Adaptation and Performance Evaluation of Layer (Bovan Brown) Chicken Breed in Peri-Urban Areas of Agro-Pastoralist, South Omo Zone, Ethiopia

Abstract

An experiment targeted the adaptation and performance evaluation of the Bovan Brown chicken breed in peri-urban areas of Agro-pastoralist was conducted in the Malle district. One kebele and 25 households were selected purposively. Training was provided and 21 pullet chickens were distributed to each household. Vaccination was given for the common poultry diseases. The commercial feed was used for the first two months, and then home-prepared feed in addition to kitchen refusal, garden forages, insects, and worms. Mortality was the collective effect of disease, stress, predators, and injury. The average body weight of the breed was 1.5 Kg with an average age of sexual maturity of 6 months. On average the breed laid 237 eggs per hen per year with a relative egg weight of 48, 51, 53, and 57 g at 5%, 10%, 50%, and 95% lay periods, respectively. The breed was preferred due to its survival, egg production, feed conversion ability, and fast age of sexual maturity with some constraints such as feed shortage, absence of the breed, veterinary drugs, and vaccines in the district. The “Bovan Brown” breed was adapted, performed well, and was preferred by the users with the limitation of chicken feed and the awareness gap of keepers. Therefore, the chicken keepers should be trained for the preparation of the layers feed, especially, protein sources, and the distribution of the breed should be limited to urban, per-urban, and trained keepers with access to the road to buy inputs and sale outputs.