Qualitative traits of walik chickens, the rare indigenous chicken, in West Java, Indonesia

Qualitative Traits of

Walik

_{Chickens, The Rare Indigenous}

Chicken, in West Java, Indonesia

Maria Ulfah*, Jakaria, & Restymaya Tirama Tarigan

Faculty of Animal Science, Bogor Agricultural University, Bogor, 16680, Indonesia

*e-mail: mulfah@ipb.ac.id

Abstract

The Walik chicken is one of the rare indigenous chickens in Indonesia owned frizzling feathers. Since the external genetic information of Walik chickens is very limited, therefore, the study on the qualitative traits of such rare indigenous chicken is necessary to support their comprehensive repertoire that would be useful for their preservation efforts and potency development. Thirty six Walik chickens (15 cocks, 21 hens), and 42 Walik chickens (16 cocks, 26 hens) from Sumedang and Bogor District, respectively, were used in this study. The variety on base color of feather, color of the plumage, flick feather, feather pattern, shank color, and comb types of the chickens were identified based on Hutt (1949), and Somes (1988). The frequency of autosomal genes, sex-linked genes, and feather pattern were quantified based on Nishida et al. (1980), and Stanfield (1982). The Walik chickens from Sumedang and Bogor District population have shown predominantly similarities on the plumage color (i), the wild feather pattern (e+), single comb (p), and white/yellow shank (Idid). However, the Walik chickens from Bogor District population were dominated by the strip feather/B (52%), and the silvered-flick feather/S (54%). The Walik chickens from Sumedang District population were dominated by the plain feather/b (54%), and golden flick feathers/s (84%). The low frequency occurence of some qualitative traits could be useful for selection in order to conserved the rare traits. Further studies on the quantitative traits, and the molecular analysis need to be done to complete a set of characterization of the Walik chickens.

Key words: qualitative traits, walik chicken

Introducton

current utlzaton (Sartka & Iskandar, 2007). The Walik chcken own a frzzlng type of feather (Sartka & Iskandar, 2007), and has varous names based on the geographc

regon of samplng, such as Walik or Rintit chckens n West Java. The monogenc

trats based on pgmentaton dfferences, and comb types are one of approach that can be used to descrbe the genetc varatons n chckens. The qualtatve trats of the chckens also have mportant economc, cultural, and relgous functon, therefore the specfc characterstcs must be carefully dentfed and consdered n

developng breedng programs. In term of Walik chcken n Indonesa, tll now, the

data on ther qualtatve trats s very lmted. Therefore, the objectve of ths study

was to dentfy the qualtatve trats of the Walik chcken populatons cared under

tradtonal farmng system n West Java to provde base lne data that would be useful for ther conservaton efforts and potency development.

Materals and Methods

The study areas were selected based on purposve samplng method. The ntal

survey to dentfy the ndvdual households kept the Walik chckens was done by

ntervewng the head of vllages, and the oldest people n a socety who know well

the people n the study areas as descrbed on the snow ball methods. Thrty sx Walik

chckens (15 cocks, 21 hens) from 4 vllages (Padanaan, Palasah, Ujungjaya dan15 cocks, 21 hens) from 4 vllages (Padanaan, Palasah, Ujungjaya dancocks, 21 hens) from 4 vllages (Padanaan, Palasah, Ujungjaya dan, 21 hens) from 4 vllages (Padanaan, Palasah, Ujungjaya danhens) from 4 vllages (Padanaan, Palasah, Ujungjaya danPadanaan, Palasah, Ujungjaya dan Keboncau) n Sumedang Dstrct, and 42 (16 cocks, 26 hens) n Sumedang Dstrct, and 42 (16 cocks, 26 hens)16 cocks, 26 hens)cocks, 26 hens), 26 hens)hens) Walik chckens from 9

locatons ( (Kampung Cangkrang, Desa Ckarawang, Kampung Carang pulang, Desa

Stugede, Desa Babakan Lebak, Desa Babakan Lo, Desa Cbeureum Dramaga, Desa

Neglasar, and Desa Kahurpan) n Bogor Dstrct, West Java, Indonesa were usedn Bogor Dstrct, West Java, Indonesa were used n ths study. The varety on base color of feather, color of the plumage, flck feather, feather pattern, shank color, and comb types of the chckens were dentfed based on Hutt (1949), and Somes (1988). The frequency of autosomal genes (plumage color and comb types), sex-lnked genes (varety on base color of feather, flck

feather, and shank color), and feather pattern were quantfed based on Nshda et

al., (1980), and Stanfeld (1982).

Results and Dscusson

The frequency dstrbuton pattern of the qualtatve trats n Walk chckens s

presented on Table 1. The Walik chckens, ether from Sumedang and Bogor Dstrct

The coloured plumage of brown, black, and mxture were predomnantly

observed among Walik chckens to whte colour ether n Bogor or Sumedang

Dstrct populaton (Table 1). Pgmentaton dfferences, whch are attrbutable to melann, produce a varety of plumage colours n the chckens. The presence and level of melann pgments such as trchochrome s related to feather colour and s consdered to be ndcatve of genetc dfferences among certan plumage colours (Smyth, 1991). There are 2 knds of melanne, namely eumelanne and pheomelanne. Eumelanne forms the black and blue colour of feather, whereas the pheomelann forms the red-brown, salmon and dark yellow (Brumbraugh and Moore, 1968). The strp base color of feather present f the dstrbuton of melanne on seconday feather

Table 2. Frequency Dstrbuton of Qualtatve Trats n Walk Chckens found n Sumedang and Bogor Dstrct, West Java, Indonesa

s blocked. The varety of base color of feather s the sex lnked gene that wll be found as ZB_{W and Z}B_ZB _{or Z}B_Zb_{, respectvely n male and female (Hutt, 1949).}

The relatvely low frequency of the whte plumage colour (Tabel 1) can be attrbuted to the fact that whte chckens (especally cocks) are mportant components n tradtonal relgous of the communty, therefore they are readly to be sold. Large varaton n plumage colour on the ndgnous chcken populaton s ndcatve of unconscous selecton effort. Ensmnger (1992) stated that plumage color and pattern, skn color, shank, and comb type are nherted by sngle pars of genes that able to nfluence the preference of the consumers. However, tll know there was a very lmted data that the varaton n plumage colour of the ndgnous chckens n Indonesa s manly due to the lack of conscous selecton or breedng programs towards choce of colour.

Our fndng also showed that the sngle comb/p predomnates wth a frequency

of 76%, and 83% for Walik chckens n Sumedang and Bogor Dstrct populaton,

respectvely, to pea comb (24%, and 17%). The hgher frequency of sngle to pea comb ndcated that Walk chckens are manly recessve for comb type. If the heterozygote genotpe has any relatve advantages, mprovement of the stock would be slow to medum snce only 17% and 24 % posessed the pea comb that s generally regarded as the domnant comb type.

The hgher frequency of whte/yellow shank color (79%) to black/green color

(21%) of Walik chckens n Bogor Dstrct populaton s n lne wth the report of

Sartka & Sofjan (2007) who found the whte/yellow skn was domnant n the ndgnous chckens n Indonesa. The melanne on epderms relates to the black color of chcken shank, whereas the lpochrome on epderms and melanne on derms relate to the green color of chcken shank (Jull, 1951). It has been generally assumed that the red junglefowl s the sole wld ancestor of the domestc chcken

(Crawford, 1990, Fumhto et al. 1994, Romanov & Wegend, 2001, Sulandar &

Zen, 2008). However, Erksson et al., (2008) demonstrates that though the whte

skn allele orgnates from the red junglefowl (Gallus gallus), the yellow skn allele orgnates from a dfferent speces, most lkely the closely related to grey junglefowl (Gallus sonnerat). Therefore, the molecular characterstcs s also mportant to be observed to complete a set of dentfcaton and characterzaton of the ndgnous

chckens n Indonesa, manly the Walik chckens. The rearng of Walik chckens

ether n Sumedang and Bogor Dstrcts s also an ntegral part of the smallholder farmng system, where they kept by the rural poor to fulfll multple functon. Ths could also become a sources of varaton of the qualtatve trats of chckens snce the presence or absence of the carotenod pgments, prmarly xanthophylls, n the

feed s also responsble for the dversty n skn colour of chckens (Erksson et al.

2008).

n the form of selectve breedng for dstnct phenotypes also contrbuted to the dversty of the present day chcken populatos mantaned n dfferent parts of the

tropcs (Desse et al., 2011). From our fndngs, we predct that the Walik chcken

have a hgh smlarty wth the Kampong chcken whch naturally have e+ _gene,

as descrbed by Nshda et al. (1980). We also predct that the Walik hens from Sumedang Dstrcts, whch were domnated by the plan feather (54%), have shown smlartes wth the Sngle Rhode Island Red that manly was developed as theSngle Rhode Island Red that manly was developed as the meat producng chckens. The foregn gene from Barred Plymouth Rock was also dentfed based on the strp feather of Walk chcken from Bogor Dstrct populaton. Hstorcally, the Barred Plymouth Rock are developed as egg producng chckens. Wegend and Romanov (2001) stated that the dentfcaton and characterzaton of the chcken genetc resources generally requres nformaton on ther populaton, adaptaton to a specfc envronment, possesson of trats of current and future value and socoecultural mportance, whch are crucal nputs to decsons on conservaton and utlzaton. Therefore we recommend that the further studes on the quanttatve trats, n term of egg and meat producton need to be done to predct the utlzaton

potences of Walik chcken.

Conclusons

The Walik chckens from Sumedang and Bogor Dstrct populaton have shown predomnantly smlartes on the plumage color (), the wld feather pattern (ee+_),

sngle comb (p), and whte/yellow shank (Idd). However, the Walik chckens from

Bogor Dstrct populaton were domnated by the strp feather/B (52%), and the slvered-flck feather/S (54%). Whereas the Walk chckens from Sumedang Dstrct populaton were domnated by the plan feather/b (54%), and golden flck feathers/s (84%). The low frequency occurence of some qualtatve trats could be useful for selecton n order to conserved the rare trats. Further studes on the quanttatve trats, and the molecular analyss need to be done to complete a set of dentfcaton

and characterzaton of the Walik chckens.

Acknowledgement

The authors thank the local government of Lvestock Department Servces of West Java for supportng the annual populaton data of local chckens n Indonesa. The authors also thank to the farmers for a very good cooperaton and helpng durng feld survey.

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