Benefits of rearing local chicken 

Background
Uganda is estimated to have between 40 and 50 million chickens. Of these, at least 30 million are hybrids, while the rest are local breeds. 

Most of the hybrids are kept in closed shelters. Local chicken are mainly kept on a free-range system, where they look for food for themselves.   

Chicken is known to be kept by people from Bunyoro, Lango and Teso regions with the highest number of local chicken. On the other hand, Buganda region has most of the hybrid chicken.  

Experts contend that hybrid chicken is more expensive to keep, but you get higher returns than the local breeds.

In a publication Livestocking where a group of experts have developed a guide on how farmers must go about keeping local chicken breeds, it is explained as below. 

What is local chicken farming?
It is a type of poultry farming that is carried out in rural, low income areas. The farmers usually rear indigenous breeds of chickens, which are well adapted to the environment and local conditions. 

This form of farming is important because it provides a cheap and convenient source of protein for the people who live in these rural areas through the local poultry farms or household rearing.

These chickens are different from the commercial breeds of chickens that are reared on large scale poultry farms. 

Production facts
It stated that a local rooster weighs about two kilogrammes at maturity while a local hen weighs 1.5 kilogrammes at the point of laying eggs.

At between 22 and 26 weeks of age, local chickens are sexually mature to start mating and producing eggs. 

A local broody hen could lay up to 72 eggs in a year while a local non-broody hen could lay up to 102 eggs in a year.

A free-range hen will lay the first eggs at the age of 22 weeks and lay between three and four clutches of 10 to 15 eggs a year.

Common breeds
There are a number of local chicken breeds but the most common are the frizzled feathers chicken good for carcase, the naked neck chickens are good scavengers and can escape disease attack easily and dwarf chicken which are small, compact and they lay a lot of eggs.

Advantages
• It is an affordable way to produce eggs and meat and it helps to improve the livelihoods of rural families.  

• They can scavenge food items in the local environment, which reduces the need for supplemental feed. And they are self-sustaining because they can raise their own replacement stock. 

• They are immune to some diseases and parasites and their products fetch more money than those from exotic birds.

• The only challenge is that they have a low growth rate and their eggs may not be commercially viable because they don’t lay a lot.

Production systems
There are two main types of village chicken farming management practices that farmers can use without significant investments. 

“The traditional free-range system where chicken are allowed to roam free and scavenge food in the local environment. Some farmers allow them to sleep on branches of trees and this system is low cost and simple to manage though it may be difficult to protect the birds from predators,” says Jane Kafuko a poultry farmer in Mukono.

The other system is the semi-intensive range system where chickens are kept in a large pen or enclosure that is surrounded by a wire fence. 

The pen is typically filled with a mixture of dirt, sand, wood chips, or other materials that can be used as a substrate for scratching and pecking. 

Chickens in this system are typically given some access to outside areas, but they are generally not allowed to roam free.  They produce high quality beef and eggs.

Different poultry houses and shelters can be found in tropical regions, depending on the availability of materials and weather. It is important to choose a chicken house based on the costs, durability, and other benefits that it offers.

Best practices to adopt
Farmers are encouraged to build a house for their local chicken breed to keep them safe.

The house must be on a spot free from the direction where there is a lot of wind blowing. It can be partitioned according to the number of chicken.

The material chosen must be easy to clean and the house has to be so large that there is sufficient room for the birds as well as allow enough air inside. 

It is also good to install nest boxes, roosting bars or perches, and a feeding trough inside the chicken house.

Feeding 
Although village chickens can survive on a diet of insects, seeds, and other vegetable matter, providing them with a balanced ration will improve their health and egg production. 

The main ingredients in a good chicken feed are grains such as maize, wheat, barley, soybean meal, vitamins and minerals.

Pellets or crumbles that are specifically designed for chickens are the best way to provide a balanced die but a mixture of grains and cracked corn or home-made feed can also be used.

Farmers can give them kitchen scraps and fresh vegetables, such as cabbage, lettuce, and carrots, black jack, moringa leaves, lemongrass and banana leaves.

Housing
Housing is important for keeping poultry safe from predators, thieves and bad weather. It is also important for the poultry farmer to have a comfortable and convenient poultry house. This will help with production and efficiency.