Guajolote – A poultry genetic resource native to Mexico

Abstract

SUMMARYThe Guajolote is a native North American poultry, originally domesticated in Mexico, from where it was exported to Europe, and from there to the rest of the world, becoming the genetic base of the breeds and varieties of turkeys that are known in the present. However, the phenotypic and productive characteristics of Guajolotes have been poorly studied, which has limited its racial recognition. This review describes the current knowledge on the historical distribution, morphological, morphometric and phaneroptic characteristics of Guajolotes, as well as the productive performance and quality attributes of Guajolote meat and eggs. Due to the long process of evolution, Guajolotes have a good capacity for adaptation and high rusticity that allows it to reproduce under different environmental and management conditions. It has unique morphological peculiarities and great variability in terms of its morphometric and phaneroptic descriptors. This bird has a marked sexual dimorphism in favor of males. Females are excellent natural incubators, they start laying from between 6 and 8 months of age, laying an average of 16.7 ± 3.6 eggs per laying season. Males have a good capacity to convert food into meat and can reach a live weight of between 5499 ± 148 to 5835 ± 173 g at week 30 of age, having a carcass yield of 79%. The nutritional quality of meat and eggs of Guajolote is even higher than that of chicken. In conclusion, Guajolotes are poultry with characteristics of high biological and productive value; however, better management strategies are required to maximize its genetic potential for the benefit of the food security of small and mid-size producers that depend on this poultry genetic resource.