Assessment of Village Chicken Production System and the Performance of Local Chicken Populations in West Amhara Region of Ethiopia

The village chicken production system and performance of local chickens were investigated in west Amhara region of Ethiopia with the major objective of assessing chicken production system in 196 households. Data were collected through interview by using pretested structured questionnaires, group discussion with key informants and direct observation. The results indicated that the average flock size holding per household was 7.9 chickens. All chicken owners provide supplementary feed, which they get from farm produced (82.7%), market (2.6%) and both farm produced and market (10.2%). The majority (83.7%) of households spread the feed supplement on the ground while only 16.3% of them use local made feeders. About 57% households provide feed supplementation during rainy season while 38.8% of them provide year round. Only 11.7% of the households construct separate housing while the majority share their main house. Predation (96.9%) was identified as the primary production constraint in the study area. The average age at first lay for village chickens was 6.6 months with an average clutch number of 3.2. About 14 eggs were produced per clutch with a yearly egg production of 43.2 per hen. In conclusion, the study indicated that the productivity of the village chickens was found to be very low and thus calls for appropriate interventions to be undertaken which should focus on the improvement of feeding, housing, breeding and health care of local chickens.