Assessment of Village-Based Chicken Production System in East Gojam Zone, Ethiopia

The study was conducted to assess chicken handling practices and identify the major challenges affecting village-based chicken production in the East Gojam zone, Ethiopia. The study sites were selected randomly, while households were purposively selected based on their experience in chicken production and residence in rural areas. A cross-sectional study design was employed, and a standardized questionnaire was administered to 86 selected households. Data were analyzed using SPSS Version 20 software. The average flock size per household was 12.06 chickens, with 71.4% of them being indigenous breeds, and all were free scavengers. Almost all respondents supplemented their chickens with homemade grains and leftovers, although this was not adequate. Hens dominated the flock, and the cock-to-hen ratio was 1:3.97. Most respondents (52.3%) restocked their chickens by hatching at home. The major constraints of chicken production identified were diseases, predator attacks, poor hatchability, and a shortage of feed resources. Newcastle disease (ND) occurred in 54.1% of the households, and its occurrence was statistically associated with study woredas (χ ² = 13.406, p value = 0.009). It caused high chicken mortality in the area. However, most of the respondents did not practice disease control and prevention biosecurity measures. Approximately 68.6% of households did not use the ND vaccine, 44.2% mixed newly purchased chickens with their own without quarantine, 71.4% allowed their chickens to have contact with neighboring flocks, and most households disposed of dead chickens outside their compounds, which may promote disease spread. Predators affected 78.6% of the household chickens. Therefore, it is essential to create awareness about proper chicken handling, vaccination, and implementing biosecurity measures to enhance the productivity and sustainability of village chicken production.