Castillo Annelisse, Gariglio Marta, Franzoni Alessandro, Soglia Dominga, Sartore Stefano, Buccioni Arianna, Mannelli Federica, Cassandro Martino, Cendron Filippo, Castellini Cesare, Mancinelli Alice Cartoni, Iaffaldano Nicolaia, Iorio Michele Di, Marzoni Margherita, Salvucci Sonia, Cerolini Silvia, Zaniboni Luisa, Schiavone Achille
Dipartimento di Scienze Veterinarie, Università degli Studi di Torino, Largo Paolo Braccini 2, 10095 Grugliasco, Italy.
Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Agrarie, Alimentari, Ambientali e Forestali, Università di Firenze, Via delle Cascine 5, 50144 Firenze, Italy.
Animals (Basel). 2021 Feb 12;11(2):490. doi: 10.3390/ani11020490.
The most reared species of farm animal around the world is the chicken. However, the intensification of livestock systems has led to a gradual increase in the concentration of a limited number of breeds, resulting in substantial erosion to the genetic pool. The initial step of an 'animal conservation program' entails establishing the actual conservation statuses of the breeds concerned in a defined area; in this case, in Italy. To this end, a survey of breeds was performed by means of a census questionnaire divided into two parts. The first part collected information on breeds, breeders, housing facilities, and management aspects, the results of which are presented here. The second part of the questionnaire regarded chicken products and their markets, and these data will be reported in a second paper. The breed status of six chicken breeds was shown to be exceptionally worrying, with total numbers ranging from just 18 to 186 birds. Population sizes exceeding 1000 birds was identified for just four breeds, the maximum being 3400. Some improvements in status were noted in relation to breeds which had been the subject of conservation efforts in the past. The two most common breeds reported are the Bionda Piemontese, a double-purpose breed, and the Livorno egg-laying hen. Collo Nudo Italiano, Millefiori Piemontese, Pollo Trentino, and Tirolese chicken breeds and the Castano Precoce turkey breed were not listed by breeders at all. The most reported turkey breeds are the Bronzato Comune and the Ermellinato di Rovigo. The population sizes of native Italian poultry breeds were shown to be generally poor. Italian poultry farmers and the population at large are largely ignorant about indigenous poultry breeds. Thus, promoting the virtues of Italian breeds would help their conservation by encouraging breeders to rear these birds and consumers to buy their products. The identification of strategies to facilitate access to pure breed birds is essential, and will require the collaboration of university research centers, public entities, and breeders. The results presented in this paper constitute the initial part of a more complex conservation program.
全球饲养最多的家畜品种是鸡。然而，畜牧系统的集约化导致少数品种的集中度逐渐增加，致使基因库大幅缩减。“动物保护计划”的第一步是确定特定区域（此例为意大利）内相关品种的实际保护状况。为此，通过一份分为两部分的普查问卷对品种进行了调查。第一部分收集了有关品种、饲养者、饲养设施和管理方面的信息，其结果在此呈现。问卷的第二部分涉及鸡肉产品及其市场，这些数据将在另一篇论文中报告。六个鸡品种的品种状况令人格外担忧，总数仅在18只至186只之间。只有四个品种的种群数量超过1000只，最多的为3400只。对于过去曾是保护对象的品种，其状况有了一些改善。报告中最常见的两个品种是兼用型品种皮埃蒙特白鸡和利沃诺蛋鸡。意大利裸颈鸡、皮埃蒙特千花鸡、特伦蒂诺鸡和蒂罗尔鸡品种以及早熟栗色火鸡品种根本未被饲养者列出。报告最多的火鸡品种是普通青铜火鸡和罗维戈珍珠鸡。意大利本土家禽品种的种群数量普遍不佳。意大利家禽养殖户和广大民众对本土家禽品种大多一无所知。因此，宣传意大利品种的优点将有助于通过鼓励饲养者饲养这些鸡以及消费者购买其产品来实现对它们的保护。确定便于获取纯种家禽的策略至关重要，这需要大学研究中心、公共实体和饲养者的合作。本文呈现的结果构成了一个更为复杂的保护计划的初始部分。
