The morphological profiling of Indonesian frizzle chicken: A preliminary study of Javanese Gallus gallus domesticus

Indonesia possesses abundant biodiversity and endemic if compared to biological wealth in other regions in Asia. One form of animal biodiversity in Indonesia is characterized by various types of complex morphological forms, for example in poultry groups. Frizzle chicken is one of the poultry species that have unique morphological characteristics. However, the characterization of morphology and molecular physiology in chicken frizzle in Indonesia is rarely explored until now. This study was conducted to characterize the specific characteristics of Indonesian chicken frizzle by analyzing several parameters such as feathers and head morphology between local Javanese frizzle chicken and wild-type types. Based on the comparison of the morphology through the parameters above, it was found that there were significant differences between chicken and wild-type frizzle, including curvature, weight, length of fur, and morphology of the head. Interestingly, Indonesian frizzle chicken has a more colorful variety of feathers compared to other areas. Thus, the results of this preliminary study are worth-using as the basic frameworks for genetic mapping of species of chicken frizzle in Indonesia. Further research is needed at the molecular level to obtain a comprehensive database of Indonesian frizzle chicken.