Calculating economic values for turkeys using a deterministic production model

Modern poultry breeding has been successful in achieving significant gains in production due to high fecundity, relatively short generation interval (in comparison with other species) and, last, the application of scientific processes in genetic evaluation. The objective of this paper was to document the development of an economic model relevant to the integrated turkey industry and to use the model to describe appropriate breeding objectives by calculating economic values for important production traits. The industry was modelled from the multiplier breeder down through to the processor. Each level in the production chain used a unit of production such as a live poult produced, a carcass delivered at the processing plant or a processed unit of meat to scale between different production divisions. Growth rate, feed consumption and breast meat yield all had similar relative economic value, while the reproductive traits (egg production, fertility and hatchability) had similar economic values to each other, but were smaller in comparison with the commercial production traits. The model was sensitive to assumed costs, such as feed price and, also for assumed returns in the form of breast meat value, and, as a consequence, care must be taken in the assumed pricing structure when calculating economic values for turkey breeding.Key words: Economic model, economic value, turkeys, breeding objectives