Identification of Farmers’ Breeding Objective and Traits Preferences of Local Chicken in Doba and Mesala Districts, West Hararghe Zone, Ethiopia

Abstract

The study was carried out to describe the husbandry and breeding practices, and identification of farmers’ preferences for breeding objective traits of local chicken ecotypes, in the Doba and Mesala districts of the West Hararghe Zone, Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia. Samples were selected purposively based on the extent of chicken production potential and the agroecology of the districts. From each district, three kebeles were selected and 200 respondents (102 from the Doba and 98 from Mesala) were randomly selected from households included in the study for the questionnaire survey. With key informants, three focus group discussions per district were also conducted, and identified parameters were analyzed and summarized by the index method. The ranking index results revealed that in both districts, the primary objective of breeding hens was egg production, followed by income from the sale of adult chickens, while the main objective of keeping a cock was to generate cash income in the Doba districts and meat production in the Mesala districts. Regarding trait preferences, farmers in Doba districts prefer brown and white-coloured hens and cocks respectively, whereas red-plumed hens and cocks were most preferred in the Mesala district. The overall number of eggs laid per clutch per hen was 14.29 ± 0.12 and the number of clutches per hen per year was 3.43 ± 0.05. As a result, the local hen’s performance in terms of yearly egg production was 49.04± 0.81 per year. More desirable traits and community-based genetic improvement programs should be developed and implemented with the inclusion of breeding objectives, trait preferences, and a production system that is focused on the market. These steps would complement the current study by conserving as well as using diverse indigenous chicken genetic resources sustainably.