Department of Agricultural Sciences

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    Characteristics and Growth Performance of Kuchi Indigenous Chicken
    (2016-08) Chesoo, Ben; Oduho, George; Kios, David
    About This Book RECOMMENDATIONS To Poultry Breeders: To avoid genetic dilution and erosion of local chicken genetic resource, it is recommended that further characterization of the Kuchi ecotype is made(phenotypic and molecular), through within and between ecotype selection in order to utilize and conserve these indigenous genomes in a sustainable way, To Policy Makers: It is recommended that the line department in the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, collaborates with Animal Scientists who are interested in researching into indigenous chicken, particularly the Kuchi, for the purpose of patenting, conservation (Gene-banking) and production since this ecotype has the potential of being harnessed towards rural livelihood improvement, not only in Kenya but also in other developing tropical countries; and, To Farmers: Findings from this study, the researcher recommends that the farmers select and line breed ecotypes which are high body weight gain and plumage colours not attractive towards predators. Kuchi IC ecotype satisfies all these attributes; thus, the researcher highly recommends it to the farmers.
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    Analysis of the Genetic Variability and Population Cluster in Indigenous Chicken Ecotypes of Kenya
    (Multimedia University of Kenya, 2023-06) Chesoo, B. K.; Wanga, J. O.; Nandwa, A.
    Indigenous chicken (IC) provides a viable enterprise to rural and peri-urban settings in Kenya. An analysis using microsatellite markers was carried out to determine the genetic variability and population structure between and within six IC ecotypes of Kenya. A total of 284 eggs were sourced, incubated and artificially hatched as follows: Elgeyo Marakwet (EM, n=68); Turkana (TR, n =51), Homa Bay (HB, n =33), Meru (MR n =45), Nandi (ND=38); (LM, n =49) and Lamu (LM, n =49). EM, n=68) ;( TR n =51) ;( HB, n =39) ;( MR, n =45) and (LM, n =49), respectively. Hatched birds were raised up to 14 weeks of age. Then 50 birds, each ecotype: n=10, had their feathers plucked for a PCR - DNA analysis. Results showed that alleles per primer ranged between 2 (MCW0097) and 8 (ADL0328). Allele frequency ranged between 0.25 and 0.81 with a mean of 0.49. All the markers used in the study were polymorphic, ADL0328 was the most polymorphic marker (PIC = 0.79) while MCW0097 was the least polymorphic (PIC = 0.25), the mean polymorphic content was 0.58. Expected heterozygosis ranged from 0.202 in TR to 0.453 in ND. Mean fixation index (FST) ranged between 0.003 and 0.057 for ND and TR; respectively. Mean fixation index for the whole population was 0.0296. The greatest variation in the study was between ecotypes (62.78%), while within the ecotypes was 37.22%. Both factorial and phylogenetic population analyses showed a mixed genetic background. PCA results did not segregate IC ecotypes into distinct geographical groups discerning a rich genetic diversity of Kenyan IC hence the need to protect the indigenous genotypes against genetic erosion