Poultry Studies 2014, Vol 11, Num, 2     (Pages: 021-028)

Chicken Domestication and Indigenous Chicken Breeds of Turkey

Muhammet KAYA 1 ,Mehmet Ali YILDIZ 2

1 Eskişehir Osmangazi Universitesi, Ziraat Fakültesi, Tarımsal Biyoteknoloji Bölümü 26160 Eskişehir,
2 Ankara Üniversitesi, Ziraat fakültesi, Zootekni Bölümü, Dıskapı 06110 Ankara
- The chicken was domesticated in South Asia in 2000 BC and then spread around the world .The red jungle fowl (RJF, Gallus gallus) was the ancestor of the chicken. In consequence of long years of domestication and breeding activities, chickens were scattered over various countries, continents and regions. As a result, today there are many chicken breeds in the world. Native breeds are thought to be crossbreds of various breeds brought to Turkey in different time periods. It is difficult to predict when and how the hybridization has been taken shape, because Anatolia has been a passage for a variety of tribes since ancient times. Indigenous chicken breeds in Turkey are Gerze, Sultan and the most well-known Denizli. Keywords : Chicken, domestication, native breeds, denizli cock, gerze hen