Effects of Local Feedstuff Supplementation on Zootechnic Performances and Nutritional Status of Village Chickens during the End of the Rainy Season in Burkina Faso

Abstract

The effect of local feedstuff supplementation during the end of the rainy season, from September to October, on performances of village chicken cockerels was investigated using four treatments (T1 to T4) and four blocks. In T1, birds were allowed to find their daily ration by scavenging only. In T2, T3 and T4, birds received after scavenging supplementation with red sorghum seeds, artisanal sorghum beer by-products or the combination of both, respectively. Four household compounds, in a village in the central region of Burkina Faso, were assigned as blocks. The results suggested that during the end of the rainy season, scavenging enabled an average weight gain of 5.9 g/d in the cockerels. No clear effect of supplementation on performances was observed. When scavenging feedstuffs were available, the local beer byproduct or the association red sorghum/artisanal beer by-product gave higher body weight gains. At the end of the experiment, three to four birds per treatment and per block were slaughtered after scavenging, and crop contents were sun-dried and examined physically. The major components of scavenging feedstuffs during the period of the study were cereals (55%), and worms or insects (22%). This study provides some indications for strategic feeding of village chickens during the end of the rainy season.