Review on Phenotypic Characterization and Breeding Practice of Indigenous Chicken Populations in Ethiopia

Abstract

The review was conducted to Phenotypic Characterization and breeding practice of Indigenous Chicken Populations in Ethiopia. Concerned with breeding practice of producers of indigenous chicken were practiced for improved their chicken productivity through cross breeding and pure breeding methods. Indigenous chickens don’t have phenotypic standards and their classification is given based on colours and name of place where they are characterized. Still those local chickens are non-descriptive type and show variations in body position, plumage colour, comb type, their adaptation and productivity. Scavenging production systems is the dominant management practices of chicken with small feed supplementation. High incidence of chicken diseases, mainly (NCD) is the major economically important constraints for village chicken production systems followed by feed shortage and predators in the country. Since local chickens have good potential to adapt in different agro-ecology and make available well-appointed source of family protein and income for rural people. Indigenous breeds of chickens are playing an important role in rural economies in most of the developing countries. They play a major role for the rural poor people with respect to their subsidiary income and provide them with nutritious of chicken egg and meat for their own consumption. The present review was made to document the importance of indigenous chicken characterizations and breeding Practices in Ethiopia for rural economy and its improvement with respect to performance.