Microsatellite polymorphism in commercial broiler and layer lines estimated using pooled blood samples

For 17 microsatellite markers, allele frequencies were determined in nine highly selected commercial broiler and six highly selected commercial layer Lines using pooled blood samples from 60 animals. The average number of marker alleles was 5.8 over all lines, 5.2 over broiler Lines, and 3.0 over layer lines. The average number of marker alleles within a line was 2.9, 3.6, and 2.0 for all, broiler, and layer Lines, respectively. Over all 15 lines, the average percentage of heterozygosity was 42, whereas the heterozygosity in the broiler lines was 53% and in the layer lines only 27%. In broiler lines, 50% of the marker-line combinations showed a heterozygosity above 60%, whereas this was only 5% in layer lines. Estimation of allele frequencies with microsatellite markers was first assessed in pooled and individual samples before usage in the commercial. lines. Allele frequencies for 19 microsatellite markers were estimated in chicken pooled blood samples and compared with allele frequencies from individual typed animals. Similar results were obtained when pooled blood samples (heterozygosity of 35.3%) or individual typed animals (heterozygosity of 34.2%) were used. The method to determine allele frequencies using pooled blood samples is faster, cheaper, and as reliable and repeatable as determining allele frequencies using individual typings.