Characterization of indigenous chicken production systems in Rwanda

Abstract

Characterization of indigenous chicken (IC) production systems in Rwanda was conducted from November 2015 to January 2016 with the aim of understanding socio-economic characteristics, management of IC, production parameters, feed resources, and constraints faced by farmers rearing IC. A survey involving 206 households was carried out in 5 districts with the highest populations of IC using structured questionnaires. Data were analyzed using SAS software. The results showed that the majority of respondents (62.4%) were males and 37.6% were females. The majority of respondents (83.6%) had formal education. All family members were involved in the chicken husbandry practices. However, women (78%) were highly responsible for IC management activities. The family size averaged 5 persons (ranging 2 to 13) per household. Land was privately owned by farmers (84%) with a mean holding of 0.87 ha per household. The production system was mainly extensive with minimum provision of supplementary feeds. Chickens were being housed in separate houses at night and mating was uncontrolled. Breeding and replacement stocks were mainly sourced from the hatching of eggs using broody hens (60.68% of respondents). There were no vaccination programs, and ecto- and endo-parasites control was done when need arose. Egg production, income generation, meat production, and production of breeding stock were the main reasons of keeping IC. The first 3 main challenges facing IC production were diseases outbreaks, lack of investment capital, and predators. Others challenges, such as feed shortage, thieves, fluctuation of market price, lack of information on poultry rearing, and lack of chicken houses, also were mentioned. The IC production constraints mentioned need urgent mitigation measures to sustain utilization of IC against the changing climatic and economic conditions. Therefore, individual, public institution, and non-governmental organization efforts are required to develop sustainable breeding objectives directed to functions of IC and production challenges faced in the systems.

Phenotypes, production systems and reproductive performance of indigenous chickens in contemporary Rwanda

“…This is the good level for understanding the management and good returns for poultry production enterprise in Rwanda. This is almost similar with the report of Mahoro et al (2017). The study indicated that Easten province had 25% of household who did not receive the education level.…”

“…It was also found that in Kigali and South, half of the farmers were using free range, while the rest were using semi -scavenging, with minimal supplementation. This result is similar to that of Mahoro et al (2017) and Okeno et al (2012). In all provinces, the farmer reared indigenous chicken for income generation except the eastern province reported that those chicken are for home consumption.…”

“…The study indicated that Easten province had 25% of household who did not receive the education level. In this study, it was observed that all households in the East, West and North were using the free range production system (Mahoro et al, 2017). It was also found that in Kigali and South, half of the farmers were using free range, while the rest were using semi -scavenging, with minimal supplementation.…”

Current Status of Indigenous Chicken Production in Moyamba District, Sierra Leone.

“…Another challenge recorded was the paucity of information regarding the local poultry industry. Farmers have no access to information on management practices, marketing, and treatment services which is consistent with (26) where lack of information on poultry rearing was mentioned as a challenge due to lack of livestock extension services.…”

Genetic diversity and population structure of indigenous chicken in Rwanda using microsatellite markers

“…IC production serves a critical role in the source of revenue for resource-limited countryside families [1]. The productivity of IC in Rwanda, however, is low at an average of 40 to 100 eggs per hen per year and weight ranging from 0.8 to 1.8 kg per year, which is insufficient to meet the needs of the population [2]. This setback has restricted their potential to improve the livelihoods of smallholder farmers thus failing to contribute considerably to the mitigation of poverty in rural areas.…”