Evaluation of Genetic Interventions and Ecological Management on Growth Efficiency and Morphogenetic Traits in Indigenous and Exotic Chicken Genotypes

Abstract

The genetic selection for balancing feed efficiency, environmental resilience, and ecological management systems (Intensive vs Free Range) under South Asian environmental conditions in sustainable rural poultry production is most important. A multi-breed assessment across Rhode Island Red (RIR), White Leghorn (WLH), Fayoumi (FO), Desi Normal (DN), and Desi Dwarf (DD) established that introducing dwarf inheritance significantly reduces feed intake by up to 16.8% without diminishing overall weight gain or survival fitness.  Concurrently, phenotypic mapping of Desi and Fayoumi lineages shows that Intensive Management Conditions (IMC) unlock superior linear morphology (e.g., maximal body heights of 43.4 ± 3.2 cm in Desi males) compared to harsher Free Range Conditions (FRC). Blending gene-based size reduction with systematic housing upgrades can optimize lean poultry production, lower flock maintenance costs, and conserve robust native genes. Hence, these analyses support a predominantly oligogenic control of environmental adaptations and possible regulation by one or a few genetic elements only. Our study shows that the pre-identification of the key environmental drivers of adaptation, followed by a detailed genomic investigation of the associated genetic mechanisms, provides a powerful new approach for elucidating the effect of natural selection in domestic animals. These results represent new landmarks for informing sustainable improvements in poultry breeding.