engleski

Identification and characterisation of Dalmatian Turkey

Dalmatian Turkey is an archaic form of turkey traditionally reared on area of Dalmatian hinterland. It is historically involved in tradition of this region and maintained due to local inhabitants and their tendency towards to traditional forms. Furthermore, those turkeys are suitable for extensive breeding, as well as to the local social and agricultural conditions. Still, Dalmatian Turkey isn't identified, characterized and determined as an autochthonous breed, besides their characteristic phenotype and limited breeding region. Everyday increase of hybrids number causes decrease of the amount of Dalmatian Turkey in this area. From this reason we find necessary to determine their average morphological and physiological characteristics, as soon as possible. In that way it will be possible to determine the main trends for characterisation of breed, to find flocks with no influence of other breeds or hybrids, as well as to determine average population size. That will present the first steps towards its’ full phenotypic and genotypic identification. In this paper we would like to present our project which will start at the beginning of 2009, with the aim to identify and characterize this archaic form of turkey, and in that way contribute to conservation of biological and environmental diversity in Croatia.

Dalmatian Turkey; archaic form; phenotypic characteristics; preservation

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