THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN VARIOUS INDEXES OF CARCASS GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT AND REPRODUCTION IN TURKEY HENS

Growth and carcass development measures were compared in turkey hens f rom a line selected for egg production (E line) and a line selected fo r BW at 16 wk (F line). Hens in both lines reached their maximal BW 4 wk after photostimulation. Maximal BW in F line hens was 20% greater t han their respective BW after 89 days of production compared with only a 12% difference in E line hens. In both lines, there was a decline i n BW through 49 days of production but no further decreases at 89 days . The same trend was observed for both the absolute or relative weight s of the abdominal fat pad. The weight of the oviduct was near maximal size in E line hens near the onset of production, whereas it continue d to increase in size in F line hens through 49 days of production. Th e same was true for liver weight in F line hens, whereas in E line hen s liver size continued to increase throughout the experiment. Carcass DM and lipid were higher and carcass protein lower in F line compared with E line hens near the onset of lay. In a second experiment, heavy weight hens were fed the standard Ohio Agricultural Research and Devel opment Center breeder diet or a diet with supplemental fat and increas ed ME. There were no significant diet effects on BW or egg production, but hens fed the high-fat, high-energy diet did have increased carcas s protein (percentage DM; P < .08). Carcass protein was negatively cor related with carcass lipid (-.780; P < .001) and positively correlated with egg production at 84 and 120 days (.351, P < .1).