Abstract
For sustainable intensification of village production systems, it is important to understand the views of farmers who keep the chickens on the utilization of available protein sources. The objective of the study was to assess farmer perceptions on the use of non-conventional animal protein (NCAP) sources for scavenging chickens. Resource-poor households of Msinga local municipality in uMzinyathi district, KwaZulu-Natal province (n = 239) were interviewed using a semi-structured questionnaire. Logistic regression was used to analyse the data. Females were the prominent heads of households, followed by males, and then youths. Feed shortages were among the major challenges that limited chicken production. Provision of chicken housing and religion highly influenced (P<0.05) a household’s likelihood of experiencing feed shortages. Farmers who did not provide overnight housing to their chickens were likely to not provide any supplementary feeding. Christian farmers were predisposed to chicken feed shortages compared to traditional-religious farmers. More than half of the farmers (56.6%) were aware that NCAP sources have a huge potential to be used as protein sources for chickens. Farmers commonly used termites as a protein supplement. Other common NCAP sources were earthworms and locusts. The potential of using NCAP sources were high on farmers with large village chicken flocks and female-headed households. Key words: Scavenging chickens, resource-poor farmers, termites, earthworms, flock size, non-conventional animal protein (NCAP), scavengeable feed resource base (SFRB).
Highlights
Increasing productivity of village chickens has a huge potential to increase protein consumption among resource-poor households, for children (Mwalusanya et al, 2001)
The increased interest in understanding the contribution of non-conventional animal protein (NCAP) sources for village chickens is motivated by the desire to produce organic chicken meat and eggs (Mtileni et al, 2013)
Feed shortages were among the major challenges to chicken production
Summary
Increasing productivity of village chickens has a huge potential to increase protein consumption among resource-poor households, for children (Mwalusanya et al, 2001). To increase meat and egg productivity, it is crucial to establish the scavenging behaviour of village chickens. The increased interest in understanding the contribution of NCAP sources for village chickens is motivated by the desire to produce organic chicken meat and eggs (Mtileni et al, 2013). These products can fetch premium prices and enhance household income and rural livelihoods. Before determining the nutritive value of these feed resources, it is essential to understand farmer perceptions on the potential of using NCAP sources so as to integrate their views in developing sustainable strategies to meet nutrient requirements for village chickens. The objective of the current study was, to assess farmer perceptions on the use of NCAP sources for scavenging chickens
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