Profitability in poultry production, determined by productive effects of the dwarf gene
Utilization of the chicken-carriers of the sex-linked dwarf gene "dw" can lead to the sufficient reduction of poultry meat production costs. Due to the effect of this gene, the body weight in hens and cocks reduces up to 27-35% compared to the standard commercial birds and feeds consumption respectively is 30-35% lower. Current interest to the practical application of this gene is determined by some advantages of dwarf birds - higher density on the square meter of the working surface, more efficient utilization of nutrients for production, better reproduction ability, stronger egg shell, less egg shell defects and better hatchability. High reproductive parameters of the dwarf hens and their good crossing ability with the cocks of “standard” body weight makes those dwarf hens an optimal mother form for broiler cross. To create new selection forms, there is needed a sort of “reservoir” - collection of genes. Sharp commercial way of development of the current poultry industry resulted in severe reduction of the number of chicken breeds with specific economical values. Rare and vanishing breeds can act as a source of valuable genetic material for selection process in the future. At the current level of the development of the biotechnological approaches, as a most reliable way of the preservation of such breeds seems setting up of the specialized gene pool farms. One of such farm has been set up in the Russian Institute of Farm Animal Genetics and Breeding, where are kept some breeds and populations, carriers of “dw” genes.The breeds- carriers of the “dw”- genes and crosses, selected with their use, can be used both in commercial and organic production systems. Besides, they can act as “gene donors” during development new molecular-genetic methods in poultry breeding.