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              Open Access  
Copyright: The authors. This article is an open access 
article licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License 
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0) which permits unrestricted use, 
distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the work is properly 
cited. 
 
                              
                              
                              Original Research 
                              
                              7.
                              Effect of rearing systems on reproductive 
                              performance of turkey -
                              
                              
                              M AnnaAnandh, P N Richard Jagatheesan, P Senthil 
                              Kumar, A Paramasivam and G RajarajanVet World. 2012; 5(4): 226-229
 
                
              doi: 
              10.5455/vetworld.2012.226-229 
                
              
              
          
 
              Abstract 
 
                              
                              The objective of this study was to determine the 
                              effect of rearing systems on reproductive 
                              performance of turkey (Meleagris gallopavo). A 
                              total of 180 Beltsville Small White and Board 
                              Breasted Bronze turkeys were taken for the study 
                              and reared under three different rearing system 
                              viz. intensive system (full confinement), 
                              semi-intensive system (partial confinement and 
                              partial day scavenging) and free range system 
                              (all-day scavenging). Average egg weight (g), 
                              percentage of infertile eggs, embryonic 
                              mortalities, total egg hatchability, fertile egg 
                              hatchability, fertility and poults survivability 
                              values were significantly (P>0.01) higher in 
                              turkeys reared under intensive system of 
                              management followed by semi intensive system and 
                              free range system of management. The highest 
                              percentage of dead in shell was found in intensive 
                              system and was did not differ significantly from 
                              semi intensive and free range system. Hatched 
                              weight of poults (g) between semi intensive and 
                              intensive system did not differ significantly 
                              between them, but both groups found statistically 
                              significant (P>0.01) from free range system. From 
                              the study, it is concluded that higher 
                              reproductive performance was obtained in intensive 
                              system of management followed by semi intensive 
                              and free range system of management.  
                              
                              Keywords: 
                              Turkey, Poults, Egg, Reproductive traits, 
                              Hatching, Fertility, Hatchability, Survivability 
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