Discriminant analysis of morphometric differences in the normal feathered and frizzle feathered chickens of north central Nigeria

Ten morphometric traits were measured on 1046 extensively managed adult local chickens made up of 610 normal feathered and 436 frizzle feathered chickens in north central Nigeria. Step-wise canonical discriminant analysis generated 8 morphological traits (breast girth, body length, shank length, bird height, head circumference, wing length, neck length, and keel length) with the most discriminating power between the two genotypes. The discriminant function obtained correctly classified 100% of individuals from the chicken population. The classification accuracy of the function was cross- validated using the split- sample method, and indicated 100% success rate. The low mahalanobis distance (11.27) reported suggests non-selection, continuous inbreeding and high rate of intermingling between the two chicken genotypes. The results obtained could be complemented by DNA-based techniques for better preservation and management of the chicken genetic resources.Keywords: local chicken, morphometric traits, discriminant, mahalanobis distanc