The status of local chicken (Gallus domesticus) production in Northern Uganda

摘要

AbaselinestudywasconductedtodeterminethestatusofindigenouschickenproductioninGuluandKiryandongodistrictswithamajorfocusondemographiccharacteristics,generalmanagement,production,feedsandfeeding.Atotalof121householdswereusedforthestudyintwosub-countiesfromeachdistrict.Thedatawerecollectedusingapre-testedstructuredquestionnaireandthenanalysedusingversion16,SPSScomputerpackage.Itwasobservedthattheaveragehouseholdsizewastenpeopleinbothdistricts.LandownershipwasmainlycustomaryinGulu(93.3%)andprivateinKiryandongo(37.7%).Therespondentskeptchickens,cattle,goats,pigs,andsheep.Howeverchickenswererankedhighestinrelationtootherlivestockkeptbyfarmers.Theaveragechickenflocksizewas34±3birdsperhousehold,composedofthreecocks,eighthens,eightpullets,sixcockerels,andtenchicks.Sexualmaturityforbothmaleandfemalechickenswasattainedatsixmonthsofage.Farmersreportedanaverageclutchsizeof14eggsperhenwiththreelayingcyclesperyear.Thedataalsorevealedthatmostofthefarmers(92.6%)wouldwishtoprovidesupplementaryfeedroutinelyifitwasavailableand95.9%currentlyprovidewatertotheirchickens.Thefeedstuffsprovidedbysomefarmersincludedmaize(Zeamays),sorghum(Sorghumbicolor),millet(Eleusinecoracona),groundnuts(Arachishypogea),soybeans(Glycinemax)aswellasmillingby-productssuchasmaizeandricebran.Availabilityofthesefeedstuffsvarieswithseasons,beingmorereadilyavailableinthedryseasonsandscarcetowardstheendofthedryseasonandintherainyseason.Eggsandchickencontributetoproteinnutritionandfoodsecurityandarealsooccasionallysoldforincomegeneration.ItwasconcludedthatindigenouschickensformanintegralpartofrurallivelihoodsinNorthernUganda.Themajorityoffarmerswouldprovidesupplementalfeedtofreerangechickensifitwasreadilyavailable.Feedsupplementationstrategiescarefullydesignedtomeetthenutritionalrequirementsforthebirdsallyearroundwouldsignificantlyimprovetheproductivityoflocalchickens.