Characterisation of biological growth curves of different varieties of an endangered native hen breed kept under free range conditions.

The aim of this study is to model the growth samples of four varieties (White, Black, Partridge, Franciscan) of Spanish Utrerana hen breed, which is endangered, by using Brody, Von Bertalanffy, Verhulst, Logistic and Gompertz models. For this purpose, a total of 16,235 weight data observations from 2004 animals reared in free range system were collected. Logistic was the best suited model for predicting the biological growth curve of White variety in both sexes, while Von Bertalanffy was the best fitting model for the rest of individuals of the breed, based on the 5 goodness-of-fit and flexibility criteria: Pseudo-R², mean squared error, Akaike information criterion, Bayesian information criterion and the biological coherence of the estimated parameters. Black variety was the heaviest, with values of 2605.96 and 2032.61 g (for males and females, respectively) for a parameter, while White variety presented the lowest maturity weight (a = 2442.99 and 1874.24 g, for males and females, respectively). Conclusively, this growth characterisation is essential for the conservation of the Utrerana hen, to search for new market niches and a greater profitability to this differentiated product. Non-linear models can explain the Utrerana hen growth. Females reach maturity earlier than males. Utrerana hen shows a strong sexual dimorphism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]