Abstract:
This is a short review of the studies made on the scavenging local chicken (SLC) in Tanzania.
According to recent estimates, there are approximately 28 million poultry in Tanzania and of
these, 27 million are chickens, mainly scavenging local chickens (93.3%) and relatively few
commercial broilers and layers (6.7%). The other poultry are Ducks and geese (743,500),
turkeys (63,400) and Guinea fowl (38,000). Poultry are kept by about 2.5 million households
out of 3.7 million agricultural households, compared to 1.0 million households which keep
cattle. This large potential of the rural chicken is yet to be fully tapped. The main
constraints to realising the potential are poor husbandry, low genetic potential and disease
and, of the diseases, Newcastle disease has been singled out to be the most important. Due to
those factors, the productivity indices are low and the off take rate is also low. Thus the
average egg production per hen per year is about 70 whereas the average adult weight of
hens is 1.54kg and for cocks is 1.85kg. However recent studies have revealed that the
scavenging local chickens (SLC) differ phenotypically and that so far five ecotypes have been
identified in Tanzania, namely Kuchi (originating from Mwanza), Singamagazi (Tabora),
Mbeya (Mbeya), Morogoro medium (Morogoro), Ching’wekwe or Morogoro Short
(Morogoro). The ecotypes differ in their productivity indeces. The average adult body
weights of cocks and hens of the ecotypes are 2.71kg and 1.83; 2.92 kg and 2.02 kg; 1.62 kg
and 1.40 kg, 1.85 and 1.11 kg, 2.10 kg and 1.44 kg respectively. It is suggested that the
economic and nutritional potential of the SLC can be fully realised if husbandry is improved,
selective breeding is practised and diseases control through vaccination of especially
Newcastle disease is regularly conducted. It is estimated that the chicken industry is worth
40.5 billion shillings or about US dollars 50.6 million and that with the ideal off-take rate,
the industry can generate over 155.1 billion shillings or US dollars 193.9 million through the
sale of about 103.4 million surplus growers alone. The way forward is proposed.
