Assessment of Chicken Production and Productive Performance in Pawe District, Beneshangul Gumuz Regional State, Ethiopia

Abstract

The study was conducted with the overall objective to assess of chicken production systems and identify the productivity performance related to chicken production under village/traditional production system in pawe district of Beneshangul Gumuz Regional State, Ethiopia. A total of 80 respondents were purposively selected from four purposively selected kebeles in the study areas based on the accessibility and the potential in chicken production. All the collected data were analyzed using SPSS version of 20. Results of the study revealed that the average flock size of local chickens was (13.8 + 0.20) per household in the study areas. The average age at first egg laying for the local chickens was (6.18 + 0.024month). The survey indicated that the average egg production of the local chicken breeds was (60 + 0.123 eggs per hen per year). The study also revealed that the average number of eggs set for brooding/incubation was 10.65 + 0.03 per hen, from which relatively fair percentage of chicks (81.50 %) was hatched from local chickens. High proportion of chicken mortality up to age of 8 weeks was reported which might indicate high prevalence of chickens diseases and predators. The study revealed that majority of the respondents practice traditional scavenging system of chicken production. The major diseases of chicken in the study areas were New castle disease, Fowl typhoid, Infectious bronchitis, Gumboro and Marek’s diseases in order of their importance. Thus, the major constraints related to poultry production should be alleviated to scale out through improve overall management chicken with the distribution of improved chicken breeds for producers to better the productivity of chickens in the study areas.

Keywords: Local chickens, Chicken production, chicken productivity

DOI: 10.7176/FSQM/121-03

Publication date: January 31^st 2023