5 Reasons Why It Is Important You Reconsider Raising Purebred or Indigenous Chicken Breed
A lot of people prefer to have purebred or indigenous chicken, because of their love for nature and natural things.
In their opinion, purebred and indigenous chickens are more real and natural compared to hybrid chickens that have gone through a lot of research, genetic modification, and crossbreeding.
A pure breed of indigenous chicken is the chickens raised before the 1920s up till the 30s’ prior to the formation of breeding of hybrid chicken, such as Cornish brown, broilers, and egg-laying chicken such as Isa brown, black rock, etc.
Purebred or indigenous chicken are found in almost all parts of the world where they are kept and raised naturally.
A local hen feeding her chicks
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They Can Be Raised In Any Part of the World
Surprisingly each region or part of the world has its own unique type of indigenous chicken that is peculiar and has adapted to that particular environment.
Here in Africa they are kept and raised by the majority of the rural dwellers, in semi-urban areas.
And even in some urban city people still, keep them because of their unique characteristics or hardy nature.
Indigenous chickens in Africa are found in most homes or neighborhoods roaming and scavenger for food freely.
The good thing about these indigenous chickens is that they are not only meant to be raised in rural areas or villages alone.
As a farmer, you can harness, and tapped into the wealth, hardy nature, and uniqueness of these birds.
This unique nature is the more reason why they have been kept and raised by our forefathers.
Purebred and indigenous chickens are the main sources of high-quality meat, and protein back then, they are easy to raise, before the advent of hybrid chicken.
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The following reasons will help you understand the advantages and why it is important that you consider raising pure or indigenous chicken breed:
Purebred or Indigenous Chickens Can Fend For Themselves
In other words, they are self-reliant and can provide for themselves unlike their hybrid counterpart such as Cornish brown or those white broiler chicken, that are kept in big industrial chicken farms, that are raised intensively, they solely depend on their handlers for food, medication, and survival.
As a result, they are kept in a large pen in huge numbers, definitely, they would need some sorts of medications in form of antibiotics, vitamins, and minerals.
In other to be productive, remain healthy, and function properly. But the purebred and indigenous chickens adapt easily to their environment.
Due to their hardy and tough nature, these make them excellent scavengers. These attributes help them derive their feed and nutrients from their natural environment.
Once in a while, you can supplement their feed with grains either in the morning or evening, or both.
They can do just fine as long as they have enough space and a natural environment to roam around to fend for themselves.
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They are dual-purpose birds
Most pure breed or indigenous chickens can serve as dual-purpose birds.
In the sense that they can provide you and your family with a very good source of tasty, tough, and lean meat.
A very good source of protein as well as farm fresh eggs just for the family consumption and fertilize eggs for reproduction as well.
They can also serve as an alternative source of income for the family.
By selling roosters and excess eggs to neighbors. And the wider community particularly if you have them in excess.
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For Show and Educational Purposes
Purebreds and indigenous chickens when taken care of properly, can be used in your farm for educational purposes.
Schools can come and learn about some and indigenous chickens that are rear and near extinction.
Some people have a special dislike for hybrid chickens, to them, they look unreal. Because they are a product of some sort of genetic modification to suit a particular purpose.
Either for meat production or for the sole purpose of just laying eggs.
For this reason, your farm will be a good source of chicken supply for this category of people that have a special affinity for purebred or indigenous chickens.
A silkie bird
One Beautiful Attributes of the Purebred and Indigenous Chickens Is the Fact That They Are Hardy and Tough
As mentioned above pure or indigenous chicken breeds have been known to be hardy and tough.
They have great resistance to common bacterial or viral diseases that often ravage hybrid chickens. Diseases such as Newcastle disease, mareks, bronchitis, etc.
Not that it doesn’t affect indigenous chicken it does affects them but not as much as it affects hybrid chickens.
I remember vividly some years back when I was raising hybrid and indigenous chicken at the same time.
The hybrid chickens do cluster together especially at night if not properly vaccinated.
These provide an opportunity for diseases to spread rapidly within a short period of time.
Keeping both birds in different locations not too far from each other, my hybrid chickens, layers to precise were dying in their numbers.
As a result of an outbreak of a viral disease due to vaccine failure, while in the other farm within the same area were still thriving well with no incidence of any sort.
Apart from the fact that pure breed and indigenous chickens are tough and hardy and have great resistance to diseases.
Purebred and indigenous chickens adapt easily to feed fluctuation or changes in their feed.
Unlike their hybrid counterpart that can easily be affected by the sudden change in feed or the composition of feed ingredients.
Indigenous chicken can adapts easily and will continue to function properly in the face of feed changes.
Since they pick most of their feed i.e. scavenge for their feed which makes them adapt and open to a wide range of different feeds within their reach.
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Purebred and Indigenous chicken have a great tolerance level
Every single individual venturing into farming either on a large scale or small scale, his sole aim and purpose are to maximize or make a profit.
And be able to supply his family with a good source of animal protein and at the same time a source of livelihood.
Purebred or indigenous chickens have been known to provide over 70% of most rural dwellers with a dependable source of animal protein, and side income.
For instance in Nigeria most markets days you would see individual farmers or rural dwellers with their purebred and indigenous chickens coming to the market for sale.
At the close of the market day, they can buy other foodstuffs, and provisions needed by the family.
Indigenous chicken has this great tolerance and desirable character which makes them hardy.
And gives them the ability to tolerate harsh environmental conditions and poor husbandry practices that cannot be tolerated by hybrid chicken.
Purebred or indigenous chickens have the ability to lay eggs longer and also to live longer compared to their hybrid counterparts.
Husbandry practices such as the climate, handling of birds, watering, and feeding without incurring many losses in production compared to their hybrid counterparts, that require a certain level of expertise and a holistic scientific approach to handling and farming.
Conclusion
The importance of purebred or indigenous chicken farming in providing not just rural dwellers with a good source of animal protein but a good source of income to the family.
It has been improving and sustaining most rural communities and the economy of most families all over the world.
With less initial capital investment compared with their hybrid counterparts.
It is hard times big players in the poultry sector start looking in the direction of harnessing the enormous potential in raising purebred or indigenous chickens.
Educating the rural dwellers by introducing better and improved poultry farming methods so as to improve yield and production in order to maximize profits and improve the overall poultry sector world over.
