PRODUCTION SYSTEMS

Poultry production is characterised by small scavenging flocks of local birds kept by

individual households and is concentrated in the temperate zones at 1500-3000 m

altitude. Product output is achieved from a feed resource which is unsuitable for

human consumption (FAO, 2004) but inputs are low and housing, nutrition and health

care are poor. Women own a large proportion of the birds and cash income is usually

kept by them (Dessie and Ogle, 2001).

There are few farms in the commercial subsector. They have varying flock sizes. In

addition to truly commercial enterprises, agricultural training centres, military camps, the

Universities and Colleges of Agriculture, children's villages, women's organizations, the

former Peasant Associations and the state owned Poultry Development and Animal Feed

Processing Enterprise are considered commercial or semi-commercial. The main unit of

the last at Shola on the outskirts of Addis Ababa - never very efficient or effective - is

now defunct. The preferred breed for genetic improvement is the Rhode Island Red,

although in the past White Leghorn, Brown Leghorn, New Hampshire, Light Sussex and

Barred Rock were evaluated for egg production (DZARC, 1984). There is also a third

and possibly increasing category of ‘small scale’ intensive systems with flocks of 50-500

birds in urban and peri-urban areas that uses mainly exotic birds and has somewhat better

feeding, housing and health care (Alemu and Tadelle, 1997). The leading commercial

producer runs a vertically integrated operation at Debre Zeit some 50 km from the capital

Addis Ababa. It maintains a modern hatchery to supply its own operations (and to

farmers on demand), has efficient broiler and layer facilities, compounds its own

feeds and slaughters and dresses birds in its own abattoir whence they are marketed

throughout the country and beyond.