Mapping of QTL affecting incidence of blood and meat inclusions in egg layers.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Occurrence of blood and meat inclusions is an internal egg quality defect. Mass candling reveals most of the spots, but because brown eggshell hampers selection in brown chicken lines it has not been possible to eliminate the defect by selection. Estimated frequency of blood and meat inclusions in brown layers is about 18% whereas it is 0.5% in white egg layers. Several factors are known to increase the incidence of this fault: genetic background, low level of vitamin A and/or D, stress or infections, for instance. To study the genetic background of the defect, a mapping population of 1599 F2 hens from a cross of White Rock and Rhode Island Red lines was set up.

Results

Our histopathological analyses show that blood spots consist of mainly erythrocytes and that me

SUBMITTER: Honkatukia M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3145579 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature