Socio-economic Role, Farming System and Performance of vilku, and Naked Neck Chicken in Ampara and Batticaloa District of Sri Lanka

Abstract

A study was formulated to evaluate the socioeconomic role, farming system and performance of village and naked neck chicken in the districts ofAmpara and Battical1/4 in order to develop strategy for breeding, improvement and conservation of they valuable genetic resources. The results of the study revealed that 50% of the farmers rearing village and naked neck chicken were female with the average of 6.2 years experience in farming and most of them were Hindus (43%). The producers Were either crop farmers (25%) or livestock farmers (33%) or fishermen (21%). Eighteen percent of the farm holdings were on integration with crop and livestock. Farming of these chicken genotypes was the secondary income source for most of the households (90%) and most of them (61.2%) were keeping chicken only for home consumption. Semi-intensive system (49%) was predominant and majority (69%) of farms fallen into the small farm category (less than 25 individuals). The predominant reasons for rearing these chicken types were easy management, cost effectiveness and heat tolerance and disease resistance. The body weight of cockerel of village and naked chicken at 7 months age were 2.32±0.21 kg and 2.23±0.16 kg, respectively while the body weights of hen were 1.71±0.09 kg and 1.77±0.07 kg for village chicken and naked neck chicken, respectively. The age at first lay, monthly egg production, egg weight, hatchability, productive period and life time of village chicken and naked neck chicken recorded in the present study were 6.14±0.21 months; 7.91+0.24 months, 16.86±2.34; 18.72±2.64, 46.31±2.11g; 49.76±1.77g, 84.64+4.61%; 90.01±6.24% 21.64±0.21; 22.01±0.38 months, 26.03±0.33 months; 24.97±0.24 months, respectively. From this study it was concluded that the village and naked neck chicken are of little value for commercial production, they will remain valuable as sources of protein and secondary income to the rural household economy in the surveyed areas