Karyotypic analysis is a valuable tool in species identification in birds. This work was aimed at determining the karyotype of Gallus gallus domesticus (cockerel). Nine samples obtained from a commercial farm in Kwara State, Nigeria, were karyotyped using the air-drying method. The specimens received 1 ml of colchicine (0.04% w/v) intraperitoneally and left for 3 h before they were sacrificed. Chromosomal preparation was from the bone marrow of the femur and humerus. A total of 180 spreads were examined under microscope at x1000 magnification. A modal diploid number of 2n = 78 with percentage occurrence of 47.22% was obtained. The karyotypic formula was found to be 2n = 1M + 10m + 6sm + 61t. Chromosomal aberrations were not observed during scoring. This karyotypic data on G. gallus domesticus provides information that could be helpful for species identification and breeding purposes.
Key words: Cockerel, Gallus gallus domesticus, Karyotype, Chromosome, Air-drying method
|
