Chicken Adaptability in Alternative Systems Adaptive Response of Chicken Strains to the Organic and Free Range Rearing Systems-Juniper Publishers
JUNIPER PUBLISHERS - OPEN ACCESS JOURNAL OF DAIRY & VETERINARY SCIENCES Abstract The European Commission (EC) Regulation establishes that, in organic production (OP), the choice of breeds should take into account their capacity to adapt to local conditions, their vitality and their resistance to disease. Poultry genotypes are selected mainly for productive performance and thus fast growth rate. This kind of selection induced a decrease of the biodiversity in poultry species by causing the extinction of some native breeds and loss of genetic variability. Although there is a negative linear correlation between adaptation to OP and daily weight gain, the FG chickens are still used in OP. Based on these considerations, the aim of the present review was to address the adaptation of chicken strains in alterative systems. The assessment of adaptability must be addressed with a multicriteria approach taking into account main aspects as: body weight, movement and fo...