Performances, Breeding Practices and Trait Preferences of Local Chicken Ecotypes in Southern Zone of Tigray, Northern Ethiopia

Background: Indigenous chickens in Ethiopia are found in large numbers distributed across different agro-ecologies under traditional scavenging management system and are reared as a source of animal protein and income to many of the rural populations. Identifying farmers selection practices, traits of economic importance as perceived by farmers, market value and consumers preference and investigate the existence of genotypes raised and their attributes. This study was carried out in Southern zone of Tigray region to generate information on performances, breeding practice and trait preferences of indigenous chicken. Methodology: From randomly selected three districts 210 chicken producers were interviewed and focus group discussions were conducted to gather valuable information. Descriptive statistics and PROC GLM of SAS, version 9.2 was employed to analyse data. Figure and tables were used to present results. Results: Broody hens were the sole means of egg incubation and chick brooding method in the study area. The average age of male at first mating and female at first egg were 6.230.06 and 6.740.05 months, respectively. The number of clutch per hen per year, eggs per clutch and total eggs produced per hen per year were 4.250.07, 14.90.32 and 63.21.75 eggs, respectively. The hatchability and survival rate of chicks were 84.22 and 58.71%, respectively. Most chicken keepers in the study area had the tradition of selecting chicken for breeding stock. Body size, plumage color, body conformation, comb type, egg production performance and responsiveness to predators were the major means of selection. Conclusion: The survey indicated that performances in terms of egg production and fertility traits of indigenous chickens are low, producers local chicken trait preferences are subjective and breeding practices are traditional. Therefore, appropriate interventions particularly on the improvement of breed and breeding management are required to enhance overall productivity.