The use of feed restriction for improving reproductive traits in male-line white turkey hens. 2. Ovary morphology and laying traits.

The influence of feed restriction during rearing was investigated in male-line Large White breeder hens with regard to effects on ovarian morphology, egg production, laying patterns, and egg characteristics. Two hundred poults were reared from 4 to 28 wk of age under four treatments as follows: full-fed controls (FF), low-protein diet (12% CP from 12 to 28 wk; LP), and reduced BW (10 to 20% lower BW than FF; R10 and R20). At photostimulation (28 wk), all birds consumed a commercial breeder diet ad libitum for the remainder of the study (48 wk of age). Settable egg production (eggs per hen) to 48 wk for all hens, and those in lay was: FF, 39.4 (48.6); LP 42.7 (51.7); R10, 41.4 (52.8); R20, 40.7 (55.4). Inferior egg production per bird in R10 and R20 hens reflected a reduced persistency of lay. At first egg, hens of all treatments had a mean of 4.9 postovulatory follicles (POF) not accounted for by an egg. Number of unreconciled POF correlated with abdominal fat pad weight (P < or = .01). Ovary weight correlated with BW (P < .0001) and fat pad weight (P < .0004). Proportion of yolk and shell in the egg and egg specific gravity were improved with feed restriction. Sequence length was longest in R20 treatment hens and pause length shortest in R10 and R20 hens. Incidence of multiple-follicle sets was reduced in the R10 and R20 treatments. Feed restriction during rearing can potentially improve laying characteristics by altering ovarian morphology without limiting shell quality or yolk size. Quantitative feed restriction was most effective at improving egg quality, reducing average pause length, and reducing ovarian multiple-follicle sets. If problems with persistency of lay are addressed, the R10 and R20 treatments are the recommended rearing restriction treatments for male-line turkey breeder hen candidates.