PAPER TITLE :BIOMETRIC DIFFERENTIATION OF LOCAL AND EXOTIC TURKEYS (MELEAGRIS GALLOPAVO) IN SOUTHWEST NIGERIA

APPLIED TROPICAL AGRICULTURE | VOLUME 22 NUMBER 2 2017

Paper Details

  • Author(s) : Adeoye, A.A.1*, Rotimi, E.A.2 and Oluyode, M.O.3
  • Abstract:

Data on body weights and linear body measurements collected at six month of age on one-hundred and two (102) exotic
turkeys and one –hundred and twenty-four (124) Nigerian local turkeys reared at Teaching and Research Farm of Ondo
State University of Science and Technology, Okitipupa, were subjected to statistical analysis to determine the effects of breed
and sex on the body weights and the linear body measurements, and the correlation coefficients among the variables. Breed
had significant effect (p<0.05) on all the variables. The exotic breed had higher values in all the variables compared with
the local breed. Sexual dimorphism was observed with higher values observed in the male. The body weight, shank length,
thigh length, body length, wing length, wing span and breast girth for male were 5.28 kg, 9.29 cm, 22.19 cm, 66.90 cm, 33.45
cm, 75.04 cm and 46.06 cm while the corresponding values for female were 5.02 kg, 7.69 cm, 19.69 cm, 60.60 cm, 30.08 cm,
67.81 cm and 44.57 cm respectively. The correlation coefficients among the variables in the exotic and the local breeds were
positive and significant (p<0.05, P<0.01; p<0.001) and ranged between 0.142 and 0.878. Body weight and linear body
measurements are good tools to differentiate between breeds and sex in turkey.
Key words: Body weight, breed, linear body measurements, sex, turkey