Comparing use of ethno veterinary products among rural and periurban chicken farmers in Katulani District, Kenya

Abstract

A survey was carried out to determine use of ethno veterinary products among chicken farmers in Katulani District, Kenya. Data was collected through observations, photography and structured questionnaires administered to 110 chicken farmers in rural and per i urban sites to allow for comparison. Data on household demographics, diseases occurrence, whether medicines were administered, choice & type of medicinal products used and factors influencing the choice were captured. There was a significant positive cor relation p =0.01, r=0.524 between household size and mean flock size. There were more female headed households rearing chicken, however male headed households reared larger flock sizes in both sites. Those in formal employment kept larger flock sizes than t he unemployed. It was found that use of medicines in management of chicken diseases was common where about 98.6% and 90% of chicken farmers in rural and periurban areas respectively used medication on their flocks. Majority (80%) of rural farmers used trad itional products while 57.5% peri urban farmers used conventional medicines. The main traditional medicinal products used were Aloe vera , neem tree, pepper and goat milk. Healing ability, availability of drugs, cultural practices and cost of drugs were the main factors guiding choice of drugs used. It was concluded that ethno veterinary medicine and practice is common in the study area, openly practiced, and was reported to successfully manage diseases. More research needs to be conducted on chemical compos ition, efficacy, dosage and side effects on key medicinal products used in the area.