Genomic predictions for growth and feed efficiency traits in a duck breeding population.

ABSTRACT:

Background

In the commercial broiler duck industry, optimizing breeding practices is crucial, especially for growth and feed efficiency traits. Although genomic selection (GS) has been successfully applied in livestock, its use in duck breeding is not yet widespread. This study aims to investigate genetic parameters and refine GS strategies for feed efficiency and growth traits in ducks, paving the way for more precise and efficient breeding programs.

Results

We investigated genetic parameters of 12 growth and feed efficiency traits in a commercial breeding Line of 52,610 ducks across 10 generations. We applied genomic predictions to 2779 ducks from the latest three generations. Heritability of these traits ranging from 0.16 to 0.51. Genomic prediction accuracy was higher fo

SUBMITTER: Cai W 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12506420 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature