Key points of turkey breeding techniques

Because of the wide weight disparity of Nicholas large turkeys, artificial insemination must be carried out to ensure the high fertilization rate of breeding eggs.

First, the preparation of turkeys

The first is the preparation of the male turkey: after the male turkey is selected and retained twice at the age of 16-18 weeks and 29-30 weeks, semen collection training is carried out 1-2 weeks before the breeding season. If it is found that the reproductive process is not obvious, the semen color is abnormal, and the semen volume is less than 0.1 ml, the male turkey should be marked so that the next semen collection can be observed and decided to stay or be eliminated according to the specific situation. The male turkey has good semen response in the first and second collection, the semen density is good, the color is milky white, and the semen output is 0.2-0.4 milliliters.

The second is the preparation of the female turkey: the female turkey is transferred to the breeding turkey house at the age of 28 weeks. The light time is increased by 0.5 hours per week from the original 8 hours to 16 hours, and the content of protein and calcium in the feed is correspondingly increased to 16% and 2.25%. Due to the increase of light time, the female turkey began to squat behavior, individual female turkey has been put into production, so it is necessary to prepare for artificial insemination in time.

2. Sperm collection of male turkey

Massage is the most common method of semen collection, and it is safe, simple and easy to master. Collecting semen by massage requires the cooperation of 3 people. One person is the main sperm collector, and the other two are assistants, responsible for Baoding, the male turkey craftsman, and mastering the sperm collection cup to collect semen. The sperm collector sits on a long wooden bench (the stool is about 1.2 meters long, 0.35 meters wide and 0.4 meters high), riding on both sides of the bench with two legs. The stool surface is wrapped in something soft such as a soft cloth or sack to prevent scraping the skin on the turkey's chest. The sperm collector and the conservator grabbed the waist and legs of the male turkey and put their breasts on the wooden stool, and the legs drooped naturally. After the male turkey is fixed, the sperm collector holds up the root of the male turkey tail with his left hand, gently massages the tail with his right hand, works together with both hands for 3 or 4 times, and then pushes the right hand from the back to the root of the tail several times. At this time, the right thumb and other four fingers of the semen collector are stuck on both sides of the anal ring to form a squeeze action, the left hand is placed on the abdomen of the male turkey to form a reflex erection, and the semen is discharged along the longitudinal groove in the middle of the reproductive folds on both sides. at this time, the semen should be quickly collected into the semen collection cup.

III. Insemination of female turkeys

1. Insemination preparation of female turkey: before insemination, separate a certain amount of semen into each vas deferens, containing 0.025 to 0.03 ml semen, or directly use a glass straw to inject semen into the female turkey vagina, the same effect can be achieved. If you use a graduated glass straw to inseminate, you need two people to cooperate. The person who turns the anus uses his right hand to lift the turkey's feet (shank), head down and tail up, and the chest is sandwiched between the knees of the turkey who turns the anus, and uses the left leg to exert certain pressure on the left abdomen of the turkey to open the cloaca and turn out the oviduct orifice on the upper left.

2. The depth of insemination: the vaginal part of the female turkey has a V-shaped bend of about 8 cm and a strong sphincter at the junction of the uterus and vagina. Therefore, the method of superficial insemination of fallopian tube should be used in production, with a depth of 2 cm, good results can be obtained.

3. Insemination volume and insemination times: semen volume and insemination times should be determined according to semen quality. The sperm motility is high, the density is high, the semen volume can be less, and the semen can be diluted. If the original semen is used for insemination, its dosage is 0.025 milliliters, but the actual insemination volume in production is generally more than 0.025 milliliters. The sperm density of turkey semen is high, generally, the number of sperm per milliliter of semen is 7 billion ~ 8 billion, so the number of effective sperm per infusion is about 70 million ~ 90 million or 100 million. When the laying rate of turkeys reaches 5%, the first insemination begins, followed by the second insemination on the 4th day and once a week thereafter. With the increase of turkey age, egg production and fertilization rate decreased, so insemination times should be increased in the later stage of female turkey laying (18 weeks after laying) in order to maintain a high fertilization rate.

4. Insemination time: the insemination time of female turkeys should be carried out after laying eggs, that is, from 3 pm to 4 pm. The experiment showed that the fertilization rate was low when the turkeys with hard eggs in the fallopian tube were inseminated.

IV. Feeding and management during the rearing period

1. Drinking water: after the turkey is picked up in the nursery, clean and hygienic drinking water should be given immediately. At the age of 1-3 days, penicillin and streptomycin can be added to cold boiled water with a dose of penicillin 2000 units per mouse. Drink twice a day, which is very effective in preventing staphylococcal disease and white dysentery in turkeys. The number of drinking fountains or sinks should be sufficient, evenly distributed, and the height should be moderate, so as to facilitate the application of turkeys.