Feeding Systems in Urban and Peri-urban Poultry Farming in Maradi (Niger)

Abstract

The study’s goal was to examine family poultry feeding practices in Maradi’s urban (UA) and Peri-urban (PU) areas. In each zone, a total of 50 households were surveyed. The flocks were mostly made up of hardy breeds, with an average of 12.3±8.4 in the UA and 9.1±7.6 in the PA. The feeding formulas were primarily composed of millet (70.4 percent in UA, 69.2% in PA), followed by maize and sorghum. Millet bran is the most commonly used feedstuff, accounting for 74.1% in UA and 65.4% in PA, followed by maize bran and wheat bran. The amount of feed distributed per chicken was 221.38184.30g (p = 0.017), which was higher in the UA than in the PA. Furthermore, nutritional intake fell far short of meeting the physiological needs of the animals in all zones. The average cost per animal of standard feed formulas in UA was higher, ranging from 36.10 to 46.80 FCFA/animal/day, compared to 11.45 to 13.55 FCFA in PA. The study demonstrates that, despite a clearer trend toward marketing in the PA, we are still dealing with farms with relatively small numbers of animals and a low-cost monitoring system, which has an impact on productivity.