Assessment of Growth Performance and Biometric Traits of Four Indigenous Chicken (Gallus domesticus) Genotypes in Ghana

The study aimed to assess the growth potential and biometric traits of four Ghanaian indigenous chicken genotypes. One hundred and twelve birds of mixed sexes, including Naked-neck, Normal-feathered, Frizzle, and Silky, were kept for twenty-four weeks using a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD). There were twenty-eight birds with four replications for each of the four genotypes. Data on growth parameters (feed intake, body weight, body weight gain, and feed conversion efficiency) and linear body measurements such as chest circumference (CC), shank length (SL), body length (BL), comb height (CH), wing length (WL), shank circumference (SC), wingspan (WS), neck length (NL), thigh length (THL), leg length (LL), and beak length (BkL) were collected on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis. Analysis of variance was used to analyze the data, and significant means were isolated. The findings indicated that breed significantly impacted body weight, with the local chicken showing important differences (P<0.05), particularly the Naked-neck genotype, which demonstrated superiority. The Frizzle exhibited the highest average daily feed intake value (55.6 g/d), while the Silky had the lowest (44.8 g/d). The feed conversion ratio of the Naked-neck chickens was higher than that of their counterparts. The results also revealed significant differences (P<0.05) in linear body parameters among the genotypes. Generally, a positive correlation was observed between body weight and linear body measurements, with the Naked-neck chickens recording the highest values in most linear body parameters. It was concluded that Naked-neck has the potential to provide excellent body weight and growth rate.