important because the measurements are subjective but need to be quantified to produce data. In the field study below, the breeder males were overweight and fertility was declining. The production graph indicated the males were heavy and considerably above their weight for target age. On the farm, the condition of the males was quantified based on a breast muscle scoring system (Figure 1). The male breast scores are explained in Figure 2. In Figure 1, 65% of the males had a desired fleshing score of 3, while 15% of the males were too thin and 10% were emaciat- ed. Only 10% were well developed with a fleshing score of 4, leaving no males with fleshing scores of 5, which would be deemed overweight and unfit for reproduction. This means that 75% of the males’ condition showed good reproductive fitness, indicating they were not overfed. The remaining 25% were off target for 36 weeks of age, indicating that they may not be receiving enough feed, although they appeared to be ‘overweight’. Based on the body weight data alone, it ap- peared that the males were underfed to control their weight. This demonstrates the difference between weight and size as perceived by the farmer. Therefore, we increased the feed and fertility began improving. Table 1 shows the fleshing target table based on age.
Different case, different dynamics In another case study of declining hatchability, the farmer
collected and kept weekly breast scoring records for each house. There were 23 houses totaling 15,000 males represent- ed in the data (Figure 3). Figure 3 indicates that the males’
Figure 2 - An explanation of fleshing scores. Explanation of fleshing scores FLESHING 1
Severely under conditioned breast and very thin. No wing resistance. Unacceptable male.
FLESHING 2
Thin breast from top (wing area) down. More keel bone exposed. Flaccid wing resistance.
FLESHING 2.5
V shaped breast with more fleshing in upper breast part near the wings. Stronger wing resistance and minimum condition for most males for good fertility.
FLESHING 3
More rounded breast with more breast deposition on the side of the keel. (Similar to fleshing 2.5, fleshing 3 is good and preferred for males during the production period.)
FLESHING 4
Wide breast on top (wing area) and down to end of the keel. This condition will become more noticeable after 50 weeks.
FLESHING 5
Very wide breast (dimple in keel area). Severely over fleshed male for all the male lines. Fertility would be negatively affected.
Excessive ▶ POULTRY WORLD | No. 2, 2022 23 Too heavy Ok Lean Not Acceptable
Comprehensive data collection provides op- portunities to predict future male breeder performance and results.
Ok
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