Production and Reproduction Performances and Constraints of local and exotic Layer Chicken in Ethiopia

Studienarbeit aus dem Jahr 2020 im Fachbereich Agrarwissenschaften, Sprache: Deutsch, Abstract: This review is done on comparative evaluation of production and reproduction performances and constraints of local and exotic layer chicken in Ethiopia. Poultry is by far the largest group of livestock species in the world and chicken largely dominate flock composition. In Ethiopia, except chickens other poultry species production is not practicing that they are living in their natural habitat. The poultry sector in Ethiopia can be characterized into three major production systems based on some selected parameters such as breed, flock size, housing, feed, health, technology and bio-security. These are large commercial or intensive, small scale commercial or semi-intensive and free range or village back yard poultry production system. However, the majority of chicken production system in Ethiopia remains as village or back scavenging system which consist the indigenous chickens as major. In Ethiopia, poultry industry plays a significant role in the supply of human food (eggs and meat) in rural and urban area and as a source of income, especially to small holder farmers. Mean number of egg production was higher for exotic breed than local chicken ecotypes. Higher egg production and better reproductive life span is obtained from exotic chickens than local ones. Moreover, overall survival rate of exotic and crossbred chickens are found comparable to local chicken. Therefore, introducing Bovans Brown chickens having better productive and reproductive performance is important to enhance productivity. Non-genetic factors should also be considered to improve the performance of existing local chicken population. But, feed shortage, disease and other critical gaps that need to be filled by the institutions of research and development to improve the productive performance of exotic chicken breed in Ethiopia.