Assessment of Smallholder Chicken Production Practices, Marketing and Constraints in Two Districts of South-Omo Zone, Ethiopia

Abstract

Objectives: The study was conducted to assess the production practices, marketing and constraints smallholder chicken producers in two districts of South Omo zone. Materials and Methods: Purposive sampling method was used to select districts, Kebeles and households. Based on this a total of 180 households (2x3x30) were selected to collect information focusing on village chicken production practices, marketing and constraints. Results: The most dominating form of production practice was seasonal supplementation for local and mixed breeds, whereas, regular supplementation for exotic breeds. The feed supplementation trend, attitude toward chicken vaccination and medication, shelter provision, management responsibility, chicken and egg selling responsibility and extension approach of the farmer’s changes as the farmers start rearing more productive breeds. Poor productivity, diseases, and old age were the main factors in all strata that determine chickens to be culled except lack of mothering ability for local breeds. There was no formal market channel, the process of transporting chicken and egg was manual, price of items depend on the number of merchants, there was price argumentation between producers and merchants, predict or seasonal outbreak of disease, weak extension access that focused only dissemination of exotic breeds, dissemination of breeds were not based on the scientific research output, no regular follow up and monitoring, and production hindering constraints. Conclusion: Finally, due to weak extension services and other hindering constraints, farmers participated in poultry sector were losing a number of chickens by disease and predators. Therefore, there should be a planned vaccination schedule, scientific and chicken health trial research on local used medicaments, the ways of chicken and egg transporting and marketing should be improved and given equal attention should be to poultry sector with other agricultural sectors at lower levels.