Journal of Animal Sciences and Livestock Production Acesso livre

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The Characteristics, Challenges and Prospects of Small Scale Poultry Farming in Developing Countries

Isayas Asefa Kebede*

This paper document is a review on the characteristics, challenges and prospects of small scale poultry farming in developing countries. The term poultry represents bird species that can be domesticated and reared by human for their economic value. The food and agriculture organization of the United Nations has classified poultry production systems into four categories as sector one, two, three and four. In a large number of low income countries, backyard/household production (sector 4) is the largest system of poultry production and a critical source of income and nutrition for poor households. Small scale poultry production has developed in a large number of developing countries around the world as an important source of earning for the rural poor. Poultry production systems of tropical regions are mainly based on the scavenging indigenous chickens found in virtually all villages and households in rural area. Small scale poultry production systems in the form of small, semi or fully scavenging, household flocks, or slightly larger more intensive units have developed in a large number of developing countries around the world as a source of livelihood support for the rural poor people. In spite of the potential benefits of small scale poultry production, a number of challenges and obstacles which are called constraints limiting the success and profitability of both backyard and semi intensive production have been identified, including infectious diseases, low input of veterinary services, poor housing, poor biosecurity, predators and the quality and cost of feed. But constraints associated with inputs such as feed cost, quality and availability, as well as marketing of product, among others, poses a gloomy and uncertain future for the poultry industry. In recent years there has been growing recognition among the development community of the role of small scale commercial poultry production in accelerating the pace of poverty reduction and reaching out to the poorest of the poor.