Zootechnical and economic analysis of pig farming systems in Casamance (Senegal)

To understand better the zootechnical and economic characteristics of pig farming, a diagnostic study was conducted on 324 pig farms from March to June 2016, in the form of cross-sectional and retrospective surveys in the three regions of Southern Casamance, Senegal. The results showed that pig farming was practiced by both married and educated men and women. They were mainly of the Diola, Mancagne and Balante ethnic groups and combined pig breeding with agriculture, private activity or trade. They operated in three different farming systems (traditional, semi-intensive or intensive), with a marked predominance of the traditional system (85.5% of farms). The latter was characterized by improved traditional hog barns (51.1%) or makeshift sheds (28.4%), where mostly local swine (90.4% of farms) were bred. The average size of the herd was 19.2 ± 20.1 pigs. In 97% of cases, breeders fed the animals from kitchen waste, and agricultural and agro-industrial by-products. The mean age at breeding was 7.6 ± 1.8 months and the mean litter size was 7.4 ± 2.2 piglets. This livestock subsector has a real poverty alleviation potential because it generates net incomes of 5435 to 7566 FCFA per fattened pig per year, depending on the system. Nevertheless, the lack of training of livestock farmers, inadequate pig housing, and feed and health constraints remain the main factors hindering the development of pig farming in the region. It would be useful to find alternative ways to improve housing conditions, feeding and health monitoring of pigs, along with better organization and capacity building of producers and other actors in the pig sector

Goat breeding in West Africa: A review

West Africa, with 37.2% of the total goat herd on this conti­nent, is one of the main breeding basins of this species whose socio-economic role is particularly important. Goats are reared in various agroecological and production systems, but they are mainly present in the most arid areas where they play a key role in subsistence and in agrarian systems. The produc­tion systems are primarily traditional (pastoral, agropastoral and sedentary) and secondarily periurban. The productivity of goat farms is low. Age at first kidding is on average 15.3 months for a kidding interval of 295.8 days and a prolificacy of 1.46. The latter is however higher in the dwarf goat where it can reach 1.85. Preweaning mortality is very high and repre­sents the main constraint for goat production in West Africa. It is caused by lung diseases, mainly peste des petits ruminants, and by gastrointestinal parasites. The growth rate is also low with an average body weight at 12 months of age not exceed­ing 20 kg, except in rare genetic types. To improve goat breed­ing productivity, it is suggested: i) to reduce the preweaning mortality rate by focusing in particular on the control of gas­trointestinal parasites, ii) to set up a strategic supplementation based on the optimum ruminal use of fibrous feed, and iii) to develop genetic improvement programs involving community management in an enhanced social and professional context

Improvement of chick survival and zootechnical performance of the local hen in a village environment in Senegal

A one-year longitudinal survey was carried out in 45 poultry farms in Salemata Department (Senegal) to assess two management methods of the mother-chick couple, with the aim to improve the productivity of family poultry farming. At hatching, the hens belonging to treatment A (HTA) were partially reared in confinement (they were removed from the brooder pen after two weeks, whereas the chicks were kept there for up to four weeks of age). In contrast, hens in treatment B (HTB) were kept free range. The results showed that the zootechnical performance of HTAs had improved. The duration of the reproductive cycle was reduced from 113.5 to 62.2 days. As a result, the number of breeding cycles increased from 3.4 to 5.6 per year and the annual egg production from 35.3 to 57.6. The rapid return of HTAs to egg laying did not affect the number of eggs laid per brood (10.3 compared to 10.2) and the hatching rate (82.4% compared to 79.5%). The weight growth of chicks from both hen types has been influenced by the breeding type, genotype and sex. The weight of crossbred chicks was higher than that of the local chick except at hatching. After the first month, the weight of male chicks (crossbred or local) was still higher than that of female chicks. The average daily weight gain of HTA chicks has always been higher than that of HTB chicks and has been highest between the 13th and 24th week of age. Chick survival was improved by 41.2%, and the most frequent causes of mortality were predators (raptors, cats). This study showed that the farming type where hens and their chicks are semiconfined optimized poultry productivity

Indigenous chickens breeding in Senegal and in sub-Saharan Africa: current status and constraints.

peer reviewedThis review focuses on the place and the roles (socio-economic, cultural, religious, nutritional, family farming) of indigenous or village chickens in poverty alleviation and food security for people in African rural areas. It describes the characteristics of the different breeding systems (extensive and improved) and the chicken feeding practices observed in this livestock sector. After having reviewed the existing phenotypic varieties in the African indigenous chickens population, and the reproductive traits and growth performance of these birds in Senegal and others countries of Africa, the overview discuss and highlights the majors constraints (housing, high mortality, avian diseases, predators, shortage and irregularity of feed supply, microcredit…) that still hinder the traditional poultry development in Senegal and in sub-Saharan Africa