EVALUATION OF CHICKEN PRODUCTION SYSTEMS AND EFFECTS OF HOMEMADE RATION ON GROWTH AND CARCASS CHARACTERISTICS OF COBB500 BROILER CHICKEN IN BISHOFTU, ETHIOPIA
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Date
2019-08
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Abstract
A survey was conducted to assess chicken production systems in urban and rural areas of Bishoftu then after a feeding experiment was conducted to evaluate homemade ration on growth and carcass characteristics of Cobb500 broiler chicken in Bishoftu, Ethiopia. The study indicated that the major chicken production system in the urban areas was small-scale chicken production system which account for 96.2% of the production system whereas the traditional chicken production system was the major chicken production system in the rural areas which account for 98.1% of the production system. The socioeconomic status of chicken producers indicated that majority of chicken producers in urban (69.2%); and rural (50.6%) areas were males. The average age of chicken producers in urban (33 years) was lower as compared to rural (37 years). Higher percentages of chicken producers in urban (53.8%); and rural (69.2%) were married. Almost all chicken producers in urban (90.4%) had attended formal education while more than 50% in rural (57.1%) were illiterates. In urban (98.0%) of chicken producers used deep litter house whereas higher percentages in rural (61.5%) left their chickens on perches. Larger percentages of chicken producers in urban (94.2%) provide supplementary feed. The major supplementary feed utilized in urban (82.7%) was commercial ration. Most chicken producers in urban (38.5%) fed their chicken any time. Higher percentages of chicken producers in rural (32.1%) fed their chickens twice per day. Maize, wheat and wheat bran were the major feeds utilized in rural other than iv
scavenging feed sources. In urban 95.5% of chicken producers did not incubate their eggs. Majority of chicken producers in rural areas practiced hatching of chicks. Disease was the first and major constraint of chicken production in urban and rural followed by high cost of commercial ration in urban; and predators in rural. In urban 92.8% chicken producers treated their chickens using veterinary drugs. Similarly, higher percentages of chicken producers in rural (40.6%) used veterinary drugs. The experimental rations used during the feeding experiment were commercial ration (T1) and homemade ration (T2). The feed ingredients included in the mix in case of homemade ration were maize grain, wheat middlings, soybean meal, noug seed cake, vitamin premix, calcium carbonate and salt. The result obtained from the experiment indicated that the feed intake of birds fed homemade ration during the starter (20.97 g) and entire phase (70.06 g) was the lowest (P<0.01) as compared to birds fed commercial ration. Lower body weight gain (P<0.01) and feed conversion ratio (P<0.05) was recorded in birds fed homemade ration only during the starter phase (122.7 g and 1.9), respectively. According to partial budget analysis higher net income was obtained in broilers fed homemade ration, although there is no significant difference in the carcass characteristics between the treatments. Therefore, homemade ration can improve the net income without much impact on the body weight and carcass characteristics at the final day.
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PhD Thesis