Department of Livestock Production Management
MJFCOVAS, Chomo, Rajasthan
B.V.Sc. & A.H. 1st Year
Breeding system and methods of mating in poultry
Breeding system in poultry-
The objective of breeding system is to increase or decrease the homozygosity of the progeny compared to
their parents. These systems are-
(A) System to increase Homozygosity-
(B) System to increase Heterozygosity-
(A) System to increase Homozygosity-
1. Inbreeding-
In this system of breeding, mating is allowed between birds which are more closely related to each other.
e.g. Mating of female and male of White Leghorn i.e. mating between the same breed is called as inbreeding.
Types of inbreeding-
i i. Close inbreeding-
In this system, mating is allowed between sibs (siblings) or parents are allowed with progeny to form the off
springs which are called as inbred. By following this method, in 10 generations heterozygosity is reduced to
12% or less.
i ii. Strain formation-
It is sub classification of breed. Strain is developed to give importance to specific characters like egg
production, better feed efficiency, egg weight etc. It is named after the person who developed it or after the
institute where it is developed.
It is milder form of inbreeding.
e.g. Cobb, Hubbard, Samrat are the common commercial broiler strains.
Hyline and BV-300 are the common commercial layer strains.
i iii. Line breeding-
It is inbreeding within an ancestral line with an aim to increase a particular male or female ancestor’s
proportions in the progeny.
(B) System to increase Heterozygosity-
1. Outbreeding-
Mating of less closely related individuals. Mating between two different breeds is called as outbreeding.
It is just opposite to the inbreeding.
e.g. Mating between Leghorn male with Rhode Island Red female. i.e. mating between two different breeds.
Methods of mating in poultry
Mating is an act of joining cock with hen (copulation) so, that the hens may produce fertile eggs for hatching
and multiplication.
The number of female birds allowed to be served by a male bird depends upon the factors like breed, body
weight, season, age and physical conditions of the male.
For example, more females may be allowed for each male in the Leghorns (light breeds) than in the heavier
breeds such as the Rhode Island Red.
More females can be allowed in the mating pen during spring than during winter (where the winters are very
cold). In summer, mating should be suspended as fertility will be very poor and the birds get exhausted.
Methods of mating-
2 types of mating methods are-
A) Natural Method-
B) Artificial method-
A) Natural Method-
It include 4 types of methods-
1. Pen mating
2. Flock mating
3. Stud mating
4. Shift system of mating
1. Pen mating-
In this method of mating, many hens (10) are allowed to mate with a single male.
Advantage-
In trap nested (a trap nest is a nest box that has a door which automatically closes when the hen enters in to it)
hen percentage of progeny can be easily determined.
Disadvantages-
Fertility is not good in this mating system as compared to flock mating. Reason of low fertility is ignorance of
female for males in pen.
2. Flock mating-
Most common method of mating.
A number of males (20-30) are allowed to mate with the entire flock (250-300) of hens.
Advantage-
Excellent fertility is obtained.
Disadvantage-
Percentage of off springs by particular hen cannot be determined.
3. Stud mating-
In this mating method, male is housed in a small cage or pen and females are brought individually for mating
purpose. The hens are let into the male's pen one by one at intervals, and after mating they are removed to
their own pen. More number of females are allowed to mate with single male in a small flock. Selected males
should have outstanding characters to increase the quality of produced off springs
Advantage-
In this method, male’s utility is increased.
Disadvantage- Labour involvement is more than flock and pen mating methods.
4. Shift system of mating-
In this mating system, males are shifted from one pen to other after spending sufficient time in a pen to
produce sufficient progeny.
Advantages-
This system provides more thorough testing of females because females are allowed to mate with several
males.
Evaluation of male can be done.
Disadvantage-
Require more labour and time.
Commercially, flock mating and pen mating are the most important methods of mating.
(B) Artificial method-
Artificial insemination-
This technique contributes to the effectiveness of poultry breeding programs, but this system is not available
commonly. Artificial insemination may not be a feasible proposal for the village level poultry, as the villagers
may not have the necessary infrastructure or expertise in this field. A.I. has become more common in turkey
breeding because of poor fertility.
