Local Chicken Management in Rural Borno State,Nigeria

Abstract

The locally adapted chickens are more readily available to resource-poor farmers and they can be productive without high disease-control inputs. Therefore, the study examined the management practices and the prospects of local chicken production in rural Borno state. The survey was carried out in two agro-ecological zones (Sahel savannah and Sudan savannah) of Borno state in Nigeria. Data were collected from 180 poultry keeping households in two seasons (cold-dry and hot-dry seasons) through interview using structured questionnaire. Descriptive statistics using means and percentage was used to analyze the data. The result showed that 82.8% of the farmers had less than 1ha of farm land and 17.2% had above 1ha of farm land. Distribution of ownership of chickens revealed that 51.3% kept 6-10 chickens, 23.8% kept 1-5 chickens, 19.5% kept 11-20 chickens and 5% kept  above 20 chickens. Majority (65.8%) practice extensive system while 34.2% practice semi-intensive system. Only 2% of the farmers consult veterinary service. Chickens were mainly culled for home consumption (31.5%), trade (42.2%) and fear of disease (26.3%). 46.4% of farmers purchased their replacement stock, 24.1% of the farmers obtained theirs through inheritance or gifts, while 32.9% obtained theirs from hatched eggs. The major (55.8%) factor affecting market is the availability of substitute, 27.9% complained of unstable price while 16.3% identified sell of disease chicken as another factor affecting marketing. The study recommends proper training of the farmers on modern poultry management and they should be informed on the importance of veterinary services.

Key words: Local chicken, Management system, Rural, Sahel savannah, Sudan savannah