Characterization of indigenous Aseel chicken breed for morphological, growth, production, and meat composition traits from India

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1 Characterization of indigenous Aseel chicken breed for morphological, growth, production, and meat composition traits from India U. Rajkumar, 1 S. Haunshi, C. Paswan, M. V. L. N. Raju, S. V. Rama Rao, and R. N. Chatterjee Directorate of Poultry Research, Rajendranagar, Hyderabad , Telengana, India ABSTRACT Aseel is an important native chicken color was white (98%) with pinkish red coloration on breed of India, known for its martial qualities (aggressive fighting abilities), pugnacity, and majestic gait. The aim of the study is to conserve and characterize the Aseel germplasm, which is considered to be endangered. The birds were maintained on deep litter under a simulated backyard type of housing having night shelter and a free-range area. A total of 313 chicks produced in the second generation from the flock collected from native tract in Andhra Pradesh was characterized for morphological, growth, production, and meat quality parameters. Aseel birds were characterized by multicolored plumage (predominantly dark brown, black, golden, etc.) with solid feather patterns and normal distribution. Ear lobes were red (92%) and small in size, while 98% of the birds had red colored pea combs with variations in intensity of color. The shank color was yellow in the majority (65%) of the birds. The skin exposed body parts, especially on the breast. The fertility and hatchability on total eggs were 67.2 and 41.4%, respectively. Cocks were heavier (P 0.05) with distinct sexual dimorphism in Aseel. The body weight of hens and cocks was 1,704.4 ± 23.2 and 2,702.5 ± 28.1 g at 40 wk and 2,333.7 ± 26.1 and 3,793.7 ± 20.8 g at 72 wk of age, respectively. The age at sexual maturity was ± 6.0 days. The egg production up to 40, 52, and 64 wk of age was 18.0 ± 1, 30.0 ± 2.0, and 47 ± 3 eggs, respectively. The annual egg production (72 wk) was 64 ± 6 eggs. The proximate composition of breast muscle was; protein 21.5 ± 0.5%, fat 3.4 ± 0.1%, ash 2.0 ± 0.1%, and moisture 73.3 ± 0.5%. The ph of breast muscle was 6.0 ± 0.03 and the cholesterol content was 72.5 ± 6.7 mg/100 g. Efforts are on for improving the productivity in the flock without compromising the original breed characteristics. Key words: Aseel, characterization, morphology, growth, production 2017 Poultry Science 96: INTRODUCTION Aseel is one of the important indigenous chicken breeds of India and is well known for its pugnacity, majestic gait, agility, high stamina, and dogged fighting qualities (Singh, 2001). The home tract of Aseel chickens is the state of Andhra Pradesh; however, the birds are present in parts of other states like Orissa, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan. The Aseel hens are poor layers but have excellent broodiness traits and are quite formidable in the protection of their young ones under free-range conditions. Eight variants of Aseel breed were reported in India of which, Aseel (Yellow) and Aseel (Black) are commonly available (Panda and Mohapatra, 1989). These birds are characterized by their hardiness and ability to thrive under adverse climatic conditions. The productivity is low in Aseel chickens, but the birds are known for their meat quality with desirable taste and flavor (Rajkumar et al., 2016). The native chicken meat is known for intense flavor, firm C 2017 Poultry Science Association Inc. Received July 26, Accepted December 13, Corresponding author: ullengala@yahoo.com texture, low fat, and rich nutrients (Zhao et al., 2007; Chen et al., 2008). Assessing and documenting the meat quality and its composition, especially proximate composition in Aseel is very important in terms of its nutrient composition and also in consumer interest. Of late, there is growing interest in native chickens among farmers because of their hardiness, ability to thrive under adverse conditions, and the desirable taste and flavor of their eggs and meat. Considerable genetic erosion is occurring because of the introduction of improved hybrid chicken varieties in the breeding tracts of recognized breeds leading to dilution of genetic purity or replacement of the breeds, which has brought them under threat of extinction (Singh, 2009). The available literature on the morphology, performance, and other parameters of Aseel chicken is very limited (Singh et al., 2000a,b; Mohan et al., 2008; Haunshi et al., 2011). Further, there is a considerable variation in the growth and production traits of Aseel chickens in the published literature (Mohan et al., 2008; Haunshi et al., 2011; Sarkar et al., 2012). Comprehensive information on characterization of Aseel chickens for morphology, growth, and production in a complete laying cycle is essential for planning, management, and conservation 2120

2 CHARACTERIZATION OF ASEEL CHICKEN 2121 of Aseel chickens in a sustainable manner. Therefore, the present study was carried out with an aim to conserve and characterize Aseel chickens with respect to morphological, growth, production, and meat quality traits. MATERIALS AND METHODS The study was carried out at the experimental poultry farm of Indian Council of Agricultural Research- Directorate of Poultry Research (ICAR-DPR), Hyderabad, India. Hyderabad is located in the Deccan plateau in the southern part of India positioned between N and E at a height of 500 m above sea level. The region experiences usually a hot and humid tropical climate with maximum temperature ranging from 20 Cinwinterto45 C in summer seasons. The experiment was approved by the Institutional Animal Ethics Committee. Experimental Population The Aseel chickens were collected from the native breeding tract in Andhra Pradesh, India, for conservation purpose. A total of 313 chicks, produced randomly in the second generation (G-2) was utilized for the study. Standard management practices were followed during brooding, growing, and laying stages. The hens were housed in individual cages with dimensions of cm width 38.1 length 50.8 front height 45.7 cm back height, and cocks were maintained on deep litter in a backyard type of housing with night shelter and a free-range facility for movement of the birds to retain the original breed characteristics. The birds were maintained on ad libitum feeding with maize and soya based diets during the experimental period. The birds were vaccinated against Marek s disease (first d), Newcastle disease (Lasota - seventh and 30th d; R 2 B- 9th wk; inactivated - 18th wk), infectious bursal disease (14th and 26th d), fowl pox (6th wk), and infectious bronchitis (18th wk). The ambient temperature ranged from 20 Cto42 C during the rearing period. Morphology Data on physical characters like feather distribution and pattern, comb types, color of the shank, skin, ear lobe, eyes, spur, etc., were collected on 236 birds (116 hens and 120 cocks) at 20 wk of age as per the standard proforma developed by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research - National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources (ICAR-NBAGR). Growth Traits Body weight was measured in chicks at one d old, and 4, 6, 12, and 16 wk of age on pooled sex and at 20, 40, 52, 64, and 72 wk of age on a unisex basis. The corresponding shank lengths were measured until 40 wk of age. The body weight was measured to 0.1 g accuracy using digital balance. Production Traits Age at sexual maturity (ASM); egg weights at 32, 40, 52, 64, and 72 wk of age; and part-period egg production up to 40 (EP40), 52 (EP52), and 64 (EP64) and annual egg production up to 72 (EP72) wk of age were recorded. The weight of eggs was recorded using a digital balance (0.01 g accuracy). Meat Quality Meat quality parameters, namely, the proximate composition, ph, and cholesterol content of breast muscle, from 20 Aseel cocks slaughtered at 20 wk of age were evaluated. Moisture (Sox Plus, Model SCS-6, Pelican Equipments, Chennai, India), fat, protein (Kel Plus, Model KES 6 L, Pelican Equipments, Chennai, India), and ash contents of the meat were determined as per procedures of AOAC (1995). Cholesterol content of the muscle was estimated by the Zaks and Henly method. ph. The ph of meat was determined as per AOAC (1995). Briefly, 5 g of meat were homogenized with 45 ml of distilled water for one min using a tissue homogenizer. The ph of the homogenate was recorded by immersing the combined glass electrode and temperature probe of the digital ph meter. Statistical Analysis The data on qualitative characters were expressed as percentages. The descriptive statistics for various growth, production and meat quality traits were analyzed using SPSS version One way ANOVA was carried out to study the effect of sex on body weights and shank length. Morphology RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Morphological features, namely, plumage, comb, shank, ear lobe, eye, and skin color observed in Aseel chickens are presented in Table 1. Aseel chickens had compact, firm, and muscular bodies held in a distinct upright position with strong shanks, majestic gait, short curved beaks, and broad skulls. The keel bone was straight and well developed. The back was straight with a slanting appearance from the neck to the tail. Aseel birds were characterized by multicolored plumage, predominantly dark brown, black, red, golden, and white, with solid feather patterns and normal distribution (Figure 1 4). The long, glossy tail feathers drooping downwards added to the beauty of the bird. The primary feather color was black in both sexes;

3 2122 RAJKUMAR ET AL. Table 1. Qualitative characters in Aseel chickens expressed as percentage (n = 236). Character Type/size Percentage,% Comb Pea comb Strawberry Small Medium Large Dark red Medium Pale red Males Females Males Females Red Black and others Black Yellow Yellow Black Yellow Black Absent 96 Absent Comb size Comb color Wattles Spur Ear lobe Eye color Skin color Shank color Beak color however, different feather colors with various combinations also were observed. Variations in plumage colors in the Aseel breed also were reported by many authors (Panda and Mohapatra, 1989; Singh, 2001; Sarkar et al., 2012; Suganti, 2014). Almost all the birds (98%) Figure 1. Aseel cock. had pea combs that were small in size with dark red color and firmly set on the head. The pea comb was the breed characteristic of Aseel birds with minor variations (Singh, 2001). Strawberry combs were observed in 2% of the birds. Firm and small pea combs reduce the incidence of injuries during fights as the birds were bred for cock fights during earlier days. Similar to the present findings, strawberry combs (24.05%) were reported in Aseel from Bangladesh (Sarkar et al., 2012); however, the proportion is very low (2%) in the present study. This may be due to the purity and uniformity of the breed in India, the home tract of Aseel chickens. Wattles were observed in 72% of males, which were small in size and sometimes rudimentary. However, wattles were either absent or rudimentary in females. Sarkar et al. (2012) reported similar findings for wattles in Aseel chickens from Bangladeash. The beak color was yellow in most (95%) of the birds with 5% black coloration. Ear lobes were small and red in color in 92% of birds, and white and black colors also were observed in smaller proportions (Table 1). Small and red ear lobes were reported by Sarkar et al. (2012) from Bangladesh. Eye color was black in almost all the birds with compact and circular eyes. The neck was long with uniformly thick lustrous multicolored plumage based on the body plumage pattern. Skin colors observed were white (98%) and yellow (2%) with a bright reddish coloration on exposed parts of the skin, especially on the chest region. Similar observations were reported Figure 2. Aseel cock.

4 CHARACTERIZATION OF ASEEL CHICKEN Figure 3. Aseel cock. in Aseel by Singh (2001) from India and Sarkar et al. (2012) from Bangladesh. Spur was present in most of the males (96%) and absent in females. Aseel shanks were predominantly yellow (65%) followed by black and white in considerable proportions (Table 1). Yellow shanks were reported in Aseel from Bangladesh (Sarkar et al., 2012). The Aseel chickens were bred for game purpose over the years, evolving the features like compact and firm body structure, strong appendages (spur and toe), firmly attached pea combs, strong legs, etc., suitable for the purpose for which they were bred. All the findings confer to the Indian chicken breed standards as per ICAR-NBAGR guidelines, the nodal agency for breed characterization and registration. The observations were in accordance with American Standards of Perfection (APA 1998) and British Poultry Standards (Roberts, 1997) with little variations due to breed evolution over the years. Reproductive Performance The fertility and hatchability are influenced by the breed, nutrition, age, and management of birds. The mean fertility rate was 67.18% in Aseel chickens. The hatchability percentage was low, 44.71% on total egg set (TES) and 80.87% on fertile egg set (FES), respectively. High fertility (86.96%) and hatchability (FES: 81.21% and TES: 70.74%) was reported in Aseel birds, 2123 Figure 4. Aseel hen. which was under selection for improved growth (Mohan et al., 2008; Haunshi et al., 2012). The variations in fertility and hatchability might be due to the differences in age of the birds and environmental conditions. The low reproductive performance might be due to the fact that the birds were brought from the field and reared under captive conditions under a new environment, leading to reduced fertility and hatchability among the birds. Growth Performance Growth performance of Aseel chickens up to 72 wk of age is presented in Table 2. The juvenile body weight and shank length at 6 wk of age were ± 6.4 g and 57.9 ± 1.2 mm, respectively on pooled sex. The growth appears to be slow in Aseel chickens during the early period of life and birds continued to grow up to 40 wk of age. The growth was faster in the later period up to 40 wk of age. The body weights recorded up to 16 wk of age were comparable to the findings of Chatterjee et al. (2007) in Aseel chickens. Sex had significant (P 0.05) effect on body weight and shank length in the Aseel. Cocks had firm and compact bodies with broad chest and upright posture. Similar observations on sex effects were reported by Haunshi et al. (2011) in the Aseel. Higher body weights at 40 wk (Haunshi et al., 2011) and lower body weights (Mohan et al., 2008) than the present findings were reported in Aseel peela. Higher

5 2124 RAJKUMAR ET AL. Table 2. Body weight (g) and shank length (mm) at different ages in Aseel chickens. Age, weeks n Body weight Shank length, (Mean ± SE), g (Mean ± SE) mm Day old ± ± ± ± ± ± ± ± ± Hens (116) ± 18.2 b ± 2.1 b Cocks (120) ± 20.7 a ± 2.6 a 40 Hens (109) ± 23.2 b ± 3.5 b Cocks (62) ± 28.1 a ± 3.2 a 52 Hens (102) ± 21.0 b Cocks (59) ± 21.5 a 64 Hens (96) ± 22.2 b Cocks (52) ± 23.4 a 72 Hens (88) ± 26.1 b Cocks (48) ± 20.8 a a,b Means with different superscripts differ significantly between sexes (P 0.05). Means presented up to 16 wk of age represent combined sex data. Table 3. Egg production and egg weight at different ages in Aseel chickens. Age, wk n Egg production, Egg weight (Mean ± SE), no. (Mean ± SE), g ± ± ± ± ± ± ± ± ± 0.7 body weights in a former study might be due to the selection practiced for higher body weight in the Aseel, whereas in the present study, birds were not under any selection and brought from the field a generation before. Higher shank lengths were observed in the present study for Aseel chickens than reported by Haunshi et al., (2011). Aseel cocks have been selected for their fighting abilities with longer and stronger shanks and legs either naturally or by farmers, leading to longer and stronger shanks in the birds. The annual body weight of cocks (3.79 kg) and hens (2.33 kg) were similar to the observations of 3 to 4 kg (cocks) and 2 to 3 kg (hens) reported by Singh (2001). Production Performance The annual egg production, part-period egg production, and egg weight at different ages are presented in Table 3. The ASM was 214 ± 6 d, which was comparatively higher than reported by Mohan et al. (2008) in Aseel birds. This is justifiable, as the present birds under study were recently brought to captive conditions. All the native chicken breeds mature at a late age either in farm or field conditions. However, similar observations on ASM were reported by Haunshi et al. (2011) in Aseel hens. The part-period egg production up to 40 wk of age was 18 ± 1 eggs. The EP40, EP52, and EP64 was quite low (Table 2) intheaseel as the hens are poor layers. The EP72 was 64 ± 6 eggs in a laying cycle of 72 wk (Table 3). The prominent broodiness character might be the primary reason for lower production in native chickens in general and Aseel in particular. The long broodiness period up to 30 to 45 d was observed in hens if they were allowed with no human interference or disturbance. Higher EP40 (35.71 ± 1.68 eggs/yr) was reported by Sarkar et al. (2012) in Aseel hens from Bangladesh. Haunshi et al. (2011) reported higher EP40 (36.23 eggs) in Aseel hens. The annual egg production of 160 eggs in Aseel peela hens (Mohan et al., 2008) was the highest production recorded for these birds. The increased production might be due to the loss of natural characteristics, especially broodiness under a long-term selection program for improvement. The mean egg weight at 40 and 72 wk of age was 38.8 ± 0.6 and 47.5 ± 0.7 g, respectively, in Aseel chickens (Table 3). The present findings for egg weights were comparable to that reported (41 g) by Singh et al (2000a); and (45 g) by Ahmad et al., 2013 in Aseel chickens. Haunshi et al. (2011) reported higher egg weight (45.80 and g) at 32 and 40 wk of age, respectively, compared to the present finding, which might be due to prolonged selection for increased body weight in the flock. Heavier eggs (51.62 to g) were observed in Aseel chickens from Pakistan (Usman et al., 2014). Higher egg weights than the present results were observed by Mohan et al. (2008) and Haunshi et al. (2011) in Aseel hens. The observed lower egg weights in the present study might be due to the breed characteristic. The egg weights gradually increased as age increased, showing the positive correlation between egg weights and age, which might be due to the higher body weight at older age as heavier birds laid larger eggs. Meat Composition The proximate composition, ph and cholesterol, of Aseel breast meat are presented in Table 4. Meatquality plays an important role in determining the consumer preference and acceptability of meat. The quality of meat is affected by many factors like breed, genetic makeup of the bird, environment, nutrition, stress condition, etc., (Rajkumar et al., 2016). The value of the meat is measured in terms of the major chemical components like proteins, fats, carbohydrates, Table 4. ph, cholesterol (mg/100 g), and proximate composition (%) of Aseel meat (n = 20) at 20 wk of age. Parameter Mean ± SE ph 6.0 ± 0.03 Cholesterol 72.5 ± 6.7 Proximate composition Protein 21.5 ± 0.5 Fat 3.4 ± 0.1 Ash 2.0 ± 0.1 Moisture 73.3 ± 0.5

6 CHARACTERIZATION OF ASEEL CHICKEN 2125 minerals, and fatty acid contents of the meat (Pearson and Gillet, 1996). The chemical composition of protein, fat, ash and moisture observed in the present study were within the range of reported values of 17.0 to 23.3% for protein; 1.0 to 8.9% for fat; 0.1 to 1.1% for ash; and 60.4 to 76.14% for moisture in the chicken meat (Boskovic et al., 2010, Karakok et al., 2010; Souza et al., 2011). The nutritive composition of Aseel meat was similar to broiler meat with respect to proximate principles with little variations, which might be due to the composition of feed and metabolic activity of the birds. Many factors like breed, age, sex, nutrition, rearing systems, dressing, and type of meat affects the composition of meat (Boskovic et al., 2010), which might have caused the variations in the present findings in Aseel meat. The fat percentage (3.40%) in breast muscle in the present study was similar to the reports (3.75%) of Haunshi et al., (2013) in the Aseel. Lower fat proportions were observed (Karakok et al., 2010; Souza et al., 2011) in broiler compared to Aseel chickens, which might be due to the muscle sampling in which skin is also included in the present study, as native chickens are preferred with skin in India. Ash proportion was higher in Aseel cocks indicating high mineral content in the muscle. These minerals are associated with organic compounds involved in muscle contraction (Souza et al., 2011) wherein the muscular movement is higher, as Aseel birds are reared for game purposes. The ph values observed (6.0 ± 0.03) in Aseel meat was in the normal range and similar to that of broiler chicken meat, 5.8 to 6.3 (Sarsenbek et al., 2013). ph has been the major factor affecting all the quality attributes of chicken meat (Dadgar et al., 2011). The lower ph values in Aseel chickens could be due to the higher shackling stress at the time of slaughter leading to rapid acidification of breast muscle (Debut et al., 2005), resulting in lower ph as the breast muscle is more sensitive to wing flapping (Fanatico et al., 2007). Cholesterol content of Aseel breast meat was low (72.5 ± 6.7 mg/100 g), which might be due to more metabolic activity under free-range conditions and lean meat of the bird, which is a desirable feature for meat purpose birds. Salma et al. (2007) reported higher (93.6 ± 9.4 mg/100 g) cholesterol content in the breast meat of broilers. Higher cholesterol contents of mg/100 g (Demirel et al., 2012) and mg/100 g (Salma et al., 2007) were reported in thigh muscles in broiler chickens. CONCLUSION Aseel chickens are characterized by multicolored plumage, solid feather patterns, normal feather distribution, compact upright bodies, stronger shanks, majestic gait, pugnacity, and red colored pea combs. The birds are slow growers, poor layers, and known for delicacy of meat. Aseel chickens have the ability for higher productivity in terms of growth and production. However, the challenge is to improve the bird without compromising the breed characteristics. The efforts are on to improve the productivity of Aseel chickens while maintaining a balance between production and breed characteristics, especially fighting qualities. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The authors are thankful to the Director, Indian Council of Agricultural Research-Directorate of Poultry Research (ICAR-DPR) for his constant support and encouragement in conducting the research work. Special thanks are due to Director, ICAR-National Research Center on Meat (ICAR-NRCM) for permitting us to takeupthemeatqualityworkaticar-nrcmand Dr. M. Muthukumar, Senior Scientist, ICAR-NRCM, for his help in conducting meat quality studies. The technical help received from farm and hatchery staff is duly acknowledged. 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