Phenotyipc and Genetic Characterization of Indgenous Chicken in Southwest Showa and Gurage Zones of Ethiopia
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Date
2015-01
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Addis Ababauniversity
Abstract
This study was conducted to characterize and describe the genetic diversity and phenotypic variations in four indigenous chicken ecotypes of Southwest Showa and Gurage zones of Ethiopia under village production system. The genetic diversity of four indigenous chicken ecotypes was studied using ten microsatellite markers. Fayomi and Swedish breeds were included for comparison. The production and reproductive performances and egg quality traits of indigenous chickens were evaluated under extensive management system. Two districts from each of Southwest Showa and Gurage zones and 3 kebeles from each district and 25 households from each kebele were selected using random sampling. A survey was conducted on 295 selected households to describe the village-based poultry production systems. In majority of the households women (79.1%) were responsible for chicken rearing. Night shelter was provided by all farmers either in kitchen (0.4 %) or main house (4.7 %), or perch (90.9 %), bamboo cages (3.7 %) or separate shed (0.3 %). In both zones along with full day scavenging about 96.3 % of the respondents provided feed supplement and 99.7% provided water to their chicken. Most of the respondents (72.3%) cull their birds for income followed by consumption and income (16.9%), consumption (9.1%) and to sacrifice for religious rituals (1.7%). 70.3% of the respondents reported that pullet and cockerels reached sexual maturity at the average age of 5.5 months while 20.6% and 9.1% of the respondents reported they reached sexual maturity at the average age of 6.5 and 7.5 months respectively. Sexually mature female’s weight at 6 month was 750±222.30, 587±116.08, 925± 162.87and 670±385.29g in Dawo, Sedan Soda, Mehale Amba and Mehurena Aklile districts, respectively. The average number of eggs per clutch per hen in the study area was 12 with a maximum of 3 clutches/hen/year. Average number of eggs incubated per hen was 11 eggs. Average hatchability and chick survivability to adulthood were 76.6% and 65.5% respectively. The mean egg weight, shell weight, albumin weight, yolk weight, egg shell thickness, albumin thickens and yolk colour in south west zone were 42.59±2.64g, 7.08±2.35g, 18.58±3.23g, 16.93±2.22g, 0.32±0.05mm, 3.43±0.79mm, and 9.23±0.99, respectively and for Gurage zone were 42.36±5.55g, 8.34±1.89g, 17.24±4.64g, 16.7±2.727g, 0.30±0.05mm, 3.5±1.08mm and 8.86±0.66, respectively. Average fertility, hatchability (TES)
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and hatchability (FES) of Southwest Showa zone were 86.13, 46.79 and 51.85% and for Gurage zone were 85.67, 46.53 and 51.57%, respectively. About 91.9% respondents in the study area obtained their initial chick stock by purchasing, 4.4% by hatching and 3.7% as gift. Majority of replacement chicks (63.9%) in the study area were obtained by hatching followed by purchasing (31.1%) and gifts (5.1%). Finance sources to replace and start chicken production were sells of crops (46.36 %), egg (20.50%), poultry (6.65%), other animal (5.55%), and cash crop (4.43%) and off farm income (16.50%). Almost all respondents (97.6%) reported Newcastle disease outbreak. Unstable price, disease outbreak, poor infrastructure and seasonal demand were factors influencing the marketing of chicken and eggs as reported by 58.9, 9.6, 6.0 and 0.7% of the respondents, respectively. About 60.1% respondents used extension services in poultry production. Identifiable chicken’s plumage colors were brown (32.8%), grey mixture (14.4%), reddish brownish (14.4%), white (10.3%), black (9.2%) and red (5.1%). Major qualitative characteristics were rose (41.5%) and single (43.6%) comb types; plain (54.9 %) and crest (45.1%) head shapes; unfeathered shanks (98.48%); white (33.73 %), and yellow (32.48%) shank colour and red and white (34.9%), red (32.2%) and white (31.7%) earlobe colours. The correlation between shank and body length were positive and significant. The number of alleles in Ethiopian ecotypes ranged from lowest 3 alleles per locus in Seden Sodo ecotype at MCW0014 and MCW0078 to 11 alleles per locus in Mehale Amba chicken at LEI0094 marker. The mean heterozygosity values ranged from 19 to 55% in overall population and from 50 to 55% in Ethiopian ecotypes. In the phylogenetic tree the Swedish, Fayomi and the Ethiopian chicken could be grouped separately in three different groups. Ethiopian local chickens were different from exotic breeds and there is a tendency of sub-clustering within Ethiopian ecotypes which needs further investigation using more number of informative markers and advanced clustering tools such as structure programme. Furthermore, studies need to be made to characterize the two sub-clusters of Ethiopian ecotypes for performance traits.
Key Words: Indigenous chicken, village production system, phenotypic variation, genetic diversity
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Keywords
Indigenous chicken, village production system, phenotypic variation, genetidiversity