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Characteristics of indigenous chickens of Malawi

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 August 2011

A. C. L. Safalaoh
A. C. L. Safalaoh
Affiliation:
Department of Animal and Wildlife Sciences, University of Pretoria, 0002 Pretoria, Republic of South Africa
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Summary

Indigenous chickens (1C) are the commonest type of chickens raised in Malawi, especially in the rural areas. The management system is primarily of the free range type which is characterised by lack of supplementary feeding, minimal housing and little or no animal health services. This in turn results in low bird production in terms of egg and meat production when compared to modern breeds. Cross breeding the 1C with improved breeds such as the Black Australorp is one avenue through which productivity of the indigenous chickens may be improved. The advantages of the indigenous Malawi chicken and issues for their conservation and genetic improvement are discussed.

Resumen

Los pollos autóctonos (1C) pertenecen al tipo de pollo más común que se cría en Malawi, sobre todo en las zonas rurales. El sistema de gestión principal se basa en la cría libre, sistema caracterizado por la falta de alimentación complementaria, un mínimo bajo cubierta y la poca o ninguna asistencia sanitaria. Todo esto tiene como resultado un bajo rendimiento en términos de huevos y producción de carne, en comparación con las razas modernas. El cruzamiento de IC con razas mejoradas, tales como la Black Australorp, sería un modo de aumentar la productividad de los pollos indígenas. Se presentan en el artículo las ventajas de la raza indígena de pollo Malawi y las posibilidades existentes para su conservación y mejora genética.

Keywords

Management systemBreedingImprovement programmePoultry diseases and healthConservation
Type
Research Articles
Information
Animal Genetic Resources/Resources génétiques animales/Recursos genéticos animales , Volume 22 , April 1997 , pp. 61 - 69
Copyright
Copyright © Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations 1997

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