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.
