Sel’skokhozyaistvennaya Biologiya [Agricultural Biology], 2017, V. 52, № 4, pp. 767-775
(how to cite this article)

doi: 10.15389/agrobiology.2017.4.767eng

UDC 636.592:636.082:57.024

Acknowledgements:
Supported by Russian Science Foundation (project № 16-16-04060) and the Federal Agency for Scientific Organizations program for the bioresource collections

 

BROODINESS INSTINCT IN FARM POULTRY: REALIZATION
AND METHODS OF SUPPRESSION

O.I. Stanishevskaya, E.S. Fedorova, N.V. Pleshanov

All-Russian Research Institute for Farm Animal Genetics and Breeding, Federal Agency of Scientific Organizations,55А, Moskovskoe sh., pos. Tyarlevo, St. Petersburg—Pushkin, 196625 Russia, e-mail olgastan@list.ru (corresponding author), fedorova816@mail.ru, klaus-90@list.ru

The authors declare no conflict of interests

ORCID:

Stanishevskaya O.I. orcid.org/0000-0001-9504-3916

 

Received April 26, 2017

 

Many hens of gene pool populations along with their breed features are characterized by the manifestation of such a trait as broodiness which has been lost in commercial lines and breeds. This trait has some negative impact at commercial farming, because during the nesting period the hens stop egg laying that leads to decreasing in egg performance and the number of progeny. Predisposition to the broodiness is an inherited trait and its eradication can be achieved by use of selection methods. But elimination of the families with high levels of nesting will lead to the destroying of the genetic structure in the gene pool population. Hormonal methods and technological shocks (electric current, high-intensity light and transfer to the new environmental conditions) may also be used to suppress broodiness instinct. But some of them could be not available technically and other ones should not be applicable ethically. In our research, the Chinese silky chickens (Gallus gallus) from the gene pool collection of All-Russian Research Institute of Farm Animal Genetics and Breeding which are characterized by highly developed broodiness served as a model. In individual cage batteries the occurrence of broodiness instinct resulted in specific behavioral reactions and refusing in the majority of cocks to give sperm to massage. In the group keeping of birds on the floor, the presence of cocks to some extent stimulated the hens to lay eggs. But during the entire productive period about 70-75 % of hens demonstrated nesting behavior and did not lay eggs. Most part of cocks also showed specific behavior and did not mate with hens. This led not only to the low yield of hatching eggs from a pen, but also to the loss of a large number of genotypes of  both hens and cocks in the reproduction of the flock. In order to suppress the broodiness instinct in Chinese silky hens, contained in individual cages, we used injection of native mixed sperm of cocks into the oviduct or cloaca of the hens. The insemination of the hens (three inseminations with 4-day intervals) started four weeks prior to the breeding season. During two experiments about 70 % of all hens responded to the stimulation by restarting of oviposition or increasing of egg performance. The frequency of occurrence of individuals with a high laying intensity (51-60 % and higher) increased, while frequency of hens with low egg laying rate went down. This method of broodiness suppression is more preferable and more physiologically acceptable in comparison to the traditional shock methods, but with the same efficiency.

Keywords: broodiness, artificial insemination, gene pool preservation, egg performance.

 

Full article (Rus)

Full text (Eng)

 

REFERENCES

  1. Gal'pern I.L., Segal E.L., Fedorov I.V. Materialy XVIII Mezhdunarodno ikonferentsii «Innovatsionnoe obespechenie yaichnogo i myasnogo ptitsevodstvaRossii» [Proc. XVIII Int. Conf. «Innovative aspects of egg and meat poultry in Russia]. Sergiev Posad, 2015: 45-48 (in Russ.).
  2. Stanishevskaya O.I., Cherepanov S.V., Vakhrameev A.B. Ptitseprom, 2016, 4(33): 64-68 (in Russ.).
  3. Warren D.C. Crossbred roultry. Bulletin of Agricultural Experiment Station. Kansas, 1930.
  4. Roberts E., Card L. The inheritance of broodiness in sross-bred poultry. International Review of Poultry Science, 1933, VII(1/2): 12-13.
  5. Romanov M.N., Talbot R.T., Wilson P.W., Sharp P.J. Inheritance of broodiness in the domestic fowl. British Poultry Science Journal, 1999, 40(1): 20-21 CrossRef
  6. Romanov M.N. Genetics of broodiness in poultry — a review. Asian-Australas. J. Anim. Sci., 2001, 14(11): 1647-1654 CrossRef
  7. Romanov M.N., Talbot R.T., Wilson P.W., Sharp P.J. Genetic control of incubation behavior in the domestic hen. Poultry Science Journal, 2002, 81(7): 928-931 CrossRef
  8. Meshchiryakova E.E. Tekhnologicheskie priemy profilaktiki proyavleniya i podavleniya instinkta nasizhivaniya u indeek v tselyakh povysheniya ikh vosproizvoditel'nykh kachestv. Kandidatskaya dissertatsiya [Improvement of reproduction in turkey by means of brooding prevention and repression. PhD Thesis]. Moscow, 1985 (in Russ.).  
  9. Reddy I.J., David C.G., Sarma P.V., Singh K. The possible role of prolactin in laying performance and steroid hormone secretion in domestic hen (Gallus domesticus). General and Comparative Endocrinology, 2002, 127: 249-255.
  10. Reddy I.J., David C.G., Khub Singh. Relationship between intersequence pauses, laying persistency and concentration of prolactin during the productive period in White Leghorn hens. Asian-Australas. J. Anim. Sci., 2005, 18(5): 686-691 CrossRef
  11. Sørensen P. Chicken genetic resources used in Smallholder production systems and opportunities for their development. FAO, Rome, 2010.
  12. Fathi M., Elyasi Zarringhobaie G. Association of polymorphisms in the promoter region of turkey prolactin with egg performance. Genetika, 2014, 46(2): 591-599 CrossRef
  13. Wang J., Hou S.S., Huang w., Yang X.G., Zhu X.Y., Liu X.L. Molecular cloning of prolactin receptor of the Peking duck. Poultry Sci., 2009, 88: 1016-1022 CrossRef
  14. Wang C., Liang Z., Yu W., Feng Y., Peng X., Gong Y., Li S. Polymorphism of the prolactin gene and its association with egg production traits in native Chinese ducks. South African Journal of Animal Science, 2011, 41: 64-69.
  15. Jiang R., Chen X., Wei R., Geng Z. Expression of plasma prolactin and pituitary prolactin mRNA around the broody cycle in Wan-xi White goose. Turk. J. Vet. Anim. Sci., 2011, 35(6): 431-434 CrossRef
  16. Kulibaba R.A., Podstreshnyi A.P. Prolactin and growth hormone gene polymorphisms in chicken lines of Ukrainian selection. Cytology and Genetics, 2012, 46: 390-395 CrossRef
  17. Cui J.X., Du H.L., Liang Y., Deng X.M., Li N., Zhang X.Q. Association of polymorphisms in the promoter region of chicken prolactin with egg production. Poultry Sci., 2006, 85: 26-31.
  18. Bagheri Sarvestani A.S., Niazi A., Zamiri M.J., Dadpasand Taromsa-
    ri M. Polymorphisms of prolactin gene in a native chicken population and its association with egg production. Iranian Journal of Veterinary Research, 2013, 14(2): 113-119.
  19. Guo X., Fang Q., Ma C., Zhou B., Wan Y., Jiang R. Whole-genome resequencing of Xishuangbanna fighting chicken to identify signatures of selection. Genetics Selection Evolution, 2016, 48(1): 62 CrossRef
  20. Kagya-Agyemang J.K., Shendan S., Yinzuo B. Studies on the endocrine and neuroendocrine control of broodiness in the Yuehuang hen. International Journal of Poultry Science, 2012, 11(8): 488-495.
  21. Squires E.J. Applied animal endocrinology. CABI Publishing, 2003.
  22. Reddy I.J., Ravi Kiran G., Mondal S.K., Anandan S. Prolactin, luteinizing hormone and steroid hormone concentration in Punjab Brown (PB3) birds immunized against vasoactive intestinal peptide during the early stages of egg production. International Journal of Poultry Science, 2007, 6: 637-641.
  23. Epimakhova E.E., Shcherbakova N.G. Ptitsa i ptitseprodukty, 2013, 5: 44-46 (in Russ.). 
  24. Alekseev F.F., Kurilkin S.F., Filonenko V.I., Shol' V.G. Sposob preryvaniya instinkta nasizhivaniya u indeek. A.S. 1351552 (SU) MKI3 A 01 K 67/02. VNITIP (SU). № 4032856/30-15. Zayavl. 16.12.85. Opubl. 15.11.87. Byul.№ 42 [Method of interrupting brooding in turkey. AC 1351552 (SU) MKI3 A 01 K 67/02. VNITIP (SU). № 4032856/30-15. Appl. December 16, 1985. Publ. November 11, 1987. Bul. № 42] (in Russ.). 
  25. Adams G.P., Ratto M.H., Silva M.E., Carrasco R.A. Ovulation-inducing factor (OIF/NGF) in seminal plasma: a review and update. Proc. 20th Annual Conf. of the European Society for Domestic Animal Reproduction (ESDAR) and the 13th Conf. of the Spanish Association for Animal Reproduction (AERA). Lisbon, 2016: 4-17 CrossRef
  26. Pleshanov N.V., Stanishevskaya O.I., Fedorova E.S., Gal'pern I.L. Meto-dicheskoe posobie po iskusstvennomu osemeneniyu kur [Artificial insemination in hens — toolkit]. St. Petersburg—Pushkin, 2015 (in Russ.).
  27. Pleshanov N.V. Izvestiya Sankt-Peterburgskogo gosudarstvennogo agrarnogo universiteta, 2014, 37: 72-75 (in Russ.).

back