Evaluating a selection index for improving body weight and egg production in a simulated population of broilers.

Abstract

The most successful method used for improving the growth rate of broilers is genetic selection. Improvements in nutrition, housing and disease resistance have been impressive, yet genetic selection is purported to have contributed the majority of the tremendous increase in growth rate that has taken place over the past 50 years (McKay, 2008). Many selection strategies are available, but not all are suitable, as the choice is dependent on the objective of the breeder. Selection strategies are bound to change over time as different traits become more important, and this has been the case in the broiler industry: focus was initially placed predominantly on growth rate, but the negative genetic correlation that exists between growth rate and reproductive and liveability traits has forced breeders to change their position, especially as growth rate has almost reached its upper limit and reproductive traits lag behind. This has resulted in a change from single trait to multiple trait selection. In the exercise reported here, four selection strategies commonly used for single trait selection, namely individual, between family, within family and family-index selection, were applied to a simulated broiler population using the Monte Carlo method of simulation, and constructed with the use of genetic parameters obtained from the literature. Theoretical and simulated methods of the four selection strategies were compared. A fifth selection strategy, index selection, was applied to represent multiple trait selection. The relative merit of each selection procedure was then compared, as well as the results obtained from the theoretical and simulated methods. Construction of the selection index was complex in comparison to single trait selection, as each trait included in the index had to be assigned an economic value. This value is representative of the relative importance of that trait to the overall profitability, or ability to save costs in the operation. Therefore traits favourable to profitability, or having the ability to reduce production costs, are given a heavier weighting and will consequently achieve a relatively larger improvement when applied to the selection index. A model was constructed using production rates, income and costs to represent the current overall economic situation in the industry. This was then used to determine cost economic values, which represent the saving in cost per unit improvement in each of the economically important traits, and revenue economic values, calculated as the value of each unit improvement attained in each of the economically important traits. Body weight remains the most profitable trait in a broiler enterprise; however breeder egg production is equally important as the industry would fail without sufficient day-old broilers. Therefore, it would be beneficial to determine whether current egg production levels could be maintained, or even improved, whilst improvement is made to the growth rate of the progeny. The above statement was found to be possible with the use of index selection. This multiple trait selection strategy proved capable of defying the negative genetic correlation that exists between body weight and egg production by improving egg production to 60 weeks by eight eggs, and body weight at 35 days by 259 grams. Furthermore, in some cases index selection was able to achieve improvements in some traits greater than those attained with single trait selection, whilst simultaneously improving certain negatively correlated traits. Index selection has illustrated its superiority over single trait selection strategies and its relative value to the poultry industry.