Assessment of management practices of Tswana chickens at North East District of Botswana

The objective of this study was to document management practices, economic benefits and challenges in indigenous Tswana chicken production in Jackalas No.2, Moroka and Tsamaya villages of North East District of Botswana. Structured questionnaire, oral interviews and field observations were used in collecting data from 50 farmers from the three villages for six successive weeks (i.e., November to December, 2015). All data generated were subjected to descriptive statistics using frequencies, percentages and means. The obtained results showed that 98%of the poultry rearers were females. Ninety-eight percent (98%) of the farmers keep chickens mainly for meat, while two percent (2%) was for egg consumption. Family chicken production was common in the age group of 21 to 50 years. All the farmers in the study area keepTswana chickens on free-range and grains were provided to supplement what they picked from scavenging. Eighty percent of the farmers in Moroka provide enclosure or confinement at night followed by Jackalas No. 2 (70%) and Tsamaya (55%). Diseases and parasites contribute to losses in chicken production and 96% of the rearers used traditional remedies to treat and control diseases with gonde (Aloe sp.) being the most common plant used. In order to increase the benefits of rearing Tswana chickens, the farmers should be trained in general poultry husbandry management and also be encouraged to form associations to assist them in marketing chickens. The obtained results showed that Tswana chickens play an important role in food security at household level of the rural populace.