CHARACTERIZATION OF NATIVE FREE RANGING CHICKEN REARING SYSTEM IN RURAL SETTINGS OF RAJSHAHI

Abstract

An exploratory research was carried out at farmer’s households based on household survey using a variety of data collection methods/tools (semi-structured interview, focus group discussion and direct observation) to better understand the ground situation of smallholder family poultry (FP) rearing system in the rural settings in Bangladesh. Total n=97 poultry keeping households were purposively selected for household survey intended to gain detailed information on flock composition and other related issues to backyard poultry rearing practices. In this study it was found that about 77% of the village family rear poultry with an average around 6 per holding. Self consumption (85%) is the apex use of FP rearing along with little amount for sell and hobby. There was no training and access to credit facility. It was found that majority of the households share the same house for night shelter of chicken with other poultry and livestock species and even with their own house. Mud was the principal material for building poultry house with bamboo and wood, in a very few cases concrete made house was observed. Only 13% of the households provided nest box for hens and option for ventilation in the poultry houses was totally absent. The major feed sources for chickens were household wastages, earthworms, insects, seeds, green leaves and other plant materials through scavenging with little supplementation of broken rice, rice husk, paddy, wheat, maize crust. It was observed that the sources of drinking water for FP are tube-well canal that villagers used for bathing and washing utensils and clothes, pond, drain, sewerage, and any water logging. The degree of vaccination to the FP was very low (6.26%) or negligible. only 4% of the household received service for their poultry from veterinary surgeon. Poultry keepers mostly used bamboo made broom (85%) for cleaning the poultry house, and never used the chemical disinfectant for cleaning the shed. The study also disclose that the poultry keepers have very limited idea about the transmission of diseases from birds to them, the summation of not harmful and no idea comprise more than 85% of the respondents . It clearly indicates that the rural FP rearers are in high chance to be infected with inter-communicable poultry diseases like avian influenza.