Management, Feeding and Breeding Practices of Local Chickens in the Remote Areas of Morobe Province, Papua New Guinea

Lobâo Martin, Ahizo Jeremiah, Dom Michael, Pandi Janet

Abstract


The study focused on understanding the management, feeding and breeding practices of local chicken raised in remote areas in Papua New Guinea. A total of 173 households (HH) in 14 remote
villages were studied. The high percentage of male respondents did not reflect ownership as in many societies women play greater roles in family farming. Main livestock kept were chicken, duck and pigs. Family consumption and income generation were their primary motives. Semi-extensive management is common with no or minimum interventions to improve chicken production and productivity. Whereas extensive system relies on scavenging feed resources and occasional supplementary feeding. A total of 2010 chickens were recorded, ranging 1 to 34 with mean flock size of 10.52±14.41 birds per HH. Population structure comprised of young chicks, adult hens and female pullets. An estimate of 10.8±5.28 eggs per hen was reported by respondents for the past one year period. Average clutch per hen per year was 3.7±2.13 with an estimation of 40 eggs per annum. Survival is affected mainly by theft of adult birds, predation and disease affecting mostly young chicks. There was no well-developed systematic breeding and selection practices although 35.3 % of respondents perform selective and crossbreeding mainly through exchanging, culling and isolation of birds. Breeding objectives are emphasizing on phenotypic traits due to its cultural value but less on fitness and production traits. Marketing is basically informal and highly seasonal. Local prices ranged between PGK 15 and PGK 25 per live bird.

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