Comparative evaluation of growth performance, carcass characteristics and timed series gene expression profile of GH and IGF-1 in two Egyptian indigenous chicken breeds versus Rhode Island Red.

Indigenous chicken breeds in developing countries have diverse benefits to rural economy as a source of high-quality animal protein. However, there are few reports on the evaluation of economic traits in Egyptian indigenous breeds. Hence, this study aimed to investigate growth performance, carcass characteristics, body measurements and meat quality traits in two indigenous breeds of chickens (Benha line and Golden Montazah) versus Rhode Island Red as a reference worldwide breed.