Four local improved breed chickens to soon join Shika brown for commercial registration

chicken

Four others locally breed chicken birds with Shika brown are going through agro ecological character traits test that will be presented to the committee for improved varieties registration on livestock at National Centre for Genetic Resources and Biotechnology (NACGRAB), Ibadan.

This was disclosed by the Principal Investigation (PI) to African Chicken Genetic Gains (ACGG), Prof. E.B Sonaiya who disclosed to with Food farm News at the science exhibition ground in eagles’ square, Abuja saying five locally breed chicken birds in Nigeria were going through character trait test so as to ascertain the ecological adaptability for commercial productivity by the time they were ready for national release and registration at NACGRAB, Ibadan.

Although, the O.A.U, Prof. Sonaiya said that the Shikabrown bird from National Animal Research Institute (NAPRI) has been officially registered for commercialization, but added the other four were not yet saying that was why the five varieties are been tested in the entire agricultural ecological zone in the country for scientific adaptability traits.

Apart from Shika brown the other four breeds going through testing for better farmers’ preferred genotypes that increase chicken productivity according to ACGG IP in Nigeria are FUNAAB Alpha, Kuroiler, Sasso and Fulani which he described as growing faster than any other local chicken breed saying “but we discover that the Fulani local Chicken grow faster than any other local ones.  

Also we discovered it has been selected by the Bororo clan. So we are testing this with others as part of effort towards getting data that will be needed for character traits for national registration at NACGRAB”

Prof. Funmilayo Adebanbo, Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta said that the FUNNAB Alpha chicken breed was in high demand the present production cannot meet because it was an improved indigenous chicken developed for farmers’ commercial advantages saying that “ there are pullet lines for eggs alone, there are the ones for dual purposes for both egg and meat, and we have the line type for meat only, all these are in high demand, and that is why we are soliciting for support and off takers for commercial multiplication ”