Biometric Trait Characterization and Multivariate Discriminant Analysis of Traditionally Bred Autochthonous Chickens in Ethiopia

Kefala Taye Mekonnen, Dong-Hui Lee, Young-Gyu Cho, Ah-Yeong Son and Kang-Seok Seo ()
Additional contact information
Kefala Taye Mekonnen: Department of Animal Science, College of Agriculture and Environmental Science, Arsi University, Asella P.O. Box 193, Ethiopia
Dong-Hui Lee: Department of Animal Science and Technology, Sunchon National University, Suncheon 57922, Republic of Korea
Young-Gyu Cho: Department of Animal Science and Technology, Sunchon National University, Suncheon 57922, Republic of Korea
Ah-Yeong Son: Department of Animal Science and Technology, Sunchon National University, Suncheon 57922, Republic of Korea
Kang-Seok Seo: Department of Animal Science and Technology, Sunchon National University, Suncheon 57922, Republic of Korea

Agriculture, 2023, vol. 13, issue 11, 1-13

Abstract: The biometric characterization of autochthonous Ethiopian chickens has not been fully investigated in the study area. In this study, we aimed to conduct biometric trait characterization and multivariate discriminant analysis of traditionally bred autochthonous chickens in Ethiopia and assess the wide range of phenotypic diversity within these populations. A multi-stage sampling procedure was used, and data on biometric traits and body weight were collected from adult chickens. Principal component and correlation analyses were performed to explore the discriminating factors and relationships among traits. All autochthonous chickens showed clear sexual dimorphism, with the Agarfa chickens having the highest biometric traits and body weight. Across the study area, the majority of biometric values showed variation between age group 1 (AG-1) and age group 3 (AG-3). All autochthonous chickens showed a strong correlation between wingspan and back length ( p ≤ 0.001). Roosters and hens also showed a strong correlation between the keel and neck length ( p ≤ 0.001). Principal component 1 (PC1) and principal component 2 (PC2) explained 56.44%, 55.09%, and 47.86% of the total variation in the original variables for all autochthonous chickens, roosters, and hens, respectively. Univariate and multivariate analyses revealed the existence of biometric trait and body weight variations among autochthonous chickens from different districts. Therefore, genetic profiling should be performed to better understand the genetic potential of autochthonous Ethiopian chickens.

Keywords: autochthonous chicken; biometric traits; district; Ethiopia; multivariate analysis; traditional breeding (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/13/11/2142/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/13/11/2142/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jagris:v:13:y:2023:i:11:p:2142-:d:1279373

Access Statistics for this article

Agriculture is currently edited by Ms. Leda Xuan

More articles in Agriculture from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().