Assessment of Major Constraints of Small Scale Intensive Chicken Farms in and around Nekemte, Oromia, Ethiopia

Gemechis Regasa^*, Hagazi Fantay Tadesse and Getachew Derbew Belay
^*Correspondence: Gemechis Regasa, Medical Doctor at Hospital for Special Surgery, Ethiopia, Tel: + 251912289921, Email: ,

Keywords

Chicken • Constraint • Small Scale

Introduction

Livestock production is a component of agriculture activity that covers 40% of agricultural output. As part of livestock production, poultry production is an important production activity in almost all developing and developed countries. It is the fastest growing component of livestock production system and has a great contribution to the sector and improves the living standards of the poor livestock keepers [1]. This is mainly due to the quick return on low investment with short generation interval and fast reproduction cycle compared to most other livestock [2].

The global poultry population has been estimated to be about 16.2 billion, with 71.6 % in developing countries, producing 6.7 million metric tons of chicken meat and 5.8 million metric tons of hen eggs [3]. In East Africa over 80% of human population live in rural areas and over 75% households keep indigenous chickens, the remaining keeps exotic and hybrids [4]. Ethiopia has 56, 866,719 poultry population of which 54,510,523 (95.86%) indigenous, 770,052 (1.35%) exotic and 1,586,144 (2.79%) hybrid [5].

In Ethiopia, chickens are the most widespread and almost every rural family owns chickens, which provide a valuable source of family protein and income [6]. As compared to other livestock, chickens give immediate source of cash income, provide egg in addition to meat for household consumption, are source of organic fertilizer, require low initial capital investment, small land and low labor input, are efficient feed converters and have a wide range of adaptability for different agro-ecologies [2].

However, according to [7], there are a number of constraints limiting the success and profitability of chickens kept under both traditional and modern production system in Ethiopia. In Ethiopia, the poultry sector has been adversely affected by a variety of constraints. [8] have identified critical constraints as disease, predators, poor feeding and poor marketing information and replacement of indigenous chickens by exotic chicken breeds. According to [9] and [10] poultry feed and nutrition is one of the most critical constraints to poultry production under both the rural small holder and large-scale systems in Ethiopia.

In the last decade, there is an extension and wide spread of small scale intensive chicken farms in urban and rural areas due to government initiatives as a means for food self-sufficiency programs. However, the contribution gained from the sector for house hold consumption, income generation and to the national economy is not what it has to be due to several constraints. Therefore, the objective of the present study is to identify the current major constraints of small scale intensive chicken farms at the present study area.

Materials and Methods

Study area

Subjects who were suspected to suffer from IJVS were retrospectively recruited from neurology and neurosurgery department of Xuanwu Hospital from January 2015 to December 2020. Inclusion criteria were as follows: 1) No past medical history of central nervous system diseases; 2) No intracranial lesions on cranial magnetic resonance imaging; 3) No dysplasia or focal stenosis in intracranial sinuses, J2 and J3 segment of IJV. 4) No acute or chronic heart failure. This study was approved by the ethnic committee. All subjects enrolled in this study gave their informed consent.

Study design

A cross-sectional study was conducted on n=43 chicken farms at Nekemte with the objective of assessing small scale intensive chicken farm constraints. A semi structured questionnaire which includes: farm name, farm worker and farm constraints (feed, disease, management and market) were prepared for data collection from farm workers up on interview.

Sampling method and data collection

Due to the limited number of chicken farms, all available chicken farms were included in the present study. Data was collected from all available small scale intensive chicken farms (n=43) at Nekemte and surroundings using questionnaire and upon interviews made with farm workers.

Data Analysis

Data was entered to Microsoft excel spread sheet and overall prevalence of each constraint was calculated using descriptive statistics.

Results

All assessed small scale intensive chicken farms (n=43) were having health care, feed, management and market constraints. In this study, Newcastle disease (NCD), fowl cholera, coccidiosis, fowl pox, fowl typhoid, Infectious Bursal Disease (IBD) and Marek’sdisease (MD) in order were the major disease constraints in most assessed chicken farms. High feed cost and shortage in supply were feed related challenges. Most chicken farms also lack electric power for brooding and used pot charcoal instead. Market is also a major challenge in most assessed chicken farms due to inappropriate market chain, long fasting periods, low customer and low price of products as compared to costs for production. Detail results are shown in the following Tables 1-5.

Newcastle diseases is the most prevalent (occurred in 37.2% farms) followed by fowl cholera (13.9%), coccidiosis (11.6%), fowl pox (9.30%), IBD (11.6%), fowl typhoid (9.30%), and Marek’s disease (MD) (6.97%) respectively as indicated in Table 1. Of assessed chicken farms, 53.4% farms don’t use commercial feed due to high price of chicken feed from chicken feed producers. In 11.6% farms, feed challenges are reported due to shortage in supply. In 34.9% assessed farms, both shortage in supply and high price of feed were main feed constraints in Table 2. 62.79% chicken farm workers provide feed three times per day while the remaining (37.21%) chicken farmworkers supply feed to chickens only twice per day (Table 3). As indicated in Table 5, market constraints are mainly due to long fasting periods (30.23%) followed by inappropriate market chain (25.58%). Low price of products as compared to costs for production (23.25%) have also impacted for market.

Discussion

Feed availability in a fair price is the most important factor in chicken productivity as well as chicken farm sustainability as feed contributes 60-70% of farm cost. In the present study, 53.4% chicken farms faced feed constraints due to high price of chicken feed as compared to costs for production. Transport cost of chicken feed from feed source to chicken farms is main contributor for the high price as the distance between farms and source of feed supply is too long. This agrees with the reports of [11-15] who reported high price of feed as a major constraint encountered by the small scale intensive poultry farms in Addis Ababa, Botswana, Ghana and Gujarat respectively. In the present finding, about 11.6% farms encountered shortage in supply of chicken feed.

In another report from [16-19], shortage in the supply of protein supplements of animal origin has made the price of abattoir by products extremely high and Prices of mixed feed remains unduly high even at times when the price of the major component of mixed rations (e.g. corn) fall by more than 50%. In the present study, 34.9% assessed farms faced both shortage in supply and high price of feed. Similarly, [18] in Nigeria reported that the price per bag and poor road network (market access condition) were the major problems affecting efficient marketing of poultry feeds.

Appropriate feeding frequency for chicken is three times per day where quality and quantity of chicken feed is fulfilled. In the present study, 62.79% of the assessed chicken farms provide chicken feed three times per day. This indicates that, there is still a gap in feeding frequency that can impact the productivity of the chicken. Contrary to the present finding, [19] reported, three times a day chicken feed supply in only 13.3% assessed farms. The author highlighted that this is due to lack of availability of commercial feed supply, remoteness of the area and transportation problem.

In Ethiopia, the price, demand and supply of chicken are highly related to religious festivals, mainly Christian festivals where the profitability of many farms depend and dynamics of farm management required. In the present study, 30.23% farms faced market challenges due to long fasting periods [1] also reported similar finding that religious festival days are associated with increased poultry consumption and sales and decreased during fasting periods directly related to the Orthodox Christian fasting months reported in North-west part of Amhara, Ethiopia.

The present study revealed that, there is no formal poultry and poultry product marketing channel in the study areas and informal marketing of live birds and eggs involving open markets are common. Of the assessed chicken farms, 25.58% faced inappropriate market chain. Farmers sell chicken to small retail traders. In most developing and under developed countries, electric power supply to farms is either limited or frequently interrupted especially in rural and peri-urban areas. In this study, 55.81% farms use pot charcoal for brooding chicken at early stages due to lack of electrical access.

Disease has been the main cause and risk factor in many poultry farms for death, reduced production and productivity in many countries especially where veterinary service is limited. In Africa one of the major constraints to small scale intensive chicken farms is the prevalence of various diseases. In the present study, NCD (locally named “fengle”or “cudum”) is the most prevalent and economically important (in 37.2% farms) devastating disease problem in the area. This is in line with the study done by [20] in Swedish University of Agricultural Science, and Uppsala, Sweden, that NCD as the most important disease and considered to be a major constraint to the development of both village and commercial chicken industry in Africa. In this study, Infectious Bursal Disease (IBD), fowl cholera (in 13.9% assessed farms), coccidiosis (in 11.62%) causes significant loss. Similarly, [21] in shashamane and Adami Tulu reported 11.8% of coccidiosis prevalence.

Conclusion and Recommendation

Most assessed small scale intensive chicken farms in this study are affected by one or more farm constraints. Newcastle disease is the most prevalent disease followed by fowl cholera. High cost feed, shortage in supply and gap in feeding frequency are identified as feed related and management farm constraints. Most chicken farms have used pot charcoal as a brooder due to lack of access to electric power. Long fasting periods, inappropriate market chain, low price of products as compared to costs for production are among market constraints of chicken farms in this study. Therefore, based on the above conclusion, the following recommendation is forwarded.

Government should encourage chicken feed manufacturers, increase veterinary service, design appropriate market chain and provide trainings to farm owners on farm management practices in order to minimize chicken farm constraints and assure food security in general.

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