Review on Exotic Chicken Status, Production Performance and Constraints in Ethiopia

Abstract

This study reviews the exotic chicken status, production performance and constraints with the aim of delivering summarized and synthesized information for the beneficiaries and reader. Poultry production and its product consumption are progressively increasing globally. In Ethiopia, chicken production plays a great role as a primary supply of eggs and meat in rural and urban area and as a source of income for small holder farmers. Although traditional practices continue to dominate domestic poultry production in Ethiopia, there has been a shift to industrial production. Attempts have been made to introduce different exotic poultry breeds to small holder farming systems of Ethiopia because of low performance of indigenous chicken. The egg production potential of local chicken is 30-60 eggs /year/ hen with an average of 38 g egg weight under village management conditions, while exotic breeds produce around 250 eggs/ year/hen with around 60 g egg weight in Ethiopia. Even though, all available evidence indicates that all the imported breeds of chickens performed well under the intensive management system but still the contribution of exotic chicken to the Ethiopian economy is significantly lower than that of other African countries. Poultry meat and egg production is the most environmentally efficient animal protein production system. But, weak agricultural extension service, feed shortage, disease and predation, housing and other critical gaps that need to be filled by the institutions of research and development to improve the productive performance of exotic chicken breed in Ethiopia.

Keywords: constraints, chicken, exotic, performance, Ethiopia.