Experimental validation of farmer innovations in incubation and brooding management of chickens

摘要

ToevaluatetheeffectofusingcommunallayingnestsandinnovativesingleoccupantboxesforincubatingandbroodingchickensincentralUganda,thisstudywascommissioned.Atotalof36indigenousand18crossbredhenswerematedeithertoindigenousorBovanBrowncocks.Henseitherlaideggsinindividualorcommunalnests.nbsp;Onturningbroody,eachhenwasgiven12eggstoincubateandlaterbroodeditschickseitherwithaccesstoafreerangeatwill,orwasconfinedinaspaciousincubation/broodingboxoveratenweekperiod.nbsp;nbsp;Thenumberofeggslaidinoneclutchandtheproportionthathatchedperhenvariedsignificantlyacrossthetreatments.Crossbredhenslayingincommunalnestshad10.7±0.5eggswhilethoseunderindividualnestinghad8.4±0.4eggs;indigenoushenshad9.5±0.9and6.9±0.9eggsrespectively.Themeanhatchabilityforconfinedhens(87.5±7.5%)wassignificantlyhigherthanforfreerangehens(77.5±1.7%).Confinedcrossbredhenshadbetterhatchability(93.9±6.1%)thanthoseunderfreerange(78.5±4.7%),whileconfinedindigenoushens(72.5±9.3%)didnotdifferfromtheirfreerangingcounterparts(79.8±9.6).Confinedhensweanedmostchicks(11.0)whilefreerangeindigenoushenshadonly2.9.Confinementeffectivelycutoutpredationofchicksandtransmissionofdiseasepathogens.Confinedbirdsalsoproducedanaverageof95.7gofmanure/bird/day,butforfreerangebirdsitwasnonquantifiable.nbsp;Theconfinementinnovationthereforeimproveschickenperformanceandshouldbepromotedforsmallandmediumholderfarmers.nbsp;