SREPRODUCTIVE PERFORMANCE AND HUSBANDRY PRACTICES OF INDIGENOUS CHICKENS IN DELTA TATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

The study was carried out using field data to investigate the reproductive performance and husbandry practices of indigenous chicken in Delta State. Traits considered were number of eggs lay per clutch, flock size, age at sexual maturity and body weight; and husbandry practices were house type, housing system, feed type and feeding practice. Data obtained were subjected to statistical analysis to determine percentage distributions. Results obtained showed that the mean flock size, number of egg per clutch, sexual maturity and body weight of indigenous chicken ranged from 11 to 15 birds, 6 to 10 eggs, 7 to 12 months and 0.71 to 1.50 kg respectively. Percentage distribution of housing type used was 79.3 %, 20.7 % and 92.7 % for thatches, feed bags and netting and scavenging respectively. Feeding was not common as only 5.3 % of the farmers feed once a day. Therefore, it was concluded that the performance of indigenous chickens under traditional management practices was low. It is recommended that the indigenous chicken producers in Delta State should practice modern husbandry practices that could lead to higher performance.