EFFECTIVENESS OF SMALLHOLDER INDIGENOUS CHICKEN HATCHING SYSTEMS IN SIAYA COUNTY, KENYA

Abstract

Poultry farming in Kenya plays a major role in complementing rural and peri-urban households’ food security and income. Farmers are increasingly shifting to rearing improved indigenous chickens (IC) because of their rapid growth rates and higher egg production. One of the strategies used by development agents in Kenya to enhance growth and meet market demand of IC is to supply day old chicks to producers. However, the demand for day old chicks outstrips supply because of low hatchability experienced in small holder hatcheries. Current study characterized the hatching systems of IC in Siaya County, evaluated and modified the performance of existing hatching systems and evaluated the performance of the adjusted schemes. Baseline survey was conducted on small holder farms and hatcheries to establish the characteristics of hatching systems in Siaya County. The study showed that breeding stocks were reared in enclosed and free-range systems, 55% of the farms attained the standard cock to hen ratio of 1:7 and eggs were stored using both conventional and non-conventional methods. The results further showed that the critical parameters of hatchability were outside the array with a mean hatchability percentage of 56%, Relative humidity (RH) and incubation temperature ranged from 54 to 64%, and from 37.2 to 39.5oC respectively. This study modified incubating system to; temperature range of 37.1 to 38.5oC, RH ranged from 56.5 to 62% and evaporative rate of 8.415*10-5m3/hr. The modified hatching environment yielded mean hatching of 95.3%. A model relating the amount of water to be added in the evaporative pan on a daily basis was developed and evaluated. The results showed that improvement of moisture management in incubators coupled with the physical and physiological management of hatching systems enhanced hatchability to 95.3%. This study provides specific technical modifications that can improve the design and operation of incubation systems, which can then be applied to the development of better hatcheries.