Current status and intervention of South Africa chicken production - A review

Poultry production has gained in importance in South Africa due to its acceptability, consumption and demand across the nation. Poultry products are a major source of protein and an important means of income. This review paper assesses the current status, constraints and intervention of indigenous chickens. Since the inception of the South Africa Poultry Association (SAPA) in the early 1900s, indigenous chicken breeds have taken a significant role in meeting nutritional and economical needs of consumers and poultry farmers. Several studies have shown that indigenous chicken breeds have been widely embraced for breeding programmes with a high survival rate across the country. Indigenous chicken weight at maturity ranges from 2.5 to 3.5 kg depending on breed and these breeds possess different productive traits capacity. In recent years, use of indigenous chicken breeds has advanced from backyard practices to commercial operations. Studies have shown that the genetic capacity of indigenous chicken breeds varies. Naked Neck breed and Potchefstroom Kooekok had 65% and 31.4% level of heterozygosity, respectively, using mitochondrial DNA and microsatellite tools. Nevertheless, indigenous poultry are still confronted with some challenges such as unavailability of quality feed ingredients, ineffective marketing strategies, insufficient supply of quality water, disease occurrence and mortality among others. Suggested solutions to these challenges are development of policy that favours the poultry industry and farmers, well-structured supply of feed ingredients, proper housing and intervention of the SAPA.