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Future of Dalmatian Turkey - traditional local form of poultry in Croatia

Since 1994 Croatia has been involved into FAO project for preservation of rare animal breeds. Today, in the National Register of Autochthonous Breeds of Croatia are included only two breeds of poultry: Hen Hrvatica and Zagorje Turkey. But process of identification and characterisation of autochthonous breeds and local forms is still continuing. A local, archaic form of turkey traditionally has been reared on the area of Dalmatian hinterland. During history its spreading on wild territory or islands was mostly limited by mountains. This local form has quite specific phenotypic characteristics that mostly maintained during hundred of years, as a result of extensive production system in small flocks where turkeys are keeping and feeding outdoor the most part of the year. At the beginning of 2009 project for identification of majority of flocks as well as their morphological and physiological characterisation has beginning. For that reason we try to establish average phenotypic traits of breeding animals in parental flocks on few family farms. That include: determination of feather colour, body mass and average body and head measures (body length, length of sternum, length of shank, body width, depth of chest, distance from sternum to pubic bone, head width and length and beak length). Those will present the first steps toward preservation of this local form for further generations.

Dalmatian turkey; autochthonous form; preservation; phenotypic characteristics

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