Local Family Poultry Production System and the Main Constraints to Its Sustainable Development in the Ouaddaï Province in Eastern Chad

The objective of this study is to characterize the family poultry production system and to identify certain management constraints that could undermine farm operations and hinder their sustainable development in the Ouaddaï Province of eastern Chad. Random and retrospective cross-sectional surveys conducted in 40 family farms. Socioeconomic characteristics revealed farms managed equally by men and women (50% each), with 92.5% of the farms managed by married parents. Family poultry farming is a secondary activity, a form of adaptation, as the farmers were originally engaged in agriculture and gardening (31.9%) and the condiment trade (22.8%). These poultry farmers provided rudimentary sheds made of straw and wood (31.9%) and banco (22.8%). Investments in chicken housing are very low (4.5%). In 50% of farms, free-range chickens receive a handful of millet or red sorghum, millet bran and about a third of a liter of water as a supplement to their feed. According to the poultry farmers surveyed, diseases (58.3%), animal and theft (37%), and feed costs (4.7%) appear to be the main constraints faced by producers, leading to mortality. 90% of family farms impacted by the lack of chicken vaccination practices. 52.5% of poultry farmers have resorted to using traditional medicine and local ethno-veterinary knowledge. Furthermore, 53.4% of sales were of chickens at a unit price of 2,809 FCFA, and 46.6% of egg sales at 125 FCFA. 20% of the chickens and 14% of the eggs are intended for family consumption. Whatever, family poultry farming faces several constraints, yet most poultry-farming families report being satisfied with their net monthly profit margins of 15,350 FCFA. This indicates that local chicken production plays a significant socioeconomic role. It is therefore undeniable that improvements in management and health systems could help improve performance and revenue for the development of sustainable family poultry farming in this Sahelian Province of Chad.