Characterization of a Chicken x Peahen Intergeneric Hybrid Produced under Natural Mating

About 30 peafowls (Pavo cristatus) and one White Leghorn cock (Gallus gallus domesticus) were reared in the same cage for several years as pets. Out of the hatched eggs collected from the cage, one chick was phenotypically different and was presumed to be a hybrid between a peahen and the White Leghorn cock. The production of a chicken x peafowl hybrid under natural mating conditions is an unusual occurrence. This study therefore sought to confirm that the chick was indeed an inter-generic hybrid (F1) of the chicken and peafowl through phenotypic examination, analysis of blood protein, enzyme polymorphisms, and PCR-RFLP. It was concluded that this chick was, indeed, an intergeneric hybrid (F1) between the peahen and the White Leghorn cock.