Aviagen Turkeys – Driving Innovative Research for the Benefit of Turkey Producers Worldwide.
Aviagen Turkeys is the only turkey breeder that has pedigree breeding programs on two continents, enabling selection for turkeys with the best performance in a wide range of environments. This unique structure also provides security of supply of the highest genetic breeding stock to our customers worldwide. The large global gene pool gives Aviagen Turkeys the ability to utilize diverse genetic lines in our product development program, producing the turkeys of the future.
Aviagen Turkeys operates a balanced breeding goal, including health and fitness traits alongside selection for key production traits such as reproduction, growth, feed conversion, and yield. The use of innovative technology and advanced testing methodologies are combined with the skills of geneticists and experienced selection teams to improve the efficiency of genetic progress.
Aviagen Turkeys is the driver in developing new technology for incorporation into our breeding programs in order to deliver the highest genetic progress in the performance, efficiency and profitability of our products worldwide. Examples of this innovative technology include:
Improvements in feed efficiency (measured as FCR or Feed Conversion Ratio) is of major importance in our selection strategy to further improve the efficiency of turkey meat production. Investment in groundbreaking feed station technology has enabled the electronic capture of every meal eaten by each pedigree bird in the selection program. Individual bird FCR can be measured in a multi-bird (group) environment under conditions reflecting the commercial farms, promoting natural feeding behavior. The system consists of feed stations (individual eating stations) equipped with the latest transponder technology for bird identification and state-of-the-art weighing technology to accurately and reliably record feed intake.
Investment in a program for breast meat yield selection combines direct yield testing on brothers and sisters of pedigree birds with morphological measurements and selection information from the farms to improve the efficiency of selection for meat yield. In addition, continued development of ultrasound technology provides a powerful tool for direct selection for yield that can be carried out on the live bird and used in conjunction with information from relatives.
Aviagen Turkeys utilizes an X-ray unit (Lixiscope) as a tool to select against Tibial Dyschondroplasia (TD). The Lixiscope is a portable hand-held X-ray unit that can be used to identify, and therefore select against, TD in turkeys to improve overall leg strength and health. The implementation of the lixiscope, in combination with walking assessments, has significantly improved the leg strength of all our products worldwide.
Aviagen Turkeys maximizes genetic progress in livability through direct selection under conditions reflecting real commercial environments, combined with state-of-the-art technology to measure robustness and physical competence of the turkeys. Aviagen Turkeys selects using a targeted approach incorporating livability as well as key components affecting livability, such as leg strength and cardiopulmonary function.
BLUP (Best Linear Unbiased Prediction) is a powerful statistical modeling method that provides more accurate estimates of genetic potential. BLUP provides breeding values that give a highly accurate description of an individual’s genetic merit, making it an ideal tool to achieve balanced genetic progress between commercial and reproductive performance traits. The powerful computing capabilities make it possible to take into account in excess of 150,000 records at selection, maximizing genetic progress.
