An ex situ study on body characteristics and effect of plumage color on body weight of indigenous chicken (Gallus domesticus) in Bangladesh

The study was conducted at the Bangladesh Livestock Research Institute (BLRI), Savar, Dhaka, Bangladesh with the objectives of comparing the body characteristics and body weight of three Indigenous chicken genotypes namely Common Desi, Hilly and Naked Neck. Of the four hundred and eighty nine birds analyzed the proportion of Common Desi, Naked Neck and Hilly chicken were 49.49, 24.95 and 25.56% respectively. The most predominant plumage color was reddish black (33.13%). Four types of shank colors were most frequently observed, i.e. white (39.87%), yellow (37.22%), black (20.04%) and mixed (2.87%). The earlobes were mainly reddish white (44.79%) followed by white (29.24%) and red (25.97%). The most predominant skin color was white (92.22%). Most birds had a single comb (96.12%). Hilly birds were heavier than the other Indigenous chicken groups (p < 0.05). The mature weight between Common Desi and Naked Neck did not differ significantly (p > 0.05) but significantly differed from that of Hilly chicken. In terms of shank length and circumference, there were no significant (p > 0.05) differences between Common Desi and Naked Neck chicken, but Hilly chicken had significant (p < 0.05) differences from both.