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Chicken Germplasms and Their Conservation in Bangladesh: a Review

M. A. Hamid
School of Agriculture and Rural Development, Bangladesh Open University Gazipur-1705, Bangladesh

Abstract/ Executive Summary:

The present article addresses the scenario of chicken genetic resources, their production and reproduction performances and their conservation in Bangladesh. The chickens, among other poultry species available in the country, are the most versatile component for meat and egg production. The chicken germplasms available in the country are indigenous, exotic, crossbred, and commercial hybrid. The indigenous chicken population is comprised of Non-descript Desi (ND), Naked Neck (NN), Aseel (AS), Hilly (H), Native Dwarf and Jungle Fowl etc. The exotic chicken such as, White Leghorn (WL), White Rock (WR), White Cornish (WC), Rhode Island Red (RIR), Australorp, Fayoumi, Barred Plymouth Rock (BPR) etc. are imported mostly to upgrade the indigenous stock. The crossbred of different chickens are used in the country in intensive, semi-intensive and scavenging management systems. The commercial hybrid such as grandparent stock (GP), parent stock (PS), commercial broiler, commercial layer etc. has got most popularity for meat and egg production in the country. Conservation and improvement programs of endangered native chickens such as Aseel and Native Dwarf chicken should be taken both in-situ or ex-situ in vivo by public sector/research institutes/universities.

Keywords: Bangladesh, Chicken, Germplasm, Conservation

Location: In Bangladesh

Start Date:

End Date:

Program Area: Conservation and Biodiversity

Commodity: Chicken

Objectives:

The objective for establishing of those farms to produce, conserve and develop chicken genetic resources.

Methodology:

The distribution pattern of chicken is very interesting in the country. The Non-descript Deshi chickens are distributed throughout the country except in some hilly areas of the country. Normal neck and Naked Neck indigenous birds are found in different regions of the country through the distribution of Naked Neck bird is comparatively very thin. The Aseel is a rare variety found only in some areas of the Brahmanbaria district. The Hilly birds are found in the hilly areas of the Chittagong region. Jungle fowl as the name implies is found in the forest of Hill Tracts, Sundarbans and also found in the Madhupur and Rajendrapur forest areas. The chicken germplasms of Bangladesh is composed of indigenous or native type, exotic type, crossbred type and commercial hybrid which have been described. According to the number of bird available in the country, some varieties of native chicken such as, Non-descript Deshi, Nacked Neck and Hilly are not endangered and they don’t need to be conserved. The number of Aseel Aseel and the Native Dwarf are low and so endangered. These two types of chickens need to be conserved. It is important for economic, social and cultural reasons. There are two means of conservation i.e. in situ and ex-situ. Conserving the live animals that exist in nature is in situ conservation. The animals are maintained in their original habitats under native conditions with no interference in their mode of management, feeding and other conditions. The main problem of in situ conservation is inbreeding and genetic drift typical of small populations. The ex-situ conservation is to be used when the endangered population is dismally low in numbers, as this process has its own innate problems. It may suffer from the spread of disease, or neglect during periods of institutional weakness, besides being costly in long-term preservations and losing the relatedness of the current genotype with the environment when one of these is preserved for long time. The importance of conservation between and within breed genetic diversity is widely recognized. Irreversible loss of breeds, or genetic variation within breeds, is undesirable. The FAOs Global Plan of Action on AnGR (FAO, 2007), as well as the Convention on Biological Diversity and national policies all address the importance of conservation and sustainable use of animal genetic resources. These international agreements formed the basis for national policies related to the conservation and management of FAnGR through in situ or ex situ conservation strategies. Presently the project research for the conservation of Aseel chicken is ongoing in Bangladesh Agricultural University and Hazi Danesh Science and Technology University with the joint research of Japan. On the other hand, the project research for the conservation of Native Dwarf is ongoing in the Department of Livestock Services and Bangladesh Livestock Research Institute.

Source of Information: SAARC J. Agric., 17(1): 119-134 (2019)

Article Link (Online Journal): DOI: https://doi.org/10.3329/sja.v17i1.42766

Funding Source:

Budget:

Total Budget (Tk.) :

Achievement/Findings:

From the above discussion, it may be concluded that Bangladesh is rich in chicken genetic resources. These serve well in fulfill the nutritional requirements of the country and income generation for millions of people. There is scope to improve the productivity of Indigenous chicken through appropriate breeding and husbandry practice. Aseel and Native Dwarf need immediate attention for conservation and improvement. This study represents useful resources for future study that may be threatened to the existence of local varieties, especially Aseel and Native Dwarf. These two endangered varieties, Aseel and Native Dwarf need immediate attention for conservation

Knowledge Management: Journal