Demand for indigenous chicken up due to increased production

The demand for improved indigenous (kienyenji) Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organisation chicken has increased rapidly over the last three years.

Evans Ilatsia, director Dairy Research Institute in Kalro Naivasha, attributed the increased demand to the production capability, the birds can feed well in the free range system and they produce bigger eggs than the layers available in the market. 

Another advantage is the birds can produce about 280 eggs in a laying period as compared to the unimproved local breeds which can give maybe 80 or so eggs.

Ilatsia said three years ago, the centre could only produce as much as a maximum of 150,000 day old chicks but the demand has grown over the last three years.

“The latest statistics show we have increased our capacity and we are now able to supply over one million of the improved indigenous chicks to various counties in Kenya," he said.

"We are projecting the demand for the indigenous chicken to be three million, yet our capacity is only one million. Hence why we are expanding the capacity to meet the two million demand and we want the private sector to come in and multiply at the local level,” he said, adding that the institute is planning to expand infrastructure at the Coast and Western region.

Ilatsia said the indigenous chicken has now become a transboundary technology, and farmers in Uganda, Tanzania, Somalia, all the way up to Namibia are ordering chicks from here. He said so far, Kalro improved indigenous chicken have gone to all counties except in Mombasa which has not benefitted.

The Dairy Research Institute in Kalro Naivasha is well known for the indigenous (kienyenji) chicken.

Ilatsia said one of the major impact of climate change is extended drought and restocking in the dry areas is easier with chicken than with cattle.

“In the dry areas like Turkana and Marsabit, they come to buy indigenous chicken here. The vulnerable groups like women and children who might need immediate intervention in case of drought. This improved chicken quickly improves the livelihoods of the communities especially after an extended one like this.

Ochieng Ouko, who works in the Poultry Unit at the Kalro Dairy Research Institute, said their major work is to produce and do research on chicken for dissemination in different parts of the country.

“We do not only deal with producing chicken breeds but also in making technologies, innovations and management practices, which we disseminate to smallholder farmers.

The brooding facility has about 7,000 chicks that are one-week old and in four weeks’, they will be transported to Uasin Gishu county, but so far the whole farm has about 40,000 chicks. He said clients give their orders early and payment is done in advance.

The prices of the various products in the farm are decided by a board of management, and they are subsidised because this is a government institution.

Ouko said a day-old chick sells at Sh100, a month-old chick goes for around Sh250. A six-month cock which is sold for breeding purposes goes for Sh1,200.

“We also sell mature hens that are out of the economic-laying cycle at Sh500 and cocks at Sh700. We take recognition that when we sell hens at Sh500, we will have gotten enough eggs out of them and this will have translated to chicks,” Ouko said.  

He said the institute also has programs on chicken improvement that focus on egg and quality meat production to support the livelihoods of smallholder farmers.

Ilatsia said they are focusing on trying to increase productivity within a given unit area.

“We are keen on improvement in eggs production so that instead of a farmer relying mostly on traditional scavenging system, you can have a bird which can still feed in the scavenging conditions but with increased production.

"They are able to adapt quickly to those particular environments where feeds and disease challenge prevail,” he said.     

The director said the improved kienyeji chicken is a programme that was started to look at the ecotypes that are there in the country and combining that with characteristics that can increase productivity.

“We are talking of a bird that can give you on average 280 eggs in a laying period as compared to the unimproved local breeds which can give maybe 80 or so eggs. 

“If you have a bird that will give you 2.5kg live weight at 16 or 18 weeks, that is very impressive. This is compared to the unimproved birds that will hardly reach 1.8kg within the same period.

"We are focusing on increasing productivity within the same unit area and this is another pillar of climate agriculture. This way, a farmer can keep few birds and still attain your productivity goals. These birds are gaining popularity even in the dry areas,” he said.