Constraints and opportunities of village chicken production systems in the smallholder sector of Rushinga district of Zimbabwe

摘要

ThestudywascarriedoutfromMarch2001toFebruary2002atKamanikaWardinRushingaDistrictofMashonalandCentralProvinceinZimbabwe.Theobjectiveofthestudywastodeterminetheeffectofownershippatterns,gender,housing,healthandfeedingsystemsonvillagechickenproduction.Seventy-twohouseholdswereselectedusingstratifiedrandomsamplingbasedonsexofthehouseholdheadandflocksize.Onaverage,eachhouseholdhadaflocksizeof30#177;6chickens.Chickensthatreceivedfullfeedsupplementationhadhighestflocksizes,henandchicknumbers.Poledandraisedhousingtypeyieldedhighestflocksizes.Largeflocksizeswereobtainedunderthosefarmersthatgavetraditionalmedicinetotheirchickens.About40.5%ofdeathsrecordedwereduetopredation,30.2%duetodisease,8.8%duetoaccidents,8.6%duetoparasitesand12.9%duetounknowncauses.Although88%ofthehouseholdsweremale-headed,womenowned95%ofthechickens.Female-headedhouseholdshadhigherchickenflocksizesandlowermortalitiesthanmale-headedhouseholds.Womendominatedinfeeding(43.5%ofthehouseholds),watering(51.2%)andcleaning(37.2%).Menmainlydominatedinshelterconstruction(60%).Housing,feedingandhealthsystemswereidentifiedasopportunities,andpredation,diseasesandchickmortalityasconstraintstotheexpansionofvillagechickenproduction.Adequatediseasecontrol,reductionofchicklosses,improvementofhusbandrypracticesandimplementationofgendersensitiveprojectswererecommended.