Differences in Growth Performance and Protein MetabolismRelated Parameters of Broiler Chickens and Native Chickens (Niigata Jidori)

There are approximately fifty recognized breeds of native chicken in Japan and most of them were breed frothier special plumage and fighting traits. The Japanese native chicken, Niigata Jidori, is not included as one of these recognized breeds but is available in the Niigata prefecture of Japan. Niigata Jidoriis bred from Plymouth Rock and the hybrid of Tomaru and Nagoya [1], like HinaiJidori in Hinai area in North Akita prefecture of Japan. Hinaidori is one of the famous Japanese memorial native chickens. Since eating memorial native chickens in Japan is prohibited, F1 of Hinaidori and Rhode Island Red called HinaiJidori, is consumed instead. The meat of HinaiJidoriis palatable and delicious in local dishes, like Kiritampo. Fujimura et al [2] have shown that the meat of HinaiJidori is tastier than that of broiler chickens. Likewise, the meat of Niigata Jidori is also much tastier than broiler chicken meat. Market price of Niigata Jidori is higher than that of broiler owing to its good taste. In a number of studies, growth trend parameters have been found to be highly heritable [3, 4, 5]. However, extensive research has not been done to determine the financial viability of rasing Japanese native chicken breeds. Their growth and other production parameters have also not been sufficiently studied.