Status of chicken consumption and marketing among the Maasai of Kajiado District, Kenya

Abstract

A survey was carried out in Mashuru and Loitoktok divisions of Kajiado District in 2004 to establish the status of chicken consumption and marketing. A total of 242 households were interviewed using a semi-structured questionnaire. Simultaneously, a one- off parallel market survey was done in four markets to establish the status of chicken marketing. The survey established that 56.5% of the respondents kept chicken and chicken production was a domain of women with 71.7% and 11.9% of women and men respectively owning birds at household level. Chicken were kept mainly for income from the sale of eggs and live birds with live birds considered more important and all the respondents kept indigenous birds under free ranging with average flock sizes of 12 and 4 birds per household in Mashuru and Loitoktok division. About 84.0% and 70% of respondents in Mashuru and Loitoktok divisions respectively treated their birds using herbal and conventional (for large livestock) drugs. About 87.7% and 85.1% of all the respondents in the district ate eggs and chicken meat respectively. The young (<19yrs) and the youth (20-39yr) constituted 76.0% and 74.3% respectively of those who eat eggs and chicken. Chicken were sold in markets but there were no designated poultry market in all the three centers and the supply did not meet the demand. Mean buying price of Ksh.184 ± 29.6 for large cock Ksh. 87.5 ± 17.7 for small hen was lower than the selling price of Ksh. 228 ± 42 for large cock and Ksh 99.2 ± 57.3 for small hen. Diseases, pests and lack of management skills were the main constraints to chicken production. The need to build the capacity of the community in chicken production disease control and general management in addition to setting up a market infrastructure in the district was recommended.