Availability of Pickable Residual Feed Base for indigenous chickens (Gallus gallus domesticus) in a rural village in Madagascar
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.70851/jfines.2026.3(2).145.157Keywords:
Indigenous chickens, scavenging system, Pickable Residual Feed Base, Eleusine indicaAbstract
Village poultry production in Madagascar relies on free-range rearing of indigenous chickens (Gallus gallus domesticus), which feed mainly on the Pickable Residual Feed Base (PRFB) consisting of household waste and natural resources. This low-input feeding system is particularly limiting during the dry season. This study assessed PRFB availability by combining household waste quantification, crop content analysis, and chicken performance monitoring in a rural village of the Analamanga region. PRFB was estimated using two waste-based methods (443.2 g per family flock and 47.2 g per chicken per day on average) and one productivity-based method indicating a theoretical annual metabolizable energy requirement of 282.3 kg per family flock.
As a result, the average daily gain varies from 4.1 g/day during harvest to 2.8 g/day during dry periods, and the protein content of crop residues varies from 11.5% DM to 6.2% DM. Finally, the study also identified pigeon grass seeds (Eleusine indica), locally known as “Tsipipihana”, as an important unconventional feed resource exploited by scavenging chickens.References
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Copyright (c) 2026 Njivaniaina Andriakiady Ranaivoarimanana, Olga Rachel Rakotomanana, Olivier Fridolin Maminiaina, Auldine Rasoanomenjanahary (Author)
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