Abstract

A 2 x 2 factorial study was conducted to assess the effect of season and farming system on the quantity and nutritional quality of scavengeable feed resources and the performance of village poultry in central Tanzania. A total of 648 scavenging chickens purchased from farmers were slaughtered and the crop contents were subjected to physical and chemical analysis. The mean fresh weights of the crop contents were higher (P<0.05) in the dry season (34.5 g) than in the rainy season (28.4 g) and there were no significant differences between the farming systems. Visual observations of the crop contents revealed that kitchen/brew wastes, sand and grit, oil seeds and cakes, cereal bran, cereal grains, and other feed materials were the main physical components and varied (P<0.05) with seasons and farming systems. The overall chemical compositions (% dry matter) of the crop contents showed that crude protein (9.24), ash (21.6), magnesium (0.22), nitrogen free extract (58.8) and metabolizable (11.5 MJ/kgDM^-1) contents varied (P<0.05) with seasons and farming systems. The mean live body weights at slaughter of chickens were higher (P<0.05) in the dry season (1238 g) than in the rainy season (890 g). The study showed that quantity and nutritional quality of scavengeable feed resources varied considerably between the seasons and farming systems; and the nutrient contents were below the birds’ requirements for high productivity.

Key words: Season, farming system, scavengeable feed resources, village poultry, crop contents, chemical composition, Central Tanzania.