How I picked the chicken breed to keep

Kienyeji, Kenbro or Kuroiler? How I picked the chicken breed to keep.

Many readers have asked me why I rear Kari
Improved Kienyeji chickens as opposed to any
other indigenous type or exotic breeds.

Well, I must admit similar questions went
through my mind for months before I finally
visited Kenya Agricultural and Livestock
Research Organisation (Kalro) offices in
Naivasha on November 29, 2013 to book 100
day-old chicks.

Kari Kienyeji chicken

To know which breed to rear, I did extensive
research on the various breeds, talked to
farmers and attended seminars. I then settled
on the Kari Kienyeji chicken, and after
making a down payment of 10 per cent, I was
asked to wait for three months for my
delivery.

The period was, however, extended to 11
months due to a backlog of orders.
The good news is that unlike in the past when
farmers who wished to rear poultry for profit
only thought about hybrid breeds, we now
have indigenous breeds to consider.

But what exactly qualifies a chicken to be
labelled Kienyeji?
Can a bird raised under confined conditions,
as opposed to free-range, and fed commercial
feeds like layers mash still be considered
Kienyeji?

For a fact, traditional indigenous chicken
breeds identified in Kenya are heterogenous,
with no standardized characteristics and
performance and include varieties such as
frizzled feathered, naked neck, barred
feathered, feathered shanks, bearded, and
dwarfed, among others.

From my research, I learnt that although
exotic breeds are highly productive in terms
of eggs and meat, they can be fragile, thus,
too costly to manage.

For example, an exotic breed such as Leghorn
lays about 300 eggs in a year, while improved
indigenous breed from Kari produces between
220 and 250 eggs under good management.

Kuroiler chicken lays between 150 and 200
eggs a year. By comparison, indigenous
chicken raised traditionally under free-range
conditions produce about 40 to 100 eggs every
year.

At a seminar I attended in April 2013
conducted by an expert from Kari,
participants were cautioned that although
indigenous chickens are hardy, they are not
miracle birds.

“Indigenous chickens consume less feeds than exotic breeds, are more resistant to diseases and have a ready market. However, they are not miracle breeds and need to be well taken care of and vaccinated for maximum production,” said an expert identified as Dr Nancy, who was answering questions from farmers.

Someone asked the difference between Kari
Improved Kienyeji and Kuroiler and if these
are pure indigenous breeds. Dr Nancy
explained that Kari Improved Kienyeji is a
pure indigenous breed developed by
researchers from Egerton University and
Kalro.

She said that the bird is not a crossbreed of
exotic and indigenous birds.
“Parents were selected from indigenous birds
with good characteristics to ensure the
offspring performs better than previous
generations.”

She cautioned against crossing improved birds
with exotic ones at home since the offspring
would have unpredictable performance.

She noted that the Kuroiler, which originates
from Kegg farms in India and was introduced
in Uganda in 2010, has indigenous traits.

Kuroiler hens mature between two and four
months and weigh up to 3kg. At three
months, they start laying eggs continuously
for two years.

A mature Kuroiler cock can
weigh as much as 4 to 5kg. Kari Improved
Kienyeji cocks weigh 2kg at four-and-a-half
months when the hens also start laying eggs.

I opted for Kari Improved Kienyeji because it
can do well under free-range although I must
admit all my 33 cocks aged five months died
after transferring them from confined
environment to free-range. I suspected fowl
typhoid and coccidiosis due to poor hygiene
conditions.

I must caution you against the notion that
rearing indigenous chickens requires low
start-up capital and they have little
maintenance costs.

For a fact, I spent Sh102,468 to raise the 100
improved Kienyeji chickens in the first six
months from October 17, 2014 to March 4,
2015. On average, feeds (commercial)
accounted for 43 per cent of the total money I
spent. Transport, running costs and labour
accounted for 11, 10 and 10 per cent
respectively.

The cost of buying 100 chicks, utilities and
labour accounted for the remainder 9, 8 and 6
per cent.

In short, it may take sometime to recoup
returns on investment. I started to make some
money in the second year.

Choosing a breed to rear ultimately depends
on your production needs, management (free-
range or intensive), resources and target
market. Consider an indigenous breed if you
plan to free-range.

Also go for indigenous breed if your target market prefers lean meat and yellow yolk eggs. However, unlike exotic broilers that mature in eight weeks, for indigenous breeds, be prepared to wait between 4.5 to six months to sell the meat.

Source: Daily Nation

Like our Facebook page: Greenfarm Organics

Follow us on Twitter: @nicokirui1