Abstract:
This study was on management factors affecting indigenous chicken production in Bungokho,Mutato Sub County, Mbale district to identify management systems of indigenous chicken production to Identify management factors affecting indigenous chicken production to .identify farmer's breeding practices for purposes of genetic improvement and to determine the contribution of extension services in indigenous chicken production. 84 respondents were randomly selected from' the study area and interviewed using it pre-tested questionnaire with both open and closed questions. Data collected was analyzed using SPSS version 16 and excel. The results were presented using tables, graphs and pie charts.
The study revealed that 100% of the respondents kept indigenous chicken. Majority of the respondents 77.4% had no separate chicken housing because of inadequate space, lack of money and too much theft in the study area. In the study area only 7.2% practiced purposeful feeding with inappropriate feeding time, interval. Most of the respondents, 88.1%, practiced supplementary feeding practice which had no nutritional requirements with kitchen waste and 95.2% of the farmers provided water to the chicken at different time intervals. Newcastle disease is the major factor/disease causing economic losses to the farmers followed, by fowl pox. Majority of the respondents just throw dead chicken on land and this leads to the easy spread of diseases within the flock. Only 16 out of 84 respondents selected chicken for breeding basing, on disease resistance, age and good incubation and 60% of the respondents had never discussed about chicken management and related problems: with the agent 42.9% had never heard about improved management practices while 57.1% had ever the results of the study showed that all the respondents kept indigenous chicken mostly under extensive, followed by intensive and semi intensive management systems with poor housing, poor feeding inadequate disease and mortality control measures resulting in high mortality lack of controlled breeding and inadequate extension workers. Efforts to increase production through improvements, in health, feeding, housing, and daily management should be encouraged as they will result in increased economic returns. There is a need to design proper breed improvement programs in order to. enhance the genetics, potential, through selective breeding and conservation of the huge genetic diversity of the indigenous chicken populations. Training for both farmers and extension staff focusing on disease control, improved housing and feeding, could help, to improve, productivity of local chicken
