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May 27, 2026Keywords:
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Main Article Content
Genetic and morphological diversity of indigenous chicken of Kenya: A Review
Abstract
This review was conducted to identify evaluate and characterize genetic diversity of indigenous chicken in Kenya. Indigenous domestic chickens (IC) are often reared under the traditional scavenging system by small-holder farmers in developing countries. In Kenya, IC remains the most popular and contributes towards food security in the rural areas as 90% of the Kenyan farmers are involved in poultry rearing, with IC supplying 40% and 60 % of the marketed eggs and meat respectively. The popularity of IC among the resource poor rural households is attributed to their low production costs, better adaptability to poor quality feeds and harsh scavenging conditions and higher tolerance to parasites and diseases. Their productivity is normally low due to poor feed conversion efficiency, low adoption of modern technologies and genotype. The improvement, utilization, sustainable management and conservation of a particular population of domestic animals necessitate its characterization. The first step for characterization of local genetic resources requires an understanding of various morpho biometrical traits between and within populations. Variations among individuals or groups, provide a basis for breeding and selection. There are several genetic improvement programs in Kenya that are focusing on improvement of a varied range of traits; production, disease resistance among others. Several ecotypes of indigenous chickens exist with a variety of genes that determine their phenotypic and productive traits. There exist a variety of ecotypes in Mombasa County; frizzled feathered, naked neck, barred feathered, mauve feathered, black feathered and dwarf size birds. While Kuchi ecotype has been recorded in Lamu and Marakwet Counties in Kenya. A wide range of phenotypic variations exists between the IC ecotypes. This could be as a result of extreme inbreeding and crossbreeding with exotic ecotypes. There has been a shift from the use of morphological characterization to molecular based approaches for purposes of accuracy. The molecular approaches have the capacity to determine genetic diversity between or within populations and their ancestry. In East Africa, numerous studies have been done to evaluate genetic diversity and relations between populations of indigenous chicken. East African IC are closely related genetically and clearly distinct from their commercial counterparts. Molecular tools like genetic markers especially microsatellite markers have been used to determine the genetic background of indigenous chicken. Most evaluation studies involving indigenous chicken in Kenya have been undertaken. The variations in the indigenous chicken ecotypes are an important aspect for future breeding programs. Therefore, these chickens denote a rich genetic diversity that requires intensive characterization for breeding and conservation purposes.
