On Farm Phenotypic Characterization of Indigenous Chicken Ecotypes, Breeding and Husbandry Practices in Eastern Hararghe Zone, Oromia Region, Ethiopia.

This study was carried out with the objectives to phenotypically characterize indigenous chicken ecotypes, and to identify chicken, husbandry and breeding practices of the community in Fedis, Kersa and Gorro-Guttu districts. The survey included questionnaire, focus group discussion, field observations and linear body measurements(LBM).A total of 150 households were participated in the interviews, and for phenotypic characterization six hundred sixty individual chicken (600 female and 60 male from all districts) morphological measurement were taken to describe qualitative and quantitative traits following standard chicken descriptors. Descriptive statistics, Generalized Linear Model (GLM), canonical and stepwise discriminatory analysis procedures were used. The study result revealed the mean flock size of chickens per household was 12.41, 15.15, and 17.25 in Fedis, Kersa and Gorro-Guttu districts, respectively. Scavenging was the major feeding system in all districts. The majority of the respondents indicated that they are used culled chicken for household consumption. The average age of cockerels at first mating and Pullets at first egg was 6.03 months and 6.46 months, respectively. The average number of eggs laid/clutch was 14.01 and the number of total clutch periods/hen/year was 3.04, the annual egg production performance of local hen, was 46.62 eggs/hen/year. In this finding farmers gave more emphasis on red plumage color and large body size especially in kersa and Gorro-guttu districts, whereas Fedis districts mainly focused on egg production and comb type than monogenic qualitative and adaptive traits. Regarding comb type rose and pea type comb were identified as the two important types used for selecting hens and cocks. Different phenotypic variability among ecotypes was observed for Plumage color. A total of eight plumage colors were identified in all districts in which red and brown were the predominant color of the body .This result revealed that orange eye color chickens are dominant over red and brown eye color chicken. Variations were also observed in qualitative characteristics such as skin color, shank color and earlobe color and comb type. The average body weight of local cock in Fedis, Kersa and Gorro- Guttu districts were 1400, 1420 and 1370 gm respectively, while the respective values for mature hens were 1210, 1220 and1200gm. Variations in local chicken performance are ascribed in their study to many factors, mainly the variations in management practices between households, the availability of scavenging feed resources and feed supplements. Variations were also observed in shank length, back length, chest circumference, body length, keel length, wingspan tope side, wing spine underside, spire length, comb height, comb length, wattle length and wattle depth .The study complimented with genetic analysis may serve as a basis line for designing reliable husbandry, conservation, breeding and selection strategies. The three study districts indigenous chicken populations were characterized based on quantitative traits and they showed distinct characteristics. The multivariate analysis gave powerful evidence on the uniqueness of ecotypes from the common chicken ecotypes. Significant morphological variations among the three study district ecotypes showed higher variability. In most cases chest circumferences, shank length, body length in female and comb length, shank length wattle length in male were the most important traits to discriminate among the populations. Kersa and Fedis district ecotypes were the closest while higher distance was between Gorro-guttu and Fedis ecotypes in case of female and Kersa and Fedis ecotypes were closest while higher distance was between Gorro-guttu and Fedis ecotypes in case of males.