Survey on Village Based Chicken Production and Utilization System in Mid Rift Valley of Oromia, Ethiopia

The survey was carried out in mid-rift valley of Oromia to generate information on village based indigenous chicken production and utilization system. The results of the study showed that the dominant chicken production system of the study area was a free range system using majority of indigenous chicken (94%) managed mainly on scavenging with conditional feed supplementation. The mean chicken flock size per household of the study area was 13 chickens. The survey indicated that almost all farmers provided night shelter for their chickens. Broody hens were the sole means of egg incubation and chick brooding in the study area. Most chicken keepers in the study area had the tradition of selecting chicken for replacement stock. Body size, finger accommodation of the pelvic bones and pedigree performance were the major means of selection. Predators and chicken diseases were considered be the largest threat to village chicken production. The price of chicken products varied among months of the year and determined by a number of factors such as holyday vs fasting seasons as well as the ordinary days vs market days. The survey further identified that in village poultry production women and children were more involved than men.