Abstract
The aim of this study was to estimate genetic parameters of some carcass characteristics in the Japanese quail. For this aim, carcass weight (Cw), breast weight (Bw), leg weight (Lw), abdominal fat weight (AFw), carcass yield (CP), breast percentage (BP), leg percentage (LP) and abdominal fat percentage (AFP) were measured on approximately 500 quails (offspring of 60 sires and 180 dams). Gibbs sampling (GS) under a multi-trait animal model was applied to estimate heritability and genetic correlations. Genetic analyses were performed using MTGSAM (Multiple Trait Gibbs Sampling) software. Heritability estimates for all the traits were low to moderate. Point estimates (means of marginal posterior densities) of heritabilities for Cw, Bw, Lw, AFw and CP, BP, LP, AFP were 0.42, 0.36, 0.34, 0.40 and 0.11, 0.18, 0.12, 0.29, respectively. Genetic correlations between the carcass parts (Cw, Bw, Lw, AFw) were high and positive, ranging from 0.65 to 0.87. Direct selection for total carcass weight would increase its component traits. There were moderate to high negative genetic relationships between AFP and LP (-0.27), AFP and BP (-0.34), and AFP and CP (-0.89). Therefore, a decreasing AFP in quail could be reached by direct selection for higher CP.
Highlights
The aim of this study was to estimate genetic parameters of some carcass characteristics in the Japanese quail
Live-weights at fixed ages were used as selection criteria in most of the genetic evaluation studies carried out to increase meat production in the Japanese quail (Darden & Marks, 1988; Caron et al, 1990; Turkmut et al, 1999)
Similar to the high heritability estimated for carcass weight (Cw) trait in the study, Aksit et al (2003) reported this parameter for quails slaughtered at 35 days of age as 0.59, using variance components, and 0.71 using an animal model
Summary
The aim of this study was to estimate genetic parameters of some carcass characteristics in the Japanese quail. Estimates of genetic parameters for slaughter and carcass traits of quails were reported by Kawahara & Satto (1976), Toelle et al (1991), Aksit et al (2003) and Vali et al (2005). Heritability estimates for eviscerated weight, and carcass, carcass fragments and abdominal fat weights were generally found to be high and medium in the reported studies.
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