Abstract
This study is aimed at characterizing scavenging and intensive chicken production system in Lume district of East Shoa Zone, Oromia Region, Ethiopia. Random samplings were employed to select sample kebeles and purposively select respondents based on numbers of chicken population in scavenging and production system (intensive) to identify the specific challenges affecting chicken production. Questionnaires were administered on three kebeles and 90 respondents’ from scavenging chicken keepers, and 10 intensive farms were interviewed. The respondents’ were stratified into 1st, 2nd and 3rd strata having 1-10, 11-20 or 21-49 chicken, respectively. Chicken houses were constructed with material stone wall and grass roof (40%). From the total respondents, those not cleaning the chicken house were 45.6%. Also, while mother took charge of sharing and offering feed for chicken, selling egg and chicken at 53 68, and 50%, respectively; and father is largely responsible for shelter constriction (17%); both mother and father participated nearly equally (29 and 28%) in purchasing drug for chicken. All respondents provided supplementary feed and water for their chicken with majority (63%) of feed supplemented being maize. Moreover, it was observed that feed supplementation can only improve egg production and growth (26.7%) in summer (July - September) session if supplemented most often (78.9%). Average egg productions per year were 76.4±3.4 whereas average age of cockerel at first mating and pullet first egg laying were 24.4±7.3 and 24.2±4.0, respectively. When the number of scavenging chicken in the household is increased, ownership pattern of males also increase. From the interviewed intensive farm, 50% joined in broiler and layer production system. There were so many opportunities available for intensive production; however, these were challenged by different factors in the study area. Overcoming the constraints of intensive production like high price of feed, poor quality and lack of sustainable market, as well as increased numbers of improved chicken per household with the minimum of 3rd strata will be able to ensure sustainable protein food source. Further research is necessary on how to increase number of chicken per households under scavenging production system. Key words: Intensive, scavenging, production system, strata.
Highlights
Poultry farming is widely practiced in Africa and account for about 1.5 billion chicken, 80% of them belonging to local chicken population and found in the rural and perurban area, where birds are raised in small numbers by traditional extensive or semi-intensive, low input and output system (Gueye, 1998)
This study indicated that respondents (100%) of all strata practice supplementary feeding on the scavenging chicken
Farmers who produced chicken under scavenging has the idea of supplementation feed for their chicken, the feed quality and quantities were inadequate as their contents were majorly energy sources
Summary
Poultry farming is widely practiced in Africa and account for about 1.5 billion chicken, 80% of them belonging to local chicken population and found in the rural and perurban area, where birds are raised in small numbers by traditional extensive or semi-intensive, low input and output system (Gueye, 1998). Women get involved in different village chicken production activities like; cleaning chicken house, provision of supplementary feed, selling of chicken and eggs. Children alone and together with other family members were found to participate in various village chicken production activities like; cleaning of chicken house, selling of chicken and eggs and provision of supplementary feed and water to birds. The estimate of total number of eggs produced during the year is about 106.57 million which is less than other developing countries (CSA, 2015). This condition calls for a scientific study in the area of characterization of the production system (both exotic and indigenous chicken) followed by the identification of problems and technological interventions. The general objective was to characterize scavenging and intensive chicken production systems in Lume district, East Shoa zone of Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia; whereas the specific objective was to study scavenging and chicken production system under village and intensive
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