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ISSN: 2157-7579

Research Article Open Access

Assessment of Chicken Feed, Feeding Management and Chicken

Productivity in Intensive Poultry Farms at Selected Farms of Three Zones
in Tigray Region
Hagazi Fantay Tadesse*, Milsan Getu Banu, Tesfay Awalom, Habtamu Tadelle and Gebrehiwot Tadesse Mawcha
College of Veterinary Medicine, Mekelle University, Mekelle, Tigray, Ethiopia
*Corresponding author: Hagazi Fantay Tadesse, Mekelle University College of Veterinary Medicine, Mekelle, Tigray, Ethiopia, Tel: +251 914 530893; E-mail:
[email protected]
Rec date: August 14, 2017; Acc date: September 16, 2017; Pub date: September 19, 2017
Copyright: © 2017 Tadesse HF, et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted
use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

Abstract

The study was conducted from November 2016 to July 2017 in Mekelle, Adigrat and Southern zone (Alamata and
Maychew), Tigray region, Ethiopia with the objective of assessing chicken feed, feeding management and chicken
productivity. A cross sectional study using semi structured questionnaire survey and direct observation on feed
(quality, formulation), feeding management (amount of feed given per chicken per day, frequency of daily feeding
and type of feed transport used) and chicken productivity performance (eggs/chicken/day) was employed in a total of
31 intensive chicken farms. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, two sided t-test and one-
way analysis of variance. Knowledge on raw material selection, feed formulation, quantity of feed given/ chicken/
day, frequency of feeding and cost of feed transportation are the main encountered factors by intensive chicken
farmers and all revealed statistically significant effect (P<0.05) on productivity of chicken in terms of egg production.
Therefore, for successful chicken production, increase their productivity and assure food security as whole; there is
a need to establish chicken feed processing plants, improve feed related constraints and train farmers on feed and
feeding management of the chicken.

Keywords: Chicken feed; Feeding management; Chicken growth rate, fast reproduction rate compared to most other livestock or
productivity the rapid generation time, a simple means of generating family income
and employment opportunities raised with relatively low capital
Introduction investment and readily available household labor compared to other
domestic animals all make poultry an ideal starting point for
In Ethiopia, agriculture contributes 40-50% of the gross domestic beginning production and for family use as a rich source of animal
product (GDP), over 90% of the foreign exchange earnings and about food for human being [6].
85-90% of employment opportunities in the country [1]. The majority
of agricultural output is generated from crop and livestock integrated In Ethiopia there is huge demand of poultry meat and eggs which
production systems. The livestock subsector contributes about 16.5% of has led to an emerging establishment and expansion of modern and
the national Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and 35.6% of the organized poultry farms in the entire country particularly in peri-
agricultural GDP [2]. urban and urban areas [7]. These emerging farms have vital
contribution to improve the livelihood, food security and poverty
Ethiopia is a home for many livestock species and suitable for reduction as well as providing a handsome return in peri-urban and
livestock production. It is believed to have the largest livestock urban areas in the tropics [8].
population in Africa. An estimate indicates that the country is a home
for about 56.7 million cattle, 29.33 million sheep, 29.11 goats, 56.87 The demand of protein food is progressively growing with the
million poultry, 2.03 million horses, 7.43 million donkeys, 0.4 million improvements of society’s income and population growth. To fulfill the
mules and 1.16 million camels [3]. protein requirements of the people, animal sources play a significant
role. Poultry meat and egg are important sources of edible animal
In Ethiopia poultry production is an important part of the mixed protein [9]. Moreover, poultry production is considered as a fulfilling
crop-livestock farming system practiced by most households where it nutritional requirement of the poorest sections of the society [10].
makes a vital function through the provision of meat and eggs for Thus, if food self-sufficiency is to be achieved and to combat
home consumption and for the generation of cash income through malnutrition in developing countries particularly in Ethiopia, there is a
market exchange [4]. The sector in the country can be characterized need to give due attention to poultry production [11].
into three major production systems based on some selected
parameters such as breed, flock size, housing, feed, health, technology, Factors affecting chicken under intensive production systems are
and bio-security. These are village or backyard, small scale commercial numerous. However, feed, marketing constraints, diseases and
and large scale commercial poultry production system [5]. biosecurity are the most important one [12]. Feed is a critical input for
chicken production and account 60-70% of production costs under
Animal production in general and poultry production in particular intensive production systems [13]. Poultry feed is one of the most
plays important socioeconomic roles in developing countries. The critical constraints to poultry production under both the rural small
ability of poultry to adapt to most areas of the world, their rapid

J Vet Sci Technol, an open access journal Volume 8 • Issue 5 • 1000472

ISSN: 2157-7579
Citation: Tadesse HF, Banu MG, Awalom T, Tadelle H, Mawcha GT (2017) Assessment of Chicken Feed, Feeding Management and Chicken
Productivity in Intensive Poultry Farms at Selected Farms of Three Zones in Tigray Region. J Vet Sci Technol 8: 472. doi:
10.4172/2157-7579.1000472

Page 2 of 5

holder and large-scale systems in Ethiopia. The problem is mainly generated from two sided t-test and one-way analysis variance
associated with lack of processing facilities, inconsistent availability (ANOVA).
and distribution and sub-standard quality of processed feeds when
available [14]. In addition, smallholder farmers from different corners Results
of the country have limited access to the formulated rations and when
available, purchase it with its high cost and transportation expenditure. The result of the present study on 32 intensive chicken farms 61.5%
This makes the sector poor in production [15]. Moreover, there are also used commercial feed while the remaining 38.5% used home-made
several factors which can affect the expected production of chickens. feed by their own. Lack of knowledge (54.83%), unavailability of
Among others, lack of knowledge on chicken feed and feeding ingredients (9.677%) and cost of ingredients (35.48%) were the main
management is the most critical factor hindering chicken productivity constraints to prepare home-made feed (Table 1). Chickens fed with
leading to low production level of the sector [16]. Therefore, commercial feed have higher productivity performance (70.08%) than
considering the above facts, the present study was designed with the those chickens fed with home-made feed (Table 2). This study also
objective of: showed that chicken farms fed three times per day have higher egg
laying percentage (70.17%) followed by twice (48.63%) and once
Assessing chicken feed, feeding management and productivity (42.4%) fed chicken farms (Table 3). Mean productivity of chicken
performance of chickens. farms was 69.41% in farms which transport feed by their own whereas
farms which relied on feed manufacturers for feed transport had an
Material and Methods average of 38.43% productivity (Table 4). 48.38% of assessed chicken
farms used standard quality feed and had an average of 79.16%
Study area productivity whereas (52.62%) farms used substandard quality feed
and had mean productivity of 46.72% (Table 5). Productivity of
The study was carried out from November 2016 to July 2017 in chickens fed as per daily chicken requirement was 75.65% however;
selected farms found in Mekelle, Adigrat and Southern Zone (Alamata chickens fed above and below daily requirement had productivity of
and Maychew) of Tigray Ethiopia. Mekelle is the capital city of Tigray 57.03% and 45.80% respectively (Table 6).
regional state, located 783 km North of Addis Ababa at 39°29` E and
13°30` N at an altitude of 2000 m a. s. l. [17]. Adigrat town is located in Variables Number of farms %
Tigray regional state of Ethiopia, which is situated 921 km north of
Addis Ababa and 138 km from Mekelle city. It is found at 14°16'34” N Feed Type

latitude and 39°27’51’’ E longitudes and its altitude ranges from 2000 to Commercial feed 19 61.5
3000 m.a.s.l. Alamata and Maychew are growing urban centers in the
southern zone of Tigray region. Alamata town is located at geographic Home-made feed 12 38.5
coordinates of 12°25’09" N and 39°33’22" E and at distance of 619 km
Problem of purchased/commercial feed
from Addis Ababa with an altitude of 1578 m.a.s.l. while the
geographical position of Maychew town is 12°47’02" N and 39°32’00" E Price of feed 17 53.8
and it is located at distance of 649 km from Addis Ababa with an
altitude of 2440 m.a.s.l. There are about 6, 189,848 chickens in Tigray Unavailability in nearby area 14 46.2

region [3]. Problem of preparing at home

Study design Lack of knowledge 17 54.83

A cross sectional study using semi structured questionnaire survey Unavailability of ingredients 3 9.677
and direct observation on chicken feed, chicken feeding management Cost of ingredients 11 35.48
and chicken productivity performance was conducted in a total of 31
intensive chicken farms.
Table 1: Merits and demerits of commercial and home prepared feed.
Data collection
Productivity/Chicken farm
Data was collected through prepared semi structured questionnaire Type of feed N
survey (from primary source which mainly comprised of farm owners Mean% SD
and workers of the farm followed by review of the available secondary Home-made 11 48.48 8.95
data source) and direct observational study was conducted to collect
data from all assessed intensive chicken farms. Finally data on chicken Commercial 20 70.08 22.35
feed and feeding management practices followed by production
Total 31 62.42 22.35
performance (number of eggs) were collected using the prepared
questionnaire.
Table 2: Type of feed and egg productivity performance. N=Number of
farms; SD=Standard deviation; P-value=0.0076.
Data management and analysis
The Collected data was stored into Microsoft excel spreadsheet and Productivity/Chicken farm
analyzed using SPSS version 20. Descriptive statistics were used for Frequency of
describing management practices in each intensive farms. Differences feeding/ day N Mean% SD
in productive performances (egg) were compared using means

J Vet Sci Technol, an open access journal Volume 8 • Issue 5 • 1000472

ISSN: 2157-7579
Citation: Tadesse HF, Banu MG, Awalom T, Tadelle H, Mawcha GT (2017) Assessment of Chicken Feed, Feeding Management and Chicken
Productivity in Intensive Poultry Farms at Selected Farms of Three Zones in Tigray Region. J Vet Sci Technol 8: 472. doi:
10.4172/2157-7579.1000472

Page 3 of 5

Once 4 42.4 17.17 on-farm mixing of feeds, it was not practiced due to high cost of
ingredients and lack of knowledge on proper feed formulation. This
Twice 6 48.63 10 also coincides with the reports of [20] in Botswana, [21] and [22] in
Addis Ababa who reported in common that high feed cost was the
Three times 21 70.17 21.9
most noticeable constraint faced by small scale intensive poultry farms.
Total 31 62.42 22.35
The present study revealed that commercially formulated feed had a
significant effect (p<0.05) on productivity performance of chickens
Table 3: Frequency of feeding and egg productivity performance. over use of home-made feed (Table 1). This agrees with the report of
N=Number of farms; SD=Standard deviation; p-value=0.0076. [23] who reported that laying chicken draws upon the nutrients
provided in its diet to produce eggs. This was also in line with the
Productivity/Chicken farm report of [24] who noted that increasingly important for producers to
Transport N find a balance between feeding their birds on a least-cost basis as well
Mean% SD
as feeding the appropriate amounts of nutrients in the diet as the
Own 24 69.41 18.7 chicken needs them throughout her laying cycle. Similarly, [25]
reported that diets for laying chicken are formulated to meet the
Feed producers’ 7 38.43 17.02 requirements that may limit egg production.
Total 31 62.42 22.35 With regard to feeding frequency, the present finding revealed that
majority of the farmers (69.2%) provide feed to their chicken three
Table 4: Type of feed transport used and egg productivity performance. times per day while the remaining 9.6% and 21.2% provide once and
N=Number of Farms; SD=Standard deviation; P-value=0.0005. twice per day respectively. There was statistically significant effect
(p<0.05) among once, twice and thrice feeding frequency on egg
productivity performance of layer chickens and reveal improved egg
Productivity/Chicken farm
Feed Quality N productivity in thrice feeding. This result is in line with the report of
Mean % SD [26] who reported that productivity of the chicken could be affected by
feeding frequency. At the same time the present finding is also
Standard 15 79.16 16.92
supported by the report of [27] who indicated that twice and thrice a
Substandard 16 46.72 13.73 day feeding regimens rather than once a day improved egg production
rate. The current finding also coincides with the report of [28,29] who
Total 31 62.42 22.35 reported that chicken fed twice a day produced more eggs compared
with chicken fed once a day and the chicken received their feed 2 or 3
Table 5: Quality of feed and egg productivity performance. N=Number times per day laid 4.8 eggs more than those that fed one time per day
of Farms; SD=Standard deviation; P-value=0.0000. [30]. Also indicated that feeding 3 times per day increased the
percentage of chicken daily egg production.
Productivity/Chicken farm In this study, productivity performance of chicken farms was highly
Amount of feed given/day N
Mean% SD
affected by the type of feed transport used. 69.2% of the farmers used
their own feed transport and had 69.41% productivity while the
Below requirement 10 45.8 15.63 remaining 30.8% farmers used feed manufacturers’ transport and had
productivity of 38.43%. This revealed a statistically significant effect
As per standard 15 75.65 18.6
(P<0.05) on productivity performance. This report is in line with the
Above requirement 6 57.03 21.84 report of [31,22] who noted that the transport costs add significantly to
the cost of feed in areas distant from the source of supply. It is also in
Total 31 62.42 22.35 agreement with the reports of [5] who noted that transport cost of feed
is one of the factors that can affect the expected production of the
Table 6: Amount of feed given/layer chicken/day and productivity chicken.
performance. N=Number of Farms; SD=Standard deviation; P-
The present study also revealed that feed quality has a statistically
value=0.00.
significant effect (P<0.05) on chicken productivity. There was 79.16%
chicken productivity in 48.38% assessed chicken farms that used
Discussion standard quality feed however, chicken productivity in the remaining
The results of the present study indicated that, of 32 intensive farms that used substandard quality feed was 46.72%. This is in
chicken farms, higher proportion (61.5%) used commercial chicken agreement with the report of [32] who reported that quality of feed
feed while the remaining 38.5% used their own home-made feed. This provided as a main factor for egg productivity of the chicken. It is also
is supported with the result of [18] who reported that most small-scale in line with the report of [5] who reported that the quality of mixed
poultry farms obtain their feed from large-scale commercial farms. feed for commercial poultry production is generally poor in Ethiopia
According to the response of chicken farmers participated in this which can affect the expected production of the chicken.
study, most chicken farmers do not use home-mixed ration due to lack In this study, amount of feed given per chicken per day has a
of knowledge (54.83%), cost of ingredients (35.48%) and unavailability significant effect (P<0.05) on chicken productivity. 32.25%, 19.35% and
of ingredients (9.677%) (Table 1). In agreement with the present 48.38% chicken farms provided feed below, above and as per daily feed
finding, [19] has reported that although there was considerable interest requirement of the chicken and had productivity of 45.80%, 57.03%

J Vet Sci Technol, an open access journal Volume 8 • Issue 5 • 1000472

ISSN: 2157-7579
Citation: Tadesse HF, Banu MG, Awalom T, Tadelle H, Mawcha GT (2017) Assessment of Chicken Feed, Feeding Management and Chicken
Productivity in Intensive Poultry Farms at Selected Farms of Three Zones in Tigray Region. J Vet Sci Technol 8: 472. doi:
10.4172/2157-7579.1000472

Page 4 of 5

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J Vet Sci Technol, an open access journal Volume 8 • Issue 5 • 1000472

ISSN: 2157-7579
Citation: Tadesse HF, Banu MG, Awalom T, Tadelle H, Mawcha GT (2017) Assessment of Chicken Feed, Feeding Management and Chicken
Productivity in Intensive Poultry Farms at Selected Farms of Three Zones in Tigray Region. J Vet Sci Technol 8: 472. doi:
10.4172/2157-7579.1000472

Page 5 of 5

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J Vet Sci Technol, an open access journal Volume 8 • Issue 5 • 1000472

ISSN: 2157-7579