Poultry Feed Resources and Coping Mechanisms of Challenges in Sidama Zone, Southern Ethiopia

Abstract

The study was conducted in Wondogenet and Shebedino woredas of Sidama zone with the objective of assessing the existing poultry feed resources, challenges and coping mechanisms. Multi stage sampling techniques were used. The potential supplementary feeds used were maize (17.85±2.21), household scraps (10.96±1.36) and cereal debris (9.05±1.08) gram per chicken per day. During the wet season of the year, 89.1% of the respondents feed scarcity was aggravated. Farmers were tackled poultry feed scarcity by feeding Enset (Ensete ventricosum)  by-products (30.8%), food left over and household wastes (13.3%), available major green feeds and non-conventional feed resources like growing worms and insect. The feed offered were entirely incomplete and inadequate. Therefore, efforts have to be made to design and implement interventions, aiming at improving poultry feed resource base and practices.

Keywords: Challenges, Coping mechanism, poultry feed, Supplementation