Effect of artificial selection on female choice among domesticated chickens Gallus gallus f.d

Abstract

In the wild, females choose males with potential good genes to increase their reproductive success in terms of attractive sons and, in the long run, more descendants. Whether this is true of domesticated species is yet uncertain. Our experiments demonstrate breed-specific mate choice among domesticated chickens. Sexually mature females of a traditional domestic chicken breed, White Crested Polish, were compared with Red Leghorn females in the first year of the experiments, whereas they were compared with Lohmann Selected Leghorn Classic females in the second year. White Crested Polish have a statistically significant preference for males of their own breed when a male of another breed is also presented. These data suggest that female choice exists even under the constraints of domestication. Domestication as seen here is an evolutionary process that integrates the human interests of animal breeding with innate mate choice preferences of the same animals. © 2009 Poultry Science Association Inc.