LOCAL CHICKEN PRODUCTION MANUAL.
LOCAL CHICKEN PRODUCTION MANUAL.
Local chicken has potential of transforming lives of key stakeholders these include women, youths and children by increasing household income and improving household food security. In addition, local chicken are source of proteins essential for the health and nutrition. Poultry wastes provide manure for other agribusiness enterprise.
According to research local chicken production is decreasing at a rapid rate in rural areas whereby rural-urban migrants have to carry chicken to their rural homestead to celebrate festive seasons, ceremonies and socio-cultural rituals. This is due to the developing knowledge gap between generations on the fundamental management practices of rearing local chicken. This knowledge gap contributes to the high increasing rates of household food insecurities despite of the abundance of production resources in rural areas.
This material is packaged to disseminate sustainable appropriate technologies and knowledge to local chicken stakeholders aiming to improve household income and food security.
Learning Objectives.
1. Appreciate facts and statistical data about local chicken production.
2. Understand the factors for the prevalence of local chicken.
3. Identify the local chicken breeds kept in Uganda.
4. Understand the characteristics of local chicken.
5. Understand the laying cycle of local hens and features considered of local chicken for breeding.
6. Understand basic techniques used to improve production in local chicken.
7. Understand general management practices of local chicken.
8. Understand the common health problems, their cause and solution to mitigate health risks and enhance production of local chicken products.
UBOS 2024 Poultry Statistics.
According to UBOS statistics the chicken population is increasing from 24 million recorded in the Uganda National Household Survey 2005/2006 to 57.8 million reported in the National Population and Household Census 2024. Indigenous chicken constituted 69.9% while exotic cross breed at 30.1%.
The central region had the highest population of 20.7 million chicken representing 35.7% of the total chicken population. This was followed by Eastern region with 15.8 million (27.3%) while Karamoja region had the least number of chicken with 1.4 million (2.6%).
At district level Wakiso had the highest chicken population with 5.6 million chicken, followed by Mukono district with 3.4 million chicken and Luweero district with 1.4 million chicken.
Facts about local chicken.
Generally, in the whole of East African region, almost all agricultural households keep local chicken in the backyard.
Local chicken mainly survive on scavenging feed resources.
There is few diseases control measures used relying on local herb concoctions.
Housing may / may not be provided for local chicken.
Meat and egg output is relatively low.
Hens have good mothering ability usually incubate their eggs and brood their chicks.
Local chicken price is high due to it's tender, organic meat and it's socio-cultural functions.
Local chicken growth rate is low and hen may lay as few as 30 eggs per production year.
Examples of local breeds in Uganda.
There are seven common local breeds of chicken reared in Uganda these include
1. Ugandan black and red (Nganda, Nsonga, Nkore)
2. Nsesere.
3. Ugandan brown (Nganda, Nsonga, Nkore)
4. Teso chicken.
5. Ugandan short legged (Nyoro)
6. Ugandan red. ( Nkooki, Nganda, Nsonga, Nkore)
7. Ugandan white.
Factors for the prevalence of the local chicken in the East African Region.
Exotic chickens (broilers and layers) were introduced in East Africa in the 1960s. Despite the high productivity of exotic chicken, local chicken have continued to dominate the poultry industry in the region due to their positive attributes these are;
Local chicken have many socio-cultural functions in many communities for which exotic birds are not acceptable.
Local chicken can tolerate harsh management conditions like poor housing.
They are relatively tolerant to some poultry diseases. However they are not resistant.
They are good scavenging birds hence can utilize poor feedstuffs.
Local chicken meat and egg are perceived to be tastier than those from exotic chicken.
Local chicken have good parenting abilities. They incubate their eggs and brood their chicks hence suitable for low input-low output production system.
Production characteristics of local chicken.
Local chicken are reared as a mixed flock (age, sex and sometimes mixed bird species)
Local chicken flock size ranges from (5-40)birds per household in rural communities.
Hens have a maturity weight of (1-1.5) kg.
Cocks have a maturity weight of (1.5-2.5) kg.
Reach maturity age at (5-7) months.
Have a hatchability range (40-100)%.
Have an egg weight of (40-50)g.
Each hen produce (20-50) eggs per year.
Each hen produce (6-20) eggs per clutch.
Each hen produce (2-3) clutches per year.
The egg laying cycle of local hen.
The hen lays a clutch of (6-20) eggs and then becomes broody. The broody hen sits on eggs for an incubation period of 21 days.
After hatching the mother hen takes care of it's chicks until they are old enough to be independent for a period of (2-3) months. During this natural brooding period the mother hen is aggressive and will rush to attack and protect it's chicks from any identified enemy, she provides warmth to her chicks and helps them to find food.
After weaning off the chicks, the mother hen gives herself open period of about 3 weeks during which she replenish her body reservoirs before beginning another laying cycle.
Therefore a single reproduction cycle takes about (120-140) days hence contributing to the limited (2-3) cycles per year.
Features of a good local hen for breeding.
Should be disease free and lively.
Should have a good mothering record.
Should have a red comb.
Should have a clean, dry beak and nostrils.
Should have clean feathers around the vent.
Should have straight legs and toes with no sign of scaly legs.
Should have a relatively curved but not a sharp breast.
Should have a broad bottom.
Features of a good local cock for breeding.
Should be disease free and alert.
Should be protective in nature.
Should have smooth and shinny feathers.
Should have clear and shinny eyes.
Should have clean feathers around the vent.
Should have straight legs and toes with no sign of scaly legs.
Should be of large size with a live weight of (2.5-3.5) kg.
Synchronized hatching technique in local chicken.
Synchronized hatching technique is used to improve local chicken production, a breeding technique to ensure proper management of local chicks in great numbers by local natural hatcheries.
Synchronized hatching is a mean of regulating and motivate a flock of hens to lay eggs.
Synchronized hatching ensures that laying hens sit on their fertilized eggs on the same date and hatch altogether on the same day.
The system of synchronized hatching is based on the following principles.
Local hens can provide optimum warmth required to incubate fertilized eggs.
Local hens don't count how many eggs they have at one time.
Local hens don't know whether the eggs are fertilized or not.
Local hens don't know number of days for a complete incubation period.
Procedure of synchronized hatching.
As the hen lays eggs in individual nests. The farmer boils the first egg of each hen to death and labels them with a marker.
The farmer places one boiled egg on each nest to motivate the hens that are laying.
Other proceeding eggs are collected off the nest daily, marked on with the date using a pencil.
Collected eggs are stored in a cool and humid place, clean paper egg tray-with a broad egg end facing up is suitable. Hatchability of eggs deteriorates with time don't store for more than 10 days.
Normally some hens start sitting on the boiled egg earlier than others. This doesn't have any problem, the hen will not withdraw even if it went past 21 days of incubating a boiled egg.
Eggs are distributed to each hen's individual nests at night following the latest date marked on the eggs to enhance hatchability. The boiled eggs are removed.
If 10 hens are prepared for the synchronized hatching technique, they will hatch (80-100) chicks on the same date.
Causes of low hatchability in local breeding chicken.
1. Poor incubation environment.
Incase of extreme temperatures too low/ too high could led to early embryo mortality, chicks die at pipping stage, hatching too early, extended hatching of about 2 days, chicks smeared with egg content, incidence of crooked toes and crooked beaks.
It is essential to ensure the nest area is protected from drafts and extreme temperatures, prepare the nest with comfortable, secure and dull coloured materials like hay, straw to optimize warmth.
Laying nest with a layer of soil settled at the base before hay/straw enhance humidity.
Turn the eggs often during the incubation period to ensure even distribution of warmth.
2. Infertile eggs.
If the eggs are infertile, they can not produce chicks. Infertile eggs can be caused by poor feeding, incorrect cock to hen ratio, infertile cocks, diseases, internal parasite infestation, low mating frequency.
Therefore ensure a mating ratio 1:5 cock to hen ratio, deworming of the breeding stock and supplementing the breeding hen with nutritious feedstuff.
3. Embryo mortality
The developing embryo with in the egg could die due to poor incubation conditions, genetic defects, diseases and prolonged storage.
Therefore ensure clean nests, vaccination of breeding stock against Mycoplasma and avoid prolonging storage of egg for beyond 10 days.
Rearing of local chicks.
Under natural brooding chicks are raised by the broody mother hen for (3-4) weeks. Then the chicks are separated from the broody mother hen for further artificial brooding.
The broody hen and it's chicks are supplemented with chick mesh, vitamins in the water for the first three weeks as they scavenge for food.
Chicks are brooded separately for the next four weeks in a fold unit structure and after they are left to scavenge for food and water. This period enables close monitoring of the chicks as well as enables the mother hen to replenish her body reservoirs, preparing it for next reproduction cycle.
General management of local chicken.
Local chicken production involves rearing of local chicken breeds for eggs and meat, mainly practiced at homestead level using the extensive system of management either free range scavenging system or free range commercial system.
i) Free range scavenging system
Local chicken are deliberately left to roam around the farm/homestead in order to find feed and water for themselves. They feed on vegetation, insects, grains, earthworms, home food wastes and by-products of home food preparation.
Local chicky aren't sheltered hence may spend the night in trees and farm/homestead structures. Farmers only hunt for the birds when they need to slaughter or sell them and there's hardly any diseases control measures applied.
ii) Free range commercial system.
Free range commercial system is a bit more organized. Local chicken are allowed to feed and wander within fenced land and are housed during the night. In addition grain/ grain by-products plus water may be provided to the flock to supplement the grass, insects, earthworms picked from the yard.
Under this system farmers know the number of birds they own and even take satisfactory measures to maintain a health status of the flock. However, there may hardly be any attempt to control breeding.
Merits of extensive system.
It is cheap.
Local chicken get exercise and can keep physically fit.
Local chicken have access to fresh vegetation for vitamins and micro minerals.
Demerits of extensive system.
Local chicken are exposed to harsh conditions, thieves, disease causing agents and predators.
Eggs are often laid in bushes.
Associated with improper monitoring and record keeping.
Security of the birds is rarely guaranteed.
Housing
Structures are constructed using local raw materials with an earthed floor, thatched/iron-sheet roof, puchers/roosters to accommodate numerous birds per unit area, comfort and mitigate contact of birds with the droppings.
The floor is swept regularly early in the morning and sterilized with ash to maintain good hygenic conditions.
The house structure is used for night shelter and during daytime birds scavenge for food and water.
Vaccination and farm hygiene.
Local chicken are tolerant to some poultry diseases however they are not resistant. Therefore the need to vaccinate against Newcastle disease in the first week after hatching, at six weeks old, at three months of age and adult birds twice a year. Also ensure vaccination against Fowl pox disease, Marek's disease and Infectious bronchitis following the vaccination program of veterinary specialists.
Deworm every month using a good dewormer like fenbendazole.
Spray the wall, floor and nests with acaricide for mite infestation and with an insecticide for lice infestation.
Feeding of local chicken.
Intensive feeding is very expensive with local chicken. Feeding chicks on chick mesh upto 2 months of age each chick consumes upto 2 kg. Cockerels consume upto 10kg of the feed per bird between (2-5) months of age, pullets consume about 7kg in the same period. Breeding hens require 100g of layer mash per day hence intensive feeding isn't cost effective with local chicken.
Extensive system is suitable whereby a farmer may also use the simple technologies of growing maggots and termites to supplement local chicken scavenged feedstuffs.
Technique for growing maggots.
Blood, offals and cow manure are mixed in a large open pot.
The pot is filled with 1/3 water, flies will lay their eggs in the mixture.
Leave the pot open during the day and closed during the night.
After (5-7) days depending on the temperature, maggots are ready to be collected before they pupate.
Remember to place the pot away from the public places, as the smell is offensive.
Technique for growing termites.
Take a pot with a short neck and a capacity of at least 10litres.
Fill it up with a mixture of dry cow dung, straw and sprinkle a litter of water.
Set the pot upside down with the opening on the sandy ground.
After 2 days, the pot will be full of termites.
Empty the pot in-front of the hen house in the morning.
Common Health Problems in Local Chicken.
Common health problems in chicken include; Newcastle disease, Infectious bronchitis, Fowl pox disease, Fowl typhoid, Marek's disease, Coccidiosis, Nutritional deficiency, Internal parasite and External parasite. These contribute to high death rates of local chicken.
1. Newcastle disease
This is a viral disease. Characterized with high mortality, twisting of neck, paralysis, walking backwards, coughing, hemorrhagic and necrotic gastro-intestinal lesion and hemorrhage in the proventriculus.
Newcastle disease is controlled by vaccinating health birds. It has no treatment.
2. Infectious bronchitis disease.
This is a viral disease. Characterized with mortality rate of (5-20)%. Affects the genital tract-sterility, respiratory distress, deformed rough eggs and cause a drop in egg production.
Control infectious bronchitis disease by culling infected birds, improving bio- security and disinfection of the poultry house and vaccinate the health birds.
3. Fowl pox disease.
This is a common viral disease. Characterized with papule-vesicular-pustular eruptive nodular lesion on the feet, head. The cloaca/ mucous membrane of the digestive and respiratory passage weaken hence led to lack of appetite and eventually death.
Control Fowl pox disease by disinfecting the poultry house, vaccinating the health birds, treating open wounds and culling diseased birds.
4. Fowl typhoid disease.
This is a bacterial disease, characterized with high mortality rate (30-50)%, prostration, cyanosis, yellowish green diarrhea, hypertrophy and discoloration of the liver, translucid punctuation in the shape of millet grains on the lungs, renal congestion, enlargement and congested heart, spleen and kidney. Leads to embryonic death in the incubating eggs, very acute whitish diarrhea, arthritis and neck twisting in chicks.
Controlled by vaccinating health birds against Fowl typhoid.
5. Marek's disease.
This is a viral disease. Characterized by paresis, paralysis, enlargement of the sciatica and Vagus nerve, depression, weight loss, lack of appetite, tumors in the liver, spleen, kidney and skin.
Controlled by vaccinating day one old chicks.
6. Coccidiosis disease
This is caused by internal parasites. Characterized with bloody diarrhea, loss of appetite, reduction in weight and poor feed conversion ratio with a significant mortality rate.
Control Coccidiosis disease by use of coccidiostat in the supplemented feed, ensure regularly clearing of the poultry house floor.
7. Nutritional deficiency.
Nutritional deficiency leads to stunted growth in local chicken, soft shelled eggs Incase of calcium and vitamin D.
Supplement the scavenging feedstuff with multi-vitamins in water and Dicalcium phosphate.
8. Internal worms.
These include round worms, tape worms, Cecal worms controlled by deworming with fenbendazole approved for round worms and Cecal worms.
Heavy worm infestation in local chicken can significantly hinder growth and development due to limited ability to absorb nutrients resulting to stunted growth, reduced egg production, infertility, Anemia and Diarrhea.
9. External parasites
These include mites, flies and lice.
Controlled by maintaining a clean environment, good biosecurity to prevent contact of local chicken with rodents, isolation of new stock, providing access to dust bath for local chicken to groom, ensuring adequate ventilation and maintain the house carrying capacity.
Examples of treatment chemicals include; Carbaryl, Malathion, Rabon, Coumaphos, Fipronil, Deltamethin, Permethin.
In conclusion
Local Chicken farming has the potential to transform socio-economic livelihood of households ensuring household food security and boost the household economy due to it's high value market demand and it's suitability size to feed the rapid growing trend of nuclear families. Local Chicken products are preferred over exotic chicken products, perceived tastier with numerous socio-cultural functions in many communities for which exotic chicken products are not acceptable hence assured of a ready market.
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