PEDIGREE AND PRODUCTIVE QUALITIES OF COMBINED LINES OF TURKEYS CROSS "UNIVERSAL"
At the North - Caucasian zonal poultry breeding experimental station of Russian Academy of Agricultural Sciences two highly productive turkey lines (U2 and U1) are maintained. They combine well on scheme U2 x U1, providing obtaining of cross “Universal”. Turkey appraisal has showed that bird poultry lines U2 and U1 correspond to the class of elite-record by all development and productivity indices. Average development and productivity indices (2011-2013) showed that males of line U2 exceeded analogues of line U1 in live weight 0,7 kg, and females 0,57 kg respectively. Female turkeys of lines U1 exceeded analogues of the same age of line U2 in egg production on 11,06 %, and in turkey hatching on 3,03 abs. % and that is characteristic for maternal line. Females and males of line U2 exceeded turkeys of the same age of line U1 in height from the floor to the neck on 16 and 19 cm, in height from the floor to the head back on 10 and 6 cm, in chest width on 2 and 5 cm in, in hock length they are inferior to 1 and 1cm respectively. Turkeys of “Universal” cross took an intermediate position according to all body measurements. Cross production manifests heterosis on the safety of young poultry at level -1,3%, at feed costs - 3,9%, at live weight output in average - 46,9% per hen. Cross “Universal” allows receiving hybrids with average live weight at 16 weeks age - 5,0 and 5,6 kg. In production of young poultry hybrid from one parent turkey it is possible to get up to 440 kg of live weight in slaughter age, thus, the cross “Universal” is a reserve for production of turkey meat.