Phenotypic diversity, major genes and production potential of local chickens and guinea fowl in Tamale, northern Ghana

Abstract

ObjectiveOur study provides information on phenotypes of local chickens and guinea fowl and their body measures as well as on major genes in local chickens in northern Ghana.MethodsQualitative and morphometric traits were recorded on 788 local chickens and 394 guinea fowl in urban households in Tamale, Ghana.ResultsThe results showed considerable variation of color traits and numerous major genes in local chickens, while color variations and related genotypes in guinea fowl were limited. In local chickens, white was preferred for plumage, whereas dark colors were preferred for beak and shanks. More than half of the chickens carried at least one major gene, but the contributions of single gene carriers were low. All calculated allele frequencies were significantly lower than their expected Mendelian allele frequencies. We observed higher mean body weight and larger linear body measures in male as compared to female chickens. In female chickens, we detected a small effect of major genes on body weight and chest circumference. In addition, we found some association between feather type and plumage color. In guinea fowl, seven distinct plumage colors were observed, of which pearl grey pied and pearl grey were the most prevalent. Male pearl grey pied guinea fowl were inferior to pearl grey and white guinea fowl in terms of body weight, body length and chest circumference; their shank length was lower than that of pearl grey fowl.ConclusionConsiderable variation in qualitative traits of local chickens may be indicative of genetic diversity within local chicken populations, but major genes were rare. In contrast, phenotypic and genetic diversity in local guinea fowl is limited. Broader genetic diversity studies and evaluation of trait preferences of local poultry producers are required for the design of appropriate breeding programs.

Statistical Modeling of Body Weight and Body Linear Measurements of the French Broiler Guinea Fowl in the Humid Tropics of Nigeria

“…The mean value for body weight observed in this study was higher than the values 1.23 g, 1.13 g and 1.28 g for pearl grey, peal grey pied and white guinea fowls in Ghana reported by Brown et al [17]. This could be that the French broiler guinea fowl is an improved strain compared to pearl grey, peal grey pied and white guinea fowls.…”

“…Mean shank length observed in this study was also higher than the value reported by Kasperska et al [18] but lower than the range of 8.88 ± 3.1 cm to 9.31 ± 4.7 cm reported by Panyoka et al [19] for domestic and wild helmeted guinea fowl of Kenya. Brown et al [17] also reported higher values for local guinea fowl in Ghana. Differences observed in this study could be attributed to differences in breeds, levels of improvement, environmental factors and management practices body linear parameters, indicated by the prediction equations showed that, the predictive equations could be used to predict body weight with high accuracy.…”

Farmers’ choice of genotypes and trait preferences in tropically adapted chickens in five agro-ecological zones in Nigeria

“…Knowledge of trait preferences for breeding decisions is central to the formulation of livestock policies aimed at improving the livelihoods of smallholder chicken farmers. Evaluation of trait preferences of local poultry producers is required for the design of appropriate breeding programs (Brown et al 2017). This may be particularly indispensable under the free scavenging production system (Markos et al 2016), where the economic weights of traits could be difficult to calculate and also permit the inclusion of non-market traits in the economic valuation of the chicken (Bett et al 2011).…”

Short Communication: Phenotypic diversity of male pelung chickens in West Java Province, Indonesia

“…This study revealed that red is the predominant color for eyes of male Pelung chickens, while yellow and black are minor. The three eye colors were also stated by Brown et al (2017), who characterized local chickens in Ghana. Two types of melanin, eumelanin (responsible for brown/black color) and pheomelanin (responsible for yellow/red color), synthesize the eye pigmentation (Steven 1991).…”

“…The red color of iris in male chickens is more intense than that in female chickens as red blood cells in male chickens are greater than in female (Corti and Vogelaar 2010). Red eyes were more frequent in cocks than in hens of local chickens in Ghana (Brown et al 2017).…”