Performance of the local chickens on traditional management in Manokwari District, West Papua Province

Abstract

This study aims to determine the performance of local chickens in traditional
management in the Manokwari district. Two hundred and forty local chickens were taken by
purposive sampling in three sub-districts (Prafi, Masni, and East Manokwari) in Manokwari
district. Measurements were made on body weight (BW) and body size, i.e. femur length (FL),
tibia length (TL), shank length (SL), shank circumference (SC), chest length (CL), and chest
circumference (CC). The results of the descriptive analysis showed that the average BW in
males and females was 2368.5 ± 626.3 g and 1876.1 ± 413 g; FL in males and females is
11,892 ± 1,659 cm and 10,450 ± 1,522 cm; TL in males and females is 15,825 ± 1,382 cm and
13,283 ± 1,132 cm; SL in males and females is 9.575 ± 1.418 cm and 7.7750 ± 1.008 cm; SC
in males and females is 4.9750 ± 0.739 cm and 4.1417 ± 0.490 cm; CL in males and females at
12,500 ± 1,932 cm and 10,758 ± 1,264 cm; and CC in males and females was 34,350 ± 3,180
cm and 31,842 ± 2,494 cm. Statistically it was known that BW and body size of local chickens
in males and females differed significantly (P <0.05). Based on the Pearson correlation
analysis showed that BW and body size observed in both males and females correlated
significantly (P <0.05). The stepwise regression analysis results found that BW of male local
chickens can be estimated through the equation: BW male = – 3400 + 430 SL + 95 TL + 47 CC +
54 CL, with R 2 = 76.94%. While BW of female can be estimated through the equation: BW female
= – 2271 + 71 CC + 90 CL + 149 SC + 44 TL, with R 2 = 47.63%. It was concluded that local
chickens in traditional management in Manokwari district produced better performance than
the same management in other regions, especially in central and western Indonesia. This is
because the availability of natural feed is still abundant and inbreeding practices can be
avoided.