Abstract
From July to November 2019, a study has been carried out in the locality of Ngaoundéré in order to contribute to a better knowledge of exotic hens. For this purpose, 190 improved strain chicks of one day-old with an average weight of 35.49±3.78g were distributed according to the type of feather. They were fed an iso-energetic and iso-proteic feed. Data on phenotype characteristics, growth performance, biometric data and carcass were determined. The main results show that three types of feathering were recorded with 16.4% of hens with bare necks and with feathered pits, 78.1% of hens with feathered pits and 5.5% of hens with normal feathers. The majority of hens were recorded with a single comb (75.3%), round mumps (71.2%), white pits (76.4%), black beaks (47.9%) and brown eyes (75.3%). In terms of zootechnical performance, the highest live weight (1758.00±322.20g) was recorded with naked-necked hens and feathered pits. The highest weekly average weight gain was recorded with yellow eyed hens (111.77±16.63g) followed by bare-necked and feathered pits (107.83±20.06g). Hens expressing the Na and Pti genes showed the best growth performance although carcass yield was not significantly affected by feather type. It was concluded that there is a very high phenotypic diversity in the so-called improved hens. However, despite their great potential, responsible management of this genetic resource should be encouraged in order to avoid genetic erosion of local poultry resources.