See suggestions in answer to question 12.
Paul Rigterink, PhD
Are there any major omissions or gaps in the report? Are topics under-or over-represented in relation to their importance? Are any facts or conclusions refuted or questionable? If any of these are an issue, please send supporting evidence.
I am particularly interested in smallholder systems where animals represent less than 10 percent of the total farm output in value terms. In particular, I am interested in helping the most poor raise chickens, pigs, goats, and other small animals to increase their income and food security. In the case of chickens, backyard producers value chickens for their adaptability, contributions to the family’s income and general welfare, and for insect control and fertilizers in the garden. In most family flocks, chickens scavenge plant or food residues and insects around the home. With minimal care, family flocks can hatch and raise chicks, produce high-value meat, and supply eggs. Eggs can be a particularly important source of food for children with protein malnutrition who are between six months and three years of age. Live chickens sold for meat bring a good price and are a primary source of household income for poor farmers.
It is extremely difficult for families to maintain flock numbers and replace birds which are lost or sold if they cannot produce chicks on the farm. Buying replacement chicks from a hatchery is expensive and can be disastrous for household chicken production. Hatchery birds may require artificial incubation, disease control measures, or special feeds not available on the small farms. The loss of hens’ broodiness (readiness to set on eggs for hatching) is particularly serious. When hatchery roosters cross with traditional hens, flocks can lose their ability to hatch and raise chickens in just one generation. It is best to avoid dealing in hatchery birds which have lost most of their ability to successfully hatch eggs. In addition, to gain the maximum profit, the use of poultry feeds is discouraged. Which experts do the HLPE Project Team and Steering Committee use when confronted with practical questions rather than policy questions?
In addition, inexpensive disease control markedly increases the survival and productivity of a family flock. The following four preventive practices, given every three months, will eliminate most health problems in poultry flocks:
1. Vaccination for Newcastle disease
2. Deworming for roundworms and tapeworms
3. Dusting under wings for irritating external parasites such as lice
4. Treatment for chronic respiratory disease to increase production.
What recommendations does the HLPE Project Team and Steering Committee have for veterinary supplies for pigs, goats, and other small animals?
Other questions that might be answered include:
Is the application of fundamental disease control to prevent losses from common infections and parasites worth the investment?
- Can the veterinary medicines required be repackaged in the small quantities required by poor farmers? In particular, how can their flock be vaccinated for Newcastle disease?
- What methods were used to insure maximum egg production (e.g. supplemental feed and keeping the chickens shaded)?
- Should small farmers sell primarily eggs, live chickens, freshly processed poultry meat, or cooked chicken meat to maximize profits?
- What are the best methods for preventing the loss of chickens from predators and thieves?
See my paper “Doubling the Income of Africa’s Poorest Farmers” at https://sites.google.com/site/paulrigterink/home/poultry for additional information
Paul Rigterink