ASSESSMENTS OF INDIGENOUS CHICKENS PRODUCTION SYSTEMS AND SOME EGG QUALITY PARAMETERS IN SHEBEDINO DISTRICT, SIDAMA REGION ETHIOPIA

Abstract

This study was conducted in two agro-ecologies of Shebedino district to generate information on the existing production system, marketing and egg quality traits of indigenous village chicken. A total of 140 indigenous chicken owners from Highland and Midland and 30 market participants from the two selected market places (Lekuand Telamo) were included in the study. For marketing survey, a randomly selected sellers, buyers and intermediaries were interviewed from each of the two selected market places and market chain of village chicken and eggs in the district was mapped accordingly. A total of 120 eggs from the interviewed chicken owners in the district were collected to evaluate egg quality traits of indigenous village chickens. All the data collected were analyzed using SPSS and SAS. The result of the study showed that the average chicken holding in the area was 9.16 birds per HH. Majority of the respondents (93.6%) in the study area practiced scavenging with supplementation. The vast majority of the respondents (90%) also provided water for their chicken. The 95% interviewed HH’S not had separate poultry house. The result of the study also revealed that Newcastle disease (85%) was the most dominant chicken disease followed by Coccidiosis (14%). Mean age at first egg, clutches per year and clutch length were 7.6 months, 3.85and 15.95 days, respectively. Average eggs per hen per clutch were 14.85 with annual egg production of 59.4 eggs per bird. The overall mean hatchability was 75%. Village chicken were predominantly possessed and managed (65%) by women. Majority of the respondents (88.6%) kept chicken for sale as an immediate source of cash for basic HH necessities of the owners. 44.7% and 76.4% of the respondents also highlighted that they kept chicken for home consumption and stock replacement, respectively. The overall mean egg weight 41.5gm , shell thickness 0.3mm, albumin height 21.2gm, Yolk weight(15.29g) ,Yolk colour 9.38, Yolk height(15.58mm)