Challenges Facing Indigenous Chicken Production And Adoption Levels Of Biosecurity Measures In Selected Areas Of Makueni County, Kenya

ABSTRACT

Annually Kenya produces about 20 million tons of poultry meat worth KES 3.5 billion

and 1.3 billion eggs worth KES 9.7 billion. However Indigenous chicken productivity has

stagnated due to limited transfer and adoption of improved technologies such as

biosecurity practices by rural households. The productivity of Indigenous chicken has

been decreasing in Makueni County despite development agencies, both national and

international and county government investing heavily in chicken enterprise. There is

also limited adoption of biosecurity measures. A survey was conducted in

Kikumini/Muvau ward of Makueni sub-County and Kithungo/Kitundu ward in Mbooni

sub-County. Systematic sampling were done to select the two sub-counties out of six that

form Makueni county based on Agro-ecological and livelihood zoning, concentration of

agricultural activities and investment levels in chicken enterprise in these sub-counties.

Random sampling was used to select the two wards and simple random sampling to select

households (from a source list provided by area chiefs). The objectives of the study were;

i) To identify the constraints that affect the productivity of indigenous chicken in

Kikumini/Muvau and Kithungo/Kitundu wards; ii) To establish the biosecurity measures

practiced by indigenous chicken farmers in the two wards and, iii) To assess the socioeconomic

and ecological hindrance to adoption of biosecurity measures in the two wards.

To obtain primary data, the study interviewed 158 respondents (72 in Kikumini/Muvau

and 86 in Kithungo/Kitundu wards). Two focus group discussions (one in each ward)

were also conducted. The collected data was cleaned, and 143 questionnaires were found

valid, they were coded and analyzed through Microsoft excel, version 2010 and also the

Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 17.0 computer software.

Descriptive statistics dispersion, frequencies, means, distribution and Chi-square were

conducted to compare study variables for each specific objective. In both study wards

some of the biosecurity measures adopted were vaccination, fencing, and disinfection,

cleaning of chicken houses and equipment and traffic control. The main constraints that

have negatively affected chicken productivity as reported by 85.3% of respondents were

diseases and parasites, high cost of chicken feeds, poor housing, inadequate chicken

rearing skills and inadequate knowledge on biosecurity. The cold months of June-August

results in disease outbreaks, bushes around the homesteads that hide predators, are some

of the environmental challenges on chicken productivity. Overall the study concluded

that, IC farmers in the two study wards have adopted some biosecurity measures,

respondent occupation, type and safety of feeds and channel of disseminating extension

messages to farmers have significant influence on adoption of biosecurity measures,

while ownership of IC, ownership of land and standard of chicken house does not

significantly influence adoption of biosecurity measures. The study therefore

recommends that; affordable credit facility to IC farmers be developed to support them

improve on biosecurity strategies and dissemination of chicken production messages to

be channelled more through Radio. There is also need for development of biosecurity

policy for livestock enterprises in Makueni County.