Study on Major Health and Constraints of Backyard and Commercial Poultry Production in Hawassa and Yirgalem Town, Southern Ethiopia

Abstract

Background
Poultry provide nutrient-rich food and are raised with insufficient resources because they convert scavenged feed resources into
animal protein.
Methodology
A cross-sectional study was conducted to assess the major health and associated constraints of backyard and commercial poultry
production in Hawassa and Yirgalem Town, southern Ethiopia. A total of 150 purposefully selected households were included in
the study from 15 randomly selected kebeles. Semi-structured questionnaires and observation were used to collect data.
Results
Regarding educational status, the majority of the respondents (88%) were found to be literate. Most of the respondents reared
exotic types of breeds (44%). Among the households, 50% used their chicken for consumption and additional income. Assessments
of the housing condition of poultry showed that 46.67% were shared with people. Most of the respondents (71.3%) provide
water for their chickens from different sources. The respondents revealed that the occurrence of coccidiosis (60.7%) at the
farm and household level had the most economic importance, followed by Newcastle disease (49.4%). Of the respondents, 74%
didn’t practice biosecurity, and it is noted that 52% of the respondents leave sick birds with healthy flocks. Similarly, the majority
of the respondents (52.7%) didn’t provide vaccination and only 36.7% had market access to sell poultry products. Nearly 89.3%
of respondents believed that the first-ranked problem affecting poultry productivity was poultry disease. Moreover, 77.3% of the
respondents revealed that at village and semi-intensive levels, the available veterinary services were inadequate and ranked as the
second constraint. Besides this, lack of adequate veterinary service, lack of knowledge about modern poultry production, lack of
good bio-security practices, cannibalism, thieves, predators, and lack of market access were the other constraints limiting the productivity
of their chicken.
Conclusion
This study revealed the presence of management problems in backyard and commercial poultry production in the study area. Thus,
training for farmers and extension staff focusing on disease control, improved housing and feeding, biosecurity, and proper recordkeeping
systems should be improved.