ALEWI MISBA, Guteta Alemayehu
A study aimed at enhancing the production and productivity of small-scale family poultry production systems in urban and peri-urban areas through the demonstration and evaluation of a dual-purpose chicken breed was conducted in Shashemene and Kuyera districts. In the study, five households (HHs) were involved, and a two-day training on basic chicken management (health and nutrition) was provided at the household level. Each household received 50 day-old Potchefstroom Koekoek chicks to manage and record weekly body weights (BW) during the entire brooding, growing and laying periods of 72 weeks. The bi-weekly BW of the birds was recorded with the active involvement of each household by taking the group weight and then averaging it. The overall mean daily BW gains were 9.62±0.87 and 13.7±0.28 g during the brooding and growing periods, respectively. There was a difference in the means of the monthly BW and daily BW gain observed between the two sexes during the laying period (the age of 20 to 52 weeks). The mean BW at 52 weeks of age was 2819±29.1 and 2023±29.1 g for males and females, respectively. A mortality rate of 10.4±2.19, 3.10±2.54 and 0.94±1.29% was recorded for the brooding, growing, and laying periods, respectively. In conclusion, the growth performance and adaptation potential of this breed were good and highly accepted by the participants. Key words: Brooding, demonstration, growth, Potchefstroom Koekoek chicken.