Origin & genetic
classification of poultry
Dr WaqarZaib
DVM,MPHIL(UAF)
Lecturer

Domestication
Species Period Country
Chicken 5400 BC
2500 to 2100 BC
China – cishan culture,but, the
contribution of these birds to modern
birds doubtful
From harappan culture of indus valley ;
the world
Geese and mallard ducks 2500 BC
1500 BC
China
Egypt – separately domesticated ; in
west,mallard duck was not
till middle ages
Ring necked pheasants 1300 BC Greece
Turkeys 200 BC to 700 AD Mexico
muscovy ducks 16th century Columbia , peru
Japanese quail 11th century Japan,china korea
Guinea fowl West African birds introduced to
by Portuguese explorers

Effects of domestication
▶ Seed/grass eating species are preferred.
▶Reproduction in captivity : reproduction became less
dependant on climatic and environmental factors.
▶ Ability to imprint
▶ Development of social order

consequences
▶ Increase in bone length
▶ Noticeable changes in plumage
▶Alterations to the limbs involving length ,muscle
attachments and joint structure .
▶Changes in skin covering ,muscling, fat deposition and
brain size ; these were accomplished at a later stage.

Purpose and utilization of domestic
birds
 ▶ Initially used primarily for cultural needs
(religion,superstition),decorative arts and entertainment.
 ▶ Later used as human food
 ▶In ancient rome ; geese were sacred initially & later on became a table
delicacy.
▶ In spain ,turkeys – cultural activities
▶ Japanese quails – song birds
food
food

Domestication – chicken or domestic
fowl
▶ Only 3 fossils of Gallus species have been recorded .
▶ Two of them from UK and one from Greece & Black sea
region .
▶ Fossil from UK is coracoid bone resembling Gallus gallus
▶ Assigned to new species gallus europaeus.
▶ Fossil from Greece and Black sea region is tarsometatarsus
bone similar to Gallus gallus & coracoid bone much longer.
▶ Assigned to new species Gallus aesculapi.
▶ Totally 4 species are known to modern ornithology .

Genetic classification
▶ Kingdom: Animalia
▶ Phylum : chordate
▶ Class : aves
▶ Order : Galliformes
▶ sub order : Galli
▶ Family : phasianidae
▶ Sub family : phasianinae
▶ Tribe : phasianini
▶ Genus : Gallus

Wild Gallus species
▶4 recognised species under genus Gallus
:
▶G.gallus – Red Jungle Fowl ,RJF
▶G.sonneratti -grey or sonnerats
▶G .lafayetti – old name G.stanleyi, in Ceylon
▶G.varius –green, old name G.furcatus

Gallus gallus
▶ 5 Subspecies in males
▶ G.g.gallus –Cochin – Chinese RJF
▶ G.g.spadiceus – Burmese RJF
▶ G.g.jabouillei – T
okinese RJF
▶ G.g.murghi – Indian RJF
▶ G.g.bankiva – Javan RJF
▶ These differ in
▶ Color of ear lobes ( white to red )
▶ Shape and neck hackle feathers in males &
▶ Shade of red plumage in males (golden yellow to mahogany)

Origin of modern poultry
▶ Not clear
▶ Might have begun in Burma
▶ In Harappan culture (2500 -2100 BC ) of the indus valley reared chicken
and later on diffused westward to other parts of the world at a rate of 1.5-
3 km /year.
▶ Except for Egypt ,diffusion of chicken into Africa is unknown.
▶ India is likely to be source leads to well developed trade between India &
Africa

Gallus gallus (red jungle fowl )
▶ Comb is single upright ,serrated blade; a pair of wattles.
▶ Male exhibit spectacular coloring whereas females have drab color
but feathers have identical morphology in both the sexes .

Gallus lafayetti[Ceylon jungle fowl]
▶ Male plumage is similar to RJF
except that breast feathers are
pointed and fringed .males have
a peculiar patch of bluish purple
feathers on the upper breast.
▶ Plumage of the females is similar
to those of RJF

Ceylon jungle fowl - female

Gallus sonneratti [grey jungle fowl
▶ Male plumage is different from other species
▶ “sealing wax” spots on rachis ;those that are
▶ subterminal being white
▶ terminal spots being shredded and yellow.
▶ Occurs in neck hackle ,saddle, and wing coverts.
▶ Body feathers are black with a white shaft and a
grey border.
▶ Wing and tail feathers are black ; bird appears
grey.
▶ Female plumage differs from RJF
▶ in breast feathers which are white with broad
black/brown borders.

Gallus varius[green jungle fowl]
▶ Most primitive of four species
▶ Plumage consists of 16 tail feathers rather
than 14 in other species.
▶ Short truncate neck hackle feathers in males.
▶ Male plumage is glossy black , but hackle and
saddle feathers are edged with bronze and
yellow imparting a distinctly green coloration
to the bird.
▶ In females feathers of the back and rump are
penciled (similar to dark Cornish),
▶ upper breast feathers have dark edging ,
▶ lower breast feathers are pale and
▶ rest of the plumage has irregular barring.

Female green jungle fowl

Gallus gallus Gallus sonneratti Gallus lafayetti Gallus varius
Adult weight
Males, g 800 -1360 790-1136 790-1140 454-795
Females ,g 485 – 740 705-790 510-625 454 -795
Age at sexual maturity
in captivity (years)
1-2 2 2 1-2
Clutch size 4-8 4-8 2-4 6-10
Egg size,mm 45.3 *34.4 46*36.5 46.3*34.5 44.5*34.5
Egg shell color White – rosy
cream
White – rosy buff Pinkish to
buff
,brown
stippled
Buffy white
Incubation period ,d 19-21 20-21 20-21 21
Eclipse plumage Most of the males molt after breeding season Molt involves only cervical feather tract of
(molting) ,and habitat the neck ;long pointed hackles of males
replaced by around short feathers similar to
female;this plumage persists only for a few
Prefer forest habitat and forest clearings
weeks followed by complete annual molt
involving all feather tracts.
Prefer sea shore and rocky scrub land
bordering cultivated land
General Sedentary,omnivorous,behaviour similar to domestic chicken with different vocalizations
Distribution Pakistan to China West & South Restricted to Sri lanka Java and on the chain of islands eastwards
,Hainan and in East India;sympatric with ;sympatric with RJF in java but occupying
India ,Burma,Indo RJF at boundaries of different habitats
China,Islands of its range

Period Diffusion and sailent features
2500 -
2100 BC
Chicken used for sport
1500 BC Aryans invaded India;included chicken in their culture but not as food
1000-537
BC
Chicken had religious significance but forbidden as food ;fighting cocks reached
Persians carried westward to Mesopotamia and Asia Minor ; by 700 BC reached
was primarily used for sport and poor folk as food .
Plato and Aristotle distinguished between high and low bred chicken ;egg prod
bred chicken being poor.two breeds were recognised from Tangare[ near modern
for fighting and other was black with crest and wattles.
200 BC Bearded chicken reported .chicken reached Egypt and got firmly established .
100 BC Chicken reached Romans who knew about force feeding,hybrid vigor,caponizing
competition etc.adopted chicken as food source and employed for cock fighting
purposes ,superstition and divination.
Dawn of Christian era -1300 AD Chicken probably reached Europe and then to Russia .main diffusion through Eu
during the Neolithic and early Bronze age . Due to fall of Roman empire importa
reduced in Europe and became farmyard scavengers
1500-1600
AD
Spanish conquest brought chickens to America and rapidly spread to south and
.later, English ,Dutch and French brought them to east and north America

Sub class Order Family Genus Species Common name
Carinata
e (flying
birds)
Anseriformes
(ducks and geese)
Anseridae
Anatidae
Cairin
a
anser
Anas
C.moschata
A.anser
A.albiformis
A.platyryncho
s A.boscher
Muscovy duck
Grey legged goose
White legged goose
Mallard duck
Wild mallard
Galliformes(chick
e
n,quail,turkeys,gui
nea fowl of
African origin and
pheasants)
Phasianidae Cortunix
gallus
Phasianu
s
Numida
Meleagris
C.cortunix
japonica
G.domesticus
G.gallus
G.lafayetti
G.sonneratti
G.varius
P
. colchicus
N.meleagris
N.ptylorirhynch
a M.gallipavo
Japanese quail
Domestic chicken
Red jungle fowl
Ceylon jungle fowl
Grey jungle fowl
Javan jungle fowl
Ring necked pheasant
Ring wattled G.fowl
Blue wattled G.fowl
Domestic turkey
Columbiforme
s (Pigeons and
doves)
Columbiformidae Columba streptopelia C.Livea
S
.turtus
Rock pigeon
T
urtle dove
Ratite (
runnin
g birds
)
Strunthiformes Strunthionidae (
large running
birds)
struthio S.
camelus
S.austrialis
North African ostrich
South African ostrich
Rheiformes rheidae Rhea R.Americana abbscens Rhea
Casuriformes Dromoiidae Dromaui
s
Casuariu
s
D.novaechollandi
a C.casuarius
Emu
cassowary
A.australis