male-to-female ratio of 1:10 or higher. Poultry leukosis and pullorum disease should be tested during hatching, laying, and breeding, and negative flocks should be selected for breeding.

5. The method for breeding broiler breeds suitable for whole chicken consumption and with high production performance according to claim 4, characterized in that, Reproductive performance of the main selected traits of the C and D lines, including age at first laying, number of eggs laid at 66 weeks of age, number of qualified hatching eggs at 66 weeks of age, fertilization rate of hatching eggs at 44 weeks of age, and chick survival rate.

6. The method for breeding broiler breeds suitable for whole chicken consumption and with high production performance according to claim 1, characterized in that, Each strain undergoes testing for avian leukosis and chicken salmonella during hatching, laying, and breeding to achieve complete eradication of vertically transmitted diseases. Negative flocks are selected for breeding to improve the health of chicks and their resistance to high-density farming.

7. The method for breeding broiler breeds suitable for whole chicken consumption and with high production performance according to claim 1, characterized in that, The A lineage is fast-feathered, and the rooster genotype is Z. k Z k The C lineage is slow-feathered, and the rooster genotype is Z. K Z K The D lineage is fast-feathered, and the hen genotype is Z. k W; The offspring of the cross between the C and D lines, the CD line hens, are slow-feathered and have the genotype Z. K W;A series roosters are paired with CD series hens, and the commercial roosters are slow-feathered Z. K Z k The hen is a Fastwing Z. k W, to achieve the self-distinguishing of male and female commercial chicks by feather speed as described in step (4).

8. The application of the breeding method as described in any one of claims 1-7 in the breeding of small white-feathered broiler chicken breeding lines suitable for whole chicken consumption and with high production performance.

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