Meat Production from Indigenous, Crossbred and Imported Poultry in Uganda

Abstract

Nine hundred cockerels of indigenous, Light Sussex X indigenous, Rhode Island Red X indigenous, Black Australorp X indigenous, White Leghorn X indigenous and three pure imported breeds were reared from day old to 5 months of age, and growth rates, food consumption, feed conversion, killing out percentages and costs of production measured at the 6 week and 20 week stages. The imported breeds gave the best results throughout, the Light Sussex X indigenous and Rhode Island Red X indigenous were superior to the indigenous, and the Black Australorp X indigeoous and White Leghorn X indigenouswere inferior to the indigenous. The production of meat from imported, Light Sussex X indigenous and Rhode Island Red X indigenous cockerels at 16 and 20 weeks of age was a profitable undertaking, but it was not possible to avoid incurring a loss in the rearing of indigenous, Black Australorp X indigenous and White Leghorn X indigenous birds.