Breeding objectives for indigenous chicken: model development and application to different production systems.

Area of Science:

• Agricultural Economics
• Animal Science
• Poultry Production

Background:

• Indigenous chickens (IC) are vital in developing countries.
• Production systems vary significantly, impacting economic viability.
• Farmer risk attitudes influence production system choices.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a bio-economic model for evaluating indigenous chicken (IC) utilization across different production systems.
• To incorporate farmer risk attitudes into the economic assessment.
• To predict live weights, feed intake, and profitability for various IC production systems.

Main Methods:

• Development of a bio-economic model classifying production systems: free-range (FRS), intensive (IS), and semi-intensive (SIS).
• Model prediction of live weights and feed intake throughout the IC life cycle.
• Computation of profitability using traditional and risk-rated profit models.

Main Results:

• Indigenous chicken utilization is more profitable under free-range (FRS) and semi-intensive (SIS) systems.
• Intensive systems (IS) were found to be not economically viable for indigenous chickens.
• The model demonstrated flexibility for various poultry species and adaptable to specific production contexts.

Conclusions:

• Free-range and semi-intensive systems are recommended for indigenous chicken production.
• Intensive systems require further optimization to be economically viable for indigenous chickens.
• The developed bio-economic model provides a valuable tool for assessing poultry production economics and informing farmer decisions.