Phenotypic Characterization of Local Chickens (Gallus Gallus Domesticus) In Bekwarra Cross River State, Nigeria

This study was conducted in Bekwarra Local Government Area of Cross River State, Nigeria, to identify and determine some characteristics of local chickens. A total of 530 adult chickens of both sexes and 111 fresh eggs were carefully examined at seven administrative council wards of the local government. About 43.00% of the birds observed were male while 57.00% were females. Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) was employed to carry out descriptive statistics on qualitative and quantitative data of identified chicken population in the respective areas.The result showed predominantly pea comb type (38.90%). Eye color was black (44.72%), light-brown (14.91%), dark-brown (12.83%), dark-red (11.30%), orange (11.32%), and pink (1.10%). For plumage colour, 36.23% were classified as black, 20.00% as white, 13.02% as brown, 9.43% as red, 7.93% as multicolored, 3.21% as black-white, 3.02% as grey, 2.45% as grey-white, 2.26% as black-brown, 0.94% as ash-black and 0.57% as ash respectively. Most chickens (31.90%) had yellow shanks, while 19.60%, 18.50%, 11.30%, 6.40%, 5.10%, 3.40%, 3.00%, 0.40%, had white, greenish, milky, ash, dark-ash, pink, red, and light brown respectively. An average live, body circumference, body length, shank, head and neck length were; 1.80kg, 42.7 ± 0.03cm,55.8 ± 0.21cm, 12.20 ± 0.4cm, 5.1 ± 0.03cm, and 8.9 ± 0.5cm. The average egg width, egg length and egg weight were; 5.2 ± 0.03cm, 7.6 ± 0.01cm, 31.6 ± 0.05g with 12 clutch size and 3 clutches per hen per year. The indigenous chicken population in Bekwarra, Nigeria, is mostly black with black eyes, white eggs and yellow shank. There were distinctive differences in almost all the measurable traits parameters examined. These distinctions provide the basis for which they could be classified and improved.