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Morphological features of indigenous chicken populations of Ethiopia

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 May 2010

Nigussie Dana ,
Tadelle Dessie ,
Liesbeth H. van der Waaij  and
Johan A.M. van Arendonk
Nigussie Dana*
Affiliation:
Ethiopian Agricultural Research Institute, P.O. Box 32, Debre Zeit, Ethiopia Animal Breeding and Genomics Center, Wageningen University, P.O. Box 338, 6700 AH, Wageningen, The Netherlands
Tadelle Dessie
Affiliation:
International Livestock Research Institute, P.O. Box 5689, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Liesbeth H. van der Waaij
Affiliation:
Adaptation Physiology Group, Wageningen University, P.O. Box 338, 6700 AH, Wageningen, The Netherlands
Johan A.M. van Arendonk
Affiliation:
Animal Breeding and Genomics Center, Wageningen University, P.O. Box 338, 6700 AH, Wageningen, The Netherlands
*
Correspondence to: Nigussie Dana, Ethiopian Agricultural Research Institute, P.O. Box 32, Debre Zeit, Ethiopia. email: negussiedana@yahoo.com
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Summary

This study describes the variations in the physical features and the useful attributes of different populations of indigenous chickens. Five populations of chickens in different regions of Ethiopia were studied based on 13 qualitative traits recorded for a total of 1 125 chickens. Additional measurements on quantitative traits (shank length and body weight) were also included. Descriptive statistics (nonparametric and F tests) were used to analyze the data. Each of the study populations possessed multiple variants of plumage colours and other physical features. However, white body plumage is one of the prominent features of Farta chickens and red is predominant in the other populations. Pea comb is the dominant comb type in all regions. Most of the chickens in the high altitude regions have yellow skin. The geographic distribution and frequency of naked neck chickens are generally small, and the available small proportion is found mainly in the low altitude regions. Males in all populations are heavier and taller than the females. Body weights range from 1 411 g (Konso) to 1 700 g (Horro) in adult males and from 1 011 g (Konso) to 1 517 g (Sheka) in females. Most of the morphological traits that were studied showed a very low level of associations with each other.

Résumé

Cette étude décrit les variations des caractéristiques physiques et les attributs utiles des différentes populations de poules indigènes. On a étudié cinq populations de poules dans des régions différentes de l'Ethiopie sur la base de 13 caractères qualitatifs enregistrés sur un total de 1125 poules. D'autres mensurations sur les caractères quantitatifs, sur la hauteur du jarret et sur le poids corporel ont été également incluses. Les statistiques descriptives, les tests non paramétriques et du rapport des variances (test F) ont été utilisés pour analyser les données. Chaque population étudiée avait des variants multiples de couleurs du plumage et d'autres caractéristiques physiques. Cependant, le plumage blanc du corps est une des caractéristiques proéminentes des poules Farta tandis que le rouge est prédominant dans les autres populations. La crête en pois est la crête dominante dans toutes les régions. La plupart des poules des régions à haute altitude ont la peau jaune. La distribution géographique et la fréquence des poules Naked Neck sont généralement faibles et la petite proportion disponible se trouve principalement dans les régions des plaines. Les mâles de toutes les populations sont plus lourds et plus grands que les femelles. Les poids corporels variaient entre 1411 (Konso) et 1700 grammes par oiseau (Horro) pour les mâles adultes et entre 1011 (Konso) et 1517 grammes par oiseau (Sheka) pour les femelles. La plupart des caractères morphologiques étudiés indiquaient un niveau très faible d'association des uns avec les autres.

Resumen

Este estudio describe las variaciones en relación a características físicas y atributos útiles de diferentes poblaciones de gallinas locales. Se estudiaron cinco poblaciones de gallinas de distintas regiones de Etiopía, partiendo de 13 rasgos cualitativos recogidos sobre un total de 1.125 gallinas. También se incluyeron medidas adicionales sobre rasgos cuantitativos, como la longitud del tarso y la longitud del cuerpo. Descriptivos estadísticos, no paramétricos y pruebas F, fueron utilizados para el análisis de datos. Cada población estudiada poseía múltiples diferencias en cuanto al color del plumaje y a otras características físicas. Sin embargo, el plumaje de color blanco es una de las características más destacadas de las gallinas Farta, mientras que el color rojo es predominante en otras poblaciones. La cresta tipo guisante es la más común en todas las regiones. La mayor parte de las gallinas de las zonas de mayor altitud poseen la piel de color amarillo. La distribución geográfica y la frecuencia de gallinas de cuello desnudo es generalmente baja. Asimismo, es importante destacar que la menor proporción disponible para este tipo de gallinas se halla principalmente en las regiones de baja altitud. Los machos de todas las poblaciones son más pesados y poseen mayor talla que las hembras. Los pesos corporales variaron desde 1.411 (Konso) hasta 1.700 gr./ave (Horro) en machos adultos, y desde 1.011 (Konso) a 1.517 gr./ave (Sheka) en hembras. La mayor parte de los rasgos morfológicos estudiados demostraron estar poco relacionados con otros.

Keywords

indigenous chickensmorphological characterspoules indigènescaractères morphologiquesgallinas localescaracteres morfológicos
Type
Research Article
Information
Animal Genetic Resources/Resources génétiques animales/Recursos genéticos animales , Volume 46 , April 2010 , pp. 11 - 23
Copyright
Copyright © Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations 2010

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