Central Luzon State University
Science City of Muñoz 3120
Nueva Ecija, Philippines
Instructional Module for the Course
ANSCI 1100
Module 6
BREEDS OF LIVESTOCK AND
POULTRY
Overview
Breed pertains to a group of animals with common origin and
common characteristics that distinguish them from other groups of animals
within the same species. Animals are described based on their
plumage/coat color, type of ear, body conformation, horn type (horned or
polled), and their productive characteristics.
1. Objectives
1. identify the different breeds of livestock and poultry;
2. characterize farm animals according to their physical appearance and
productive performance; and
3. determine the phenotypic and genotypic ratio of Mendelian crosses.
2. Learning Activities
In this learning activity, we will be tackling the different breeds of chicken,
swine, bovine, caprine, and ovine.
ANSCI 1100 (Principles of Animal Science)
Before going into the breeds itself, let us first talk about the definition of a
breed:
A breed is a group of animals with common origin and characteristics that
distinguish them from other groups of animals within the same species.
A variety is a subdivision of breed and;
A strain is a family of any variety; usually named after the breeders or the
breeding company
CHICKEN
Present breeds descended from:
● Red Jungle Fowl (Gallus gallus) – a native of Southeast Asia
● Gray Jungle Fowl (Gallus sonnerati)
● Ceylonese Jungle Fowl (Gallus lafayetti)
Below are some of the common breeds of chicken/fowl:
Ancona
- From Ancona, Italy
- Distinct plumage with black
coloring and white tipped
feathers. Egg color is white,
and size is medium to large
- Varieties: Single comb, Rose
comb
- Average egg laying hen
Australorp
- From Great Britain
- Varieties: black, blue laced,
white
- Dual purpose: good egg layers
as well as meat birds
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ANSCI 1100 (Principles of Animal Science)
Brahma
- Ancestry traces is back to
China, but development took in
the U.S.
- Varieties: light, dark, buff
- Heavy birds, primarily for meat
production
Cochin
- From China
- Varieties: Black, Buff,
Partridge, White, Barred, Blue,
Brown, Golden Laced, Silver
Laced
- Dual purpose fowl; primarily
bred for exhibition
Cornish
- Originated from Cornwall,
England
- Varieties: dark, white, white
laced red, buff
- Developed as the ultimate
meat bird; excellent carcass
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ANSCI 1100 (Principles of Animal Science)
Leghorn
- Originated from a region in
Northern Italy near the port of
Leghorn (Italina: Livorno)
- Varieties: Single and Rose
comb of dark brown, light
brown, white, buff; single
comb black, silver, red, black
tailed red, columbian
- Primarily an egg layer –
around 200+ eggs per year
Minorca
- From the Mediterranean area
- Varieties: Single and Rose
comb of black and white;
Single comb buff
- Long, angular birds – egg
producers
Rhode Island Red
- Originated from the New
England states of
Massachusetts and Rhode
Island
- Varieties: single and rose comb
- Relatively hardy, probably the
best egg layer of the dual-
purpose breed
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ANSCI 1100 (Principles of Animal Science)
Sussex
- From Sussex, England
- Varieties: speckled, red, light,
brown, silver, buff
- Dual-purpose, a good all-
around farm fowl
Wyandotte
- Came from the regions around
New York and Ontario, Canada
- Varieties: white, buff,
Columbian, golden laced, blue,
silver laced, silver-penciled,
partridge, black
- Dual-purpose breed
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ANSCI 1100 (Principles of Animal Science)
SWINE
Present breeds descended from:
● Sus scrofa – a wild hog of continental Europe from which most domestic
swine have been derived
● Sus vittatus – the chief, if not the only species of the East Indian pig that
contributed to domestic swine
Berkshire
- Originated from England
- Black with white color on their
legs, faces, and the tips or
their tails
- Erect ears
- Fast and efficient growth
Duroc
- Originated in the US
- Light golden to very dark red
approaching mahogany, cherry
red is the most common
- Medium drooping ears
- Also known as “red power”
- Known for its carcass quality
and is used as terminal sire for
slaughter pigs
Hampshire
- From England
- Black with a white belt
- Medium and erect ears
- Admired for their prolificacy,
hardy vigor, and outstanding
carcass qualities
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ANSCI 1100 (Principles of Animal Science)
Landrace
- From Denmark
- White
- Large drooping ears
- Longest breed of swine. Known
for its prolificacy and good
mothering ability
Large White
- From England
- White
- Medium and erect ears
- Rugged and hardy breed,
favorite market animal for high
quality meat products
Pietrain
- Came from Pietrain, Belgium
- White with black spots
- Erect ears
- Also known as “muscle pig”
- Carries an extremely high
proportion of lean to fat
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ANSCI 1100 (Principles of Animal Science)
Tamworth
- Originated from Ireland
- Varies from golden to dark red
- Erect ears
- Known for its hardiness to
adverse climates
CATTLE
Angus
- From Scotland
- Black with moderate white
color in the underline
- Predominantly polled
- For beef production
Brahman
- From India
- Grayish to white in color
- Horned
- Can subsist on poor quality
forage, for beef production
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ANSCI 1100 (Principles of Animal Science)
Hereford
- Originated from England
- Red color with white face and
white color in the flank,
underline, breast, crest, tail
switch and below knees
- Polled
- Raised for beef
Holstein Freisian
- From Netherlands
- Black and white; vary from a
few spots to almost black
- Polled
- Raised for milk production
- Well-known for the highest
lifetime milk production in the
world (>30,000 kg milk /
lifetime)
Jersey
- From the Island of Jersey
- Slightly red, deep brown or
mixed
- Usually polled
- For milk production, adaptable
to wide range of climatic and
geographical conditions
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ANSCI 1100 (Principles of Animal Science)
Sahiwal
- From Pakistan
- Reddish brown without
markings
- Horned
- Loose skin with large heavy
dewlap, for milk and meat
production
CAPRINE
Anglo-Nubian
- From England
- Dual purpose, for meat and
milk
- Roman nosed
- Black, red, or tan are the most
common colors
Boer
- From Southern Africa
- For meat production
- Droopy ears
- Coat of brown and white
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ANSCI 1100 (Principles of Animal Science)
French Alpine
- Originated from the Alps
- For milk production
- Erect and medium-sized ears
- Horned
- Color ranges from pure white
through shades of fawn, gray,
brown, black, red, bluff,
piebald
Kiko
- Bred in New Zealand, Kiko –
“meat” in Maori language
- For meat production
- Erect ears
- Color ranges from white to
chocolate brown
La Mancha
- Originated in Oregon
- For milk production
- Gopher ear or elf ear
- Polled
- Wide variety of colors
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ANSCI 1100 (Principles of Animal Science)
Philippine Native
- Two varieties of goat raised for
meat
- First is usually polled and
coarse haired, tan or light
brown
- The other is with fine hair,
color is black or brown and
may have a white belt and is
usually horned
- Erect ears
Toggenburg
- From Toggenburg valley of
Switzerland at Obertoggenburg
- Oldest known dairy goat breed
- Erect ears
- Solid color varying from light
fawn to dark chocolate
OVINE
Barbados Blackbelly
- From the island of Barbados
- For meat production
- Polled and erect ears
- Shades of brown, tan or
yellow, all are highlighted with
contrasting black underparts
extending down the inside of
the legs
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ANSCI 1100 (Principles of Animal Science)
Cheviot
- From Cheviot Hills, on the
border of England and
Scotland
- For wool production
- Polled and erect ears
- Creamy white color
Corriedale
- Developed in New Zealand and
Australia
- Dual purpose, for wool and
meat
- Polled
- Creamy brown to gray in color
Dorper
- From South Africa
- Primarily for meat production
- Hornless
- White in color with
characteristic black head
(dorper) as well as white head
(white dorper)
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ANSCI 1100 (Principles of Animal Science)
Dorset
- From Oregon
- Dual purpose, for wool and
meat
- Horned or polled
- White in color
St. Croix
- Found in the US and British
Virgin Islands in the Caribbean
- Mainly for meat production
- Polled
- White in color
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ANSCI 1100 (Principles of Animal Science)
MENDELIAN CROSSES
A. Monohybrid cross – a cross or mating in which only one pair of constrasting or
alternative traits is being followed or studied: Example Tall vs. Dwarf
(complete dominance); use capital letters for dominant and small letter for
recessive
P1 (Parental) Phenotype Tall x Dwarf
Genotype TT tt
Self pollinate for generation
G1 (Gametes) T t
F1 (First filial generation Tt
of offspring/progenies)
All tall since T is dominant to t
P2 Tt x Tt
Inter se mating of F1 to F2
G2 T and t T and t
F2 Second filial
Genotypic Ratio (GR) 1 TT : 2Tt : 1 tt
Phenotypic Ratio (PR) 3 Tall : 1 Dwarf
Use Punnett Square or the Checkerboard Technique
T t
T TT Tt
t Tt tt
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ANSCI 1100 (Principles of Animal Science)
Terminologies
P1 – parental breeds or genotypes
F1 – first filial generation
F2 – second filial generation
Phenotype – physical appearance (tall and dwarf)
Genotype – genetic makeup
Dominant – traits expressed even with presence of factors with contrasting traits
B. Dihybrid cross – a cross or mating in which two pairs of contrasting or
alternating traits are being followed or studied. Example: coat color and
presence or absence of horn in cattle
Phenotypes
Coat Color: Black and Red
Absence and Presence of Horn: Polled and Horned
Genotype: Black (BB) Red (bb)
Polled (PP) Horned (pp)
Mating Scheme
P1 (Phenotype) Black and Polled x Red and Horned
(Genotype) BBPP bbpp
G1 BP bp
F1 (Genotype) BbPp
(Phenotype) all Black and Polled because B and P are dominant to b and
p
F1 x F1 BbPp x BbPp
G2 BP, Bp, pB, bp BP, Bp, pB, bp
F2
GR BBPP, BBPp, BBpp, BbPP, BbPp, Bbpp, bbPP, bbPp, bbpp
1 : 2 : 1 : 2 : 4 : 2 : 1 : 2 : 1
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ANSCI 1100 (Principles of Animal Science)
PR Black and Polled, Black Horned, Red and Polled, Red and Horned
9 : 3 : 3 : 1
Again, using the Punnett Square (4 x 4)
BP Bp bP bp
BP BBPP BBPp BbPP BbPp
Bp BBPp BBpp BBPp Bbpp
bP BbPP BbPp bbPP bbPp
bp BbPp Bbpp bbPp bbpp
Here is a YouTube link that will significantly help you in understanding Mendelian
crossing:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xTOMgXeGizU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xTOMgXeGizU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xTOMgXeGizU
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References
Badua, A.T., Domingo, I.J., Galamgam, A.S. (2011). Introduction to Animal
Science Laboratory Manual
Avian Female and Male Reproductive system (2013) - Cooperative Extension
Service, University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, Food, and Environment.
Lexington, KY
Reproductive Physiology and Anatomy of the Sow by Dr. Wayne Singleton and
Dr. Mark Diekman, Purdue University Department of Animal Sciences
Parts of Reproductive System (2017) – University of Idaho, Extension
Reproductive Tract Anatomy and Physiology of the Cow (2014) – Jason Turner,
College of Agriculture, Consumer and Environmental Sciences, New Mexico State
University
Handout 2: Structure and Function of the Reproductive System of the Bull, Boar
and Stallion (1998) – Animal and Dairy Science, University of Wisconsin Madison,
WI
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