Phenotypic Characterization According to The Feather Color of Indigenous Muscovy Ducks Bred in The Back Yard in Brazzaville, The Congo

Abstract.  In Congo, waterfowl genetic resources are constituted by native population of Muscovy ducks that play an important role in food security. The present study aimed to identify and to characterize strains bred in the back yard in the households in Brazzaville. A sample of 154 households drawn over seven districts of Brazzaville was enrolled in the survey. Adults ducks found in the households were identified, pictured by a key of determination and then compared by using the multi resolution analysis image method. The survey recorded 13 strains in which four were considered as newly since they have never been reported elsewhere. These strains received temporally the name of the districts where they have been identified for the first time Makelékélé 1 (0.34%, n=6), Makélékélé 2 (0.11%, n =2), Poto poto 1  (0.28%, n=5) and in Poto poto 2 (0.11%, n=2). Finally, the survey reported nine classical  strains such as  black plumage, duclair, white, tortora, sepia, chocolate, lavender, grey and canizie. The apparent wide variation in plumage colors is an indication that the duck populations have not been ‘purified’ through selective breeding. In the context of the valorization of poultry biodiversity, this work represents a step toward a better knowledge of the production abilities of local ducks breeds in Congo. Key words: Muscovy ducks, color feather, strains, Congo. Abstrak.  Sumber daya genetik unggas air di Kongo mencakup populasi itik lokal yang memegang peranan penting dalam ketahanan pangan. Penelitian ini bertujuan mengidentifikasi dan menggolongkan jenis itik yang dipelihara di pekarangan rumah di Brazzaville. Sampel penelitian menggunakan 154 responden rumah tangga yang tersebar di 7 wilayah Brazzaville. Itik dewasa diidentifikasi dari pekarangan, dan dibandingkan dengan metode Analisis Multi Resolusi. Survey mencatat 13 jenis peranakan, 4 diantaranya dianggap baru karena belum pernah dilaporkan di studi manapun. Jenis ini sementara dinamai sesuai distrik tempatnya pertama ditemukan, yaitu Makelékélé 1 (0,34%, n=6), Makélékélé 2 (0,11%, n =2), Poto poto 1  (0,28%, n=5) dan di Poto poto 2 (0,11%, n=2). Berdasarkan survei didapatkan sembilan jenis klasik yaitu bulu hitam, duclair, putih, tortora, sepia, coklat, lavender, abu-abu dan canizie. Banyaknya ragam warna bulu adalah indikasi bahwa populasi itik belum “dimurnikan” melalui seleksi. Dalam konteks penetapan nilai keanekaragaman hayati unggas, penelitian ini mewakili sebuah langkah menuju pengetahuan yang mendalam akan kemampuan produksi itik yang berkembang di Kongo. Kata kunci: itik Muscovy, warna bulu, strain, Kong

Phenotypic Characterization According to the Feather Color of Indigenous Muscovy Ducks Bred in the Back Yard in Brazzaville, the Congo

. In Congo, waterfowl genetic resources are constituted by native population of Muscovy ducks that play an important role in food security. The present study aimed to identify and to characterize strains bred in the back yard in the households in Brazzaville. A sample of 154 households drawn over seven districts of Brazzaville was enrolled in the survey. Adults ducks found in the households were identified, pictured by a key of determination and then compared by using the multi resolution analysis image method. The survey recorded 13 strains in which four were considered as newly since they have never been reported elsewhere. These strains received temporally the name of the districts where they have been identified for the first time Makelékélé 1 (0.34%, n=6), Makélékélé 2 (0.11%, n =2), Poto poto 1 (0.28%, n=5) and in Poto poto 2 (0.11%, n=2). Finally, the survey reported nine classical strains such as black plumage, duclair, white, tortora, sepia, chocolate, lavender, grey and canizie. The apparent wide variation in plumage colors is an indication that the duck populations have not been ‘purified' through selective breeding. In the context of the valorization of poultry biodiversity, this work represents a step toward a better knowledge of the production abilities of local ducks breeds in Congo

Caractéristiques fermentaires, ingestion volontaire et digestibilité de l’ensilage de Pennisetum King Grass chez le mouton djallonké

A study was carried out on fermentable properties, voluntary intake and digestibility of Pennisetum King Grass silage fed to djallonke sheep. The silage had a pH of 3.8 and the main fermentation end products was 2.8% of total-N for the ammonia nitrogen (N-NH3), 19.6 g/Kg DM of acetic acid and 22.0 g/Kg DM of ethanol. Dried matter intake was 60.42gDM/Kg0.75 per day and digestibility showed no significant differences for dried matter (DM), organic matter (OM), crude fiber (CF) and ether extract (EE). Digestibility was significantly lower (

Agriculture urbaine et subsistance des ménages dans une zone de post-conflit en Afrique centrale

Urban agriculture and household subsistence in a post-confl ict zone in Central Africa. This study presents an analysis of the technical and socio-economic specifi cities of urban agriculture in a post confl ict region in Central Africa, based on a survey in Brazzaville (Congo) in 2002. Hereby 710 households have been randomly selected from a previous survey data base containing 2 800 urban households. About one third of the Brazzaville households are involved in urban agriculture with 29.5% households reporting crop production activities and 8.8% animal production activities. Within animal production, aviculture activities are dominant. Gardening and vegetable production play also an important role. The confl ict situation of 1997 affected negatively urban agricultural production in particular the animal production. Although, urban agriculture is present among different social and professional categories, there is a clear dominance of subsistence and poor households, especially those already active in agriculture before. In contrast to crop production, mainly practised for subsistence reasons, the motivation for animal production is driven more by the income than by the own consumption possibilities. The results also indicate that assuring a sustainable and equitable urban development is possible by a good balance between those practising urban agriculture and those not. This requires the limitation of the negative effects (odour and other nuisances) but also the removal of certain constraints limiting the productivity of urban farming, most importantly the provision of inputs, the theft of animals and soil degradation

Impact of armed conflicts on urban livestock production in Brazzaville, Republic of Congo

Livestock production, including small ruminant keeping, constitutes an important component of urban agriculture throughout the world Armed conflicts may influence agriculture and livestock production in particular, but the specific impact of armed conflicts on urban livestock production is not well documented for Africa This paper analyses that impact on urban livestock keeping in Brazzaville, capital of the Republic of Congo Brazzaville has experienced a series of armed conflicts since 1993, the most dramatic event in 1997 was a serious threat for the population and the livestock keepers Two surveys, one before the war (1993) and one after the war (2002), indicate that the conflict had a negative impact on livestock keeping, as most livestock keepers lost their animals Financial resources were an important factor in rebuilding the flock after 1997 Further factors related to restarting livestock activities were past experience in livestock raising, location, being the owner of the plot, and possessing Congolese nationalit

Classification trees versus multinomial models in the analysis of urban farming systems in Central Africa

This study was aimed at the identification of location and household characteristics influencing the choice of keeping livestock or practising crop production in a post-conflict region in Central Africa. Two thousand eight hundred randomly selected families from Brazzaville (Congo) were surveyed. From these, 6% are both keeping livestock and producing crops, 3% are keeping livestock only, 24% are producing crops only and 67% are not producing crops nor keeping livestock. From these four groups, respectively, 135, 84, 246 and 245 households were interviewed to collect further data on household and location characteristics. Non-parametric and parametric techniques were compared as tools to analyse the groups. In the non-parametric classification tree method CART following variables were identified as being important for the engagement in keeping livestock or urban agriculture: keeping livestock before 1997, practising agriculture before 1997, property size, locality, income, availability of water, professional activity and level of instruction. Including surrogate variables resulted in extra variables: age, availability of electricity and sex. In the multinomial regression only the most important variables from the classification tree were withheld and other insights were obtained. The results of this research highlighted the shortcomings of multinomial regression. Fitting a full model containing all possible interactions becomes an impossible task with 20 explanatory variables. Using the classification tree information in a multinomial model appears the most appropriate solution, and this method is a useful tool for further work in the analysis of livestock and crop production systems. The importance of the historical component in the decision to practise crop production and keep livestock was demonstrated. Being involved in crop production develops roots, which cannot be destroyed by impediments such as periods of conflict. (C) 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved