The Effect of Feather Color and Sex on The Physiological Characteristics of Domestic Chickens

Abstract

This study was conducted at the Animal Production Research Station - College of Agriculture - Al-Muthanna University, as 5 males and 5 females from three types of local chicken strains were used in this experiment according to the color black, brown and white, after the age of sexual maturity, and some blood characteristics were studied (Red blood cells, Packed cell volume(pcv)) and some biochemical characteristics such as concentration (glucose, cholesterol, and total protein) in blood serum. During the study period, birds were fed a diet containing 17.5% protein and 2814 kcal/kg feed. The results showed no significant differences in red blood cells between the strains (black, brown, and white), while males significantly outperformed females in the numbers of red blood cells (P≤0.05). While significant differences were found between the strains in the studied characteristics of (cholesterol, glucose, and total protein), as males outperformed females in the concentration of glucose and cholesterol, while the concentration of total protein decreased in males compared to females.