Indigenous chicken production

Roles in the rural households

• Concentrated mostly in developing and
underdeveloped countries (Padhi, 2006).
• as a source of high quality animal protein and
• emergency cash income and
• contribution to cultural and social life of smallholder
farmer
• gifts to visitors and relatives
• Newly married women as well as token of appreciation for services
rendered
• used to strengthen relationships with in-laws
• to maintain family contacts by entrusting them to other family
members (Muchadeyi et al., 2004).
• As sacrificial offerings to appease avenging spirits and ancestors.
Production system
• free-range extensive
• Under free-range conditions,
• Rudimentary housing
• backyard extensive
• housed at night but allowed day free-range
• supplemented
• semi-intensive
• extensive and intensive systems where birds are confined
to a certain area with access to shelter
• Intensive
• Birds are fully confined either in houses or cages.
Management under free range
• Nutrition
• Scavenging
• Level of nutrition will depend on:
• socioeconomic household status and
• Season
• No special attention given to chicks
• Water
• Water supply is by chance
• No unlimited access to clean water
Management under free range
• Housing
• The chickens are rarely protected against harsh conditions
• wind and rain
• predators and thieves.
• Nests
• usually based on hen’s ability to rear their own chicks.
• the long broody periods reduce egg production.
Management under free range
• Health care or parasite control is only rudimentary.
• different poultry species are usually mixed.
• Consequently, mortality is very high and chicks are more at risk.
Commercializing the indigenous bird!

Individual assignment
Using actual data/information from a minimum of 10 farmers, report
on the possibility of commercializing indigenous chicken production in
Zimbabwe. (20)

Your write up is due on 28 March, 2018

Perfomance Improvement
• Performance is very low under smallholder farmer’s
management conditions.
• Improvement in management practices is likely to
improve perfomance
• feeding,
• Chicks need special attention
• housing and
• healthcare conditions,
• 1cock for 10-15 females
• Surplus cocks to be sold
Perfomance Improvement
• Laying hens
• Laying hens also need nests
• Eggs should be no more than 10 days old at incubation
• Mature hens laying very few eggs should be culled.
• Egg production peaks from around 40-50 weeks of age
• Eggs should be collected daily to discourage broodiness.
Perfomance Improvement
• Flock health
• avoid random purchasing of stock
• vaccinate chickens against Newcastle Disease (NCD) and other common
diseases like Fowl Pox.
• Small chicks should be vaccinated against the common contagious diseases at
the age of 2-3 weeks.
• carcasses from established attacks should be handled cautiously
Perfomance improvement
• Incubation and hatching
• Chicken eggs normally take 21 days to hatch.
• Select good eggs
• average size and normal shape for the breed
• smooth uncracked shell.
• Pathogenic and spoilage microbes
• Eggs should be stored in a cool dry place.
• Eggs for incubation should always be checked for
fertility.
• Fertile eggs very quickly develop blood vessels
• After 7-10 days of incubation the eggs can be candled
Perfomance improvement
• Conducive environment for laying hens
• Laying nest
• Clean water and feed
• Ventilation
• Perches, Protection
Performance improvement
• improved by change in:
• husbandry,
• feeding, and
• better health cover.
• Can also do genetic improvement through;
• selection
• Improvement through selection may be time and consuming but the improvement will
be permanent.
• Crossbreeding
• Through crossbreeding improvement may be faster
Common diseases
• New castle disease
• Avian Influenza (AI)
• Fowl pox
• Coccidiosis
• Roundworms & tapeworms
• External parasites
• Vaccination schemes at village level should cover
Newcastle Disease and Fowl Pox.
• Treatment against internal parasites should be given
two weeks before vaccination, to improve the effect
of the vaccine
Housing indigenous birds
• A good poultry house
• provide space, ventilation, light and protection from harsh weather and
predators.
• Ventilation
• Allow free circulation of air
• Controls temperatures