Management Systems and Productivity of Indigenous Chickens in Busokelo District, Mbeya Region, Tanzania

Abstract

A study was conducted in Busokelo district, Mbeya region to assess the management systems and productivity of indigenous chickens under village management conditions. A total of 90 respondents from three purposively selected wards were involved in the study. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire and data collected included household characteristics and those related to chicken management practices including selection, housing, feeding, culling practices, marketing of chickens, diseases, and health care practices. Other information collected was the productive and reproductive traits of chickens. Data was entered into excel and analysis was carried out using SAS software [1]. The average chicken flock size was 29.88 with the flock dominated by chicks and few cocks. The majority of farmers were raising the chicken in scavenging (55.6%) and semi-intensive (40%) systems. More than half of the respondents reported practicing supplementation, providing drinking water, housing, and treating birds when they are sick. The average age at sexual maturity for male and female chickens was 6.93 and 7.24 months respectively. Clutch size per hen, hatchability, survivability, and annual egg production per hen per year was 14.4 eggs, 83.71%, 55.64%, and 46.6 eggs respectively. Indigenous chicken production in Busokelo district is largely practiced in small-scale semi-intensive and free-range systems with a reasonably good rate of adoption of good management practices such as supplementation, provision of housing, drinking water, and healthcare. The productive and reproductive performance of the chicken is within the range reported for most other indigenous chickens in Africa. However, chick mortality was observed to be very high due to diseases and predation. Improvement in management of chickens, especially young chicks is recommended to increase flock size and reduce loss due to high mortality.