Performance of exotic and indigenous poultry breeds managed by smallholder farmers in northern Ethiopia

摘要

Theaimofthisstudywastocompareageatfirstegglaying,hatchability,numberofeggsproducedperyear,eggweight,bodyweightat8and18months,andmortalityinthreeexoticpoultrybreeds(Fayoumi,RhodeIslandRed,andWhiteLeghorn)andanindigenousbreedmanagedbyruralfarmersintwowatersheds(BegashekaandDebreKidaninthecentralzoneofTigray)innorthernEthiopia.nbsp;Ageatfirstlayingvariedbetweenthetwochosenwatersheds,andrangedfrom231-245days.RhodeIslandRedhensproducedthehighestnumberofeggs(185)whilethehighesthatchabilitywasrecordedineggsproducedbytheindigenous(79%)andWhiteLeghorn(76%)hens.PulletandmaturebodyweightsweretheheaviestforRhodeIslandRedbirds.ThehighestchickandpulletmortalitieswereobservedinFayoumi(68%)andWhiteLeghorn(48.5%),respectively,whilethehighestadultmortality(52%)recordedintheindigenousbirds.nbsp;ItisconcludedthatRhodeIslandRedandWhiteLeghorncanbeeffectivelymanagedforeggproductionunderscavengingconditionbysmallholderfamers,withaneedtoshortenageatfirsteggproduction.ThehighestpercentageofhatchedeggsproducedbytheindigenousandWhiteLeghornhenssuggestsaneedtofurtherinvestigatethepoorhatchabilityobservedinRhodeIslandRed.Thehighmortalityrateinthefourbreedsshouldbesubstantiallyreducedthroughtheprovisionofeffectiveextensionservices.nbsp;nbsp;