Phenotypic characterization of village chicken populations in Ampara district, Sri Lanka

Abstract

The present study was directed to characterize the native breeds of chicken populations in Ampara District, Sri Lanka. A total of 277 chickens were sampled randomly in five veterinary ranges. The morphological characteristics such as features of plumage, comb, shank, eye, and earlobe, were observed, while number of morphometric measurements were also documented. One-way ANOVA was performed to test the significant difference between linear measurements and body weight among groups. Six well-defined phenotypic classes could be observed in the study area such as common village (CVC), naked neck (NNC), long-legged (LLC), frizzle feathered (FFC), crested (CRC), and booted bantam (BBC). The result of morphological characterization revealed many variations in plumage color and patterns. The dominant plumage color was black. Single and rose comb types were primarily found in the chicken population. A red color comb was a unique feature in all types of chicken. The presence of red color earlobes was the prominent feature of all village chickens. The regression analysis results revealed that body weight has significant relationships with all linear body measurements while BC and SL were the finest predictors of live weight. These findings could be useful as characterize local chicken in Ampara, Sri Lanka.