Hereditary burden in poultry of different species of the Ukrainian gene pool

Abstract

The relevance of the study is conditioned by the need to continually conduct autopsy analysis of dead embryos as an integral part of genetic monitoring of harmful mutations, which may reduce the level of genetic burden in the gene pool of poultry. The study was conducted on poultry of different species of the Ukrainian gene pool: chickens of meat and egg area of productivity, turkeys of the original family lines of the Kharkiv crossing. The purpose of the study was to determine the spectrum and frequency of manifestation of hereditary genetic defects in the development of embryos in land birds of different species, to establish the level of genetic burden. The spectrum and frequency of morphological and anatomical hereditary defects of chicken and turkey embryos were established during pathological and anatomical examination of incubation waste. Visual examination of dead embryos allowed identifying morphological abnormalities in the structure of the skeleton, as well as various disproportions of its individual parts. In chickens of subpopulations with black-striped and white plumage, among birds of all studied groups, the widest range of morphological abnormalities of embryo development was discovered. In meat and egg hens with golden plumage, three anomalies with the same frequency of manifestation of 33.3% were found among the examined dead embryos. Only 1 anomaly “exencephaly” was found in birds with mottled plumage. Two cases of double mutation were found in birds with silver plumage among the examined dead embryos. The level of genetic burden in the studied subpopulations of meat and egg chickens was in the range of 3.45-8.72%. In birds with white and silver plumage, this figure was higher than the maximum allowable value, therefore it is necessary to carry out selection measures to eliminate lethal genes from these populations of chickens. In turkeys of the paternal line 5 and maternal line 6 of the Kharkiv crossing, 2 morphological anomalies of embryo development were found among the examined dead embryos. The level of genetic burden in turkeys of related forms is low – 1.60-1.89%, which does not exceed the maximum allowable value (8.0%). This indicates a low share in the heredity of the used offspring of hidden carriers of “defective” genes. At this stage, the preservation of the gene pool of birds is not threatening for its further breeding