Short communication Morphometric variations among five Bhutanese indigenous chickens (Gallus domesticus)

Morphometric characterization provides baseline information for initiating population’s improvement. Thus, the study aims to investigate variations of morphometric traits in five indigenous chickens of Bhutan. A total of 122 adult female birds belonging; Seim (Red Jungle-fowl type), Yuebjha Narp (Black), Khuilay (Naked neck), Phulom (Frizzle) and Shekheni (Short-legged) were included for live weight and linear body measurements. Descriptive and inferential statistics of SPSS 16 were used to determine the influence of bird type on some quantitative traits. Adult Seim was the heaviest (mean, 1.58; SE, 0.10 kg), followed by Naked neck (mean, 1.46; SE, 0.05 kg) while the lowest was Frizzle (mean, 1.36; SE, 0.04 kg). Mean body was the widest and narrowest for Seim (29.85 cm) and Shekheni (27.67 cm), respectively. In addition, lengths of body were longer and shorter in Seim (40.48 cm) and Shekheni (27.67 cm), respectively. On the contrary, the longest back length was observed in Shekheni (21.23 cm). Frizzle (11.55 cm) and Seim (11.53 cm) was bigger thigh circumference while Shekheni (10.84 cm) was low. Similarly, thigh lengths were the longest in Frizzle and Seim. Strong positive correlations for body weight and linear body measures were examined in all populations Seim and Naked neck had the best coefficient of correlations in studied traits. A cluster analysis could also classify the Bhutanese indigenous chickens into two main clusters; creeper (Shekheni) and non-creepers (Frizzle, Yuebjha Narp, Naked neck and Seim). These information may prove essential with any future research on local chickens of Bhutan.