A survey of rural poultry management in the West Mamprusi District and the Ga Rural District of Ghana

English

Ninety-six households in the Ga Rural District in southern Ghana and 54 in the West Mamprusi District in northern Ghana were interviewed during the survey. Farmers in the south were predominantly females (81.25 %) while farmers in the north were predominantly males (83.3 %). Most respondents were either formally uneducated (46 %) or did not go beyond the 1st cycle schools (78 %). The birds were extensively kept with little financial input into production. Birds scavenged around compounds or farms with occasional feeding of grains or household wastes. Housing (wooden coops or mud pens), if any, was provided only at night. Average stock holding of domestic fowls, the preferred species, was 10 birds per household in the south. The average holding per household of this same bird in the north was much higher (88 birds). Mortality of chicks and adults was a major limitation to growth in numbers. Poultry diseases (especially Newcastle disease) were noted as the major cause of adult mortality. Regular vaccinations against poultry diseases and regular deworming of birds would cause a fairly rapid growth in the rural poultry industry. The formation of co-operatives of local poultry keepers, to promote their interests, would also help.

Dankwa, D.; Nelson, F. S.; Mzamo, K. B.; Oddoye, E. O. K.