SCAVENGING AND SMALL-SCALE INTENSIVE CHICKEN PRODUCTION PRACTICES, EGG QUALITY ANALYSIS, AND MARKETING SYSTEM IN AND AROUND JIGJIGA CITY

Abstract

The study was conducted to assess and evaluate production practices, marketing systems, and egg quality traits of small-scale intensive and backyard chicken production in and around Jigjiga city. The study was thus composed of a survey and egg quality examination of local and exotic chickens reared under an intensive and scavenging production system. Hence, 160 households under the backyard system with four strata and 10 from the small-scale intensive system were involved in the survey. SAS and JMP pro version (9.4) were statistical software tools used to analyze the data and the chi-square test was used to analyze the categorical variables while ANOVA was used to analyze continuous variables. The results indicated that the majority of respondents in the study area were male in the 1 st and 4th strata and in all strata their ages fall between 41 and 50 while their educational attainment is predominantly low among respondents, with many being illiterate or having only primary education. In terms of chicken production practices the first strata represent 30% of households that still rely on traditional scavenging while 47.5%, 70%, and 72.5 respectively in 2nd, 3rd, and 4th strata shows semi-scavenging systems. The housing conditions and practices for chicken rearing across four strata, which significantly different across the strata (χ2-test= 4.740, P<0.05) based on the number of chickens kept by each household. Results show a significant difference in egg production per year/hen across the four strata, with the fourth strata producing the highest average of 54.90±1.02 eggs per hen per year, while the third strata produced the lowest, at 49.12 ±1.29 eggs per hen (p = 0.001). The correlation relationships between various external egg quality traits for exotic and indigenous chickens reveal distinct patterns. In exotic chickens egg weight is significantly correlated with shell weight (r = 0.4428, p < .0001) and egg width (r = 0.3063, p = .0057), indicating that heavier eggs tend to have heavier shells and greater width. On the other hand, for Indigenous chickens, egg weight shows very strong correlations with both egg length (r = 0.8735, p < .0001) and width (r = 0.5896, p < .0001), suggesting that heavier eggs tend to be longer and wider. Indigenous chickens showed significantly (P<0.05) lower mean values in egg weight (42.450±0.25) and shell weight (3.625±0.062) compared to exotic breeds, which exhibited 68 higher values (61.837a±0.23 for egg weight and 6.151±0.066 for shell weight), indicating breed effects as a key determinant in these traits. Exotic breeds showed a higher mean albumin height (5.665±0.154 mm) compared to Indigenous breeds (4.856±0.154 mm), with the breed (B) showing a significant effect (p=0.000), indicating that genetic factors influence albu min height. Production type (P) and interaction effects (B x P) were non-significant (p=0.255, p=0.708), suggesting that albumin height remains relatively stable across intensive and backyard systems within each breed. The study's holistic approach provides valuable guidance for policymakers and development practitioners seeking to strengthen the poultry industry. Promoting controlled breeding programs, improving disease management, and leveraging gendersensitive extension services crucial to develop the poultry industry in the study area. By addressing the multifaceted challenges facing chicken producers, this research paves the way for a more resilient and equitable poultry value chain in Jigjiga and beyond.