Family poultry production to combat poverty Case study of villages in ...

Partnership in Development Research
Research Briefs No. 43
Family poultry production to combat poverty
Case study of villages in Menoufia governorate
By: Dr. Yousri Abdel Mawla
Introduction and research problem:
Poverty ranks among the main problems facing Egyptian rural areas. The Human
Development Report indicated that 58% of the poor in Egypt live in the rural areas
where poverty is a multi-dimensional problem given the limited share of
individuals in agricultural land, limited investments in the agricultural sector in
addition to the poor wages in agriculture. The intensity of poverty also increases
with the continuous changes in the styles of life and work habits in the Egyptian
rural areas.
Concern with poverty emanates from concern with human development. Building
human capacities and providing individuals with the opportunities to use their
potentials through material investments, is one of the ways to reduce poverty and
enable people to control their lives. Among the main material and human assets in
the rural areas are the poultry-related activities because poultry is easy to look after
and require little capital. Thus, the aim of this study is raise awareness about
poultry projects and ways to develop them through technical assistance and
marketing as a solution to the problem of limited income.
Objectives:
Home-poultry projects contribute to increasing the income of rural families. Rural
women in particular play a major role in raising and marketing poultry. Thus, this
study discusses the poultry production system in some villages in Menoufia
governorate. The objectives can be summarized as follows:
-Determine the skills and knowledge of housewives concerning different aspects of
poultry production.
-Identify the main sources of housewives’ knowledge about poultry
-Determine rural house wives’ knowledge of the services offered by the
Agricultural Extension department in the area of poultry production and the types
of services offered.

Research Briefs No. 43
-Identify the technical aspects of poultry production through identifying the opinions of different
categories of stakeholders participating in this industry.
-Determine the obstacles of disseminating and developing poultry production from the perspective of
the different actors involved.
-Identify the suggestions of different actors involved in the poultry industry in order to improve this
industry.
Determinants:
The study focuses primarily on the main elements of poultry production: rural housewives, egg
distributors, owners of shops for veterinary medications, distributors of poultry, owners of poultry
farms, distributors of animal fodder, and agricultural advisers in the area of poultry. Later on, the last
category was excluded because of the absence of specialists in this area on the level of the village.
There are only specialized agricultural advisors in this area on the administrative level of the markaz,
but their main task is to provide different breeds to villages.
Summary of findings:
Socio-economic characteristics of the main actors:
1. Rural women (180 respondents)
Findings indicated that the majority of female respondents are married and working. The age of 61%
of the women ranges between 18-32 years. Half of the respondents are affiliated to 5-7 member
families and the other half are distributed between small and large- size families. 26% of the women
are illiterate and 51% have secondary degree and above (3% only have university degrees). Three
quarters of the women have 6 to 9 house appliances and the majority reported that the income of their
families is not sufficient o meet their needs (40%) or is barely sufficient (31%). Two thirds of the
respondents tend to pay frequent visits to neighboring villages, and moderate number of visits to other
governorates and marakez. Half the respondents have a 1 to 9 years of expertise.
2. Egg distributors (12 distributors)
Half the egg distributors are in the age group 33 to 43 and hold intermediate educational degrees.
Two thirds of the egg distributors have limited experience in the area of poultry (2-6 years) and half of
them have never attended seminars or meetings on poultry production. Two thirds have never
attended training sessions on how to raise poultry. 58% of the egg distributors have modest land
holdings (20-45 kirats) and 42% have additional jobs (mostly civil servants).

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3. Owners of shops for selling veterinary medications (10 respondents)
Data indicated that half the shop owners who sell veterinary medications are in the age group 39-42;
40% have university degrees and 30% have intermediate degrees. Two thirds of the shop owners have
medium experience (10-12 years) in the area of poultry production. 70% of the shop owners reported
that they attended meetings to discuss poultry and half of them had attended training rounds in this
area. 60% hold 46 kirats or more and the majority have additional work (civil servants or veterinary
inspectors)
4. Poultry distributors (11 distributors)
Half the poultry distributors are in the age group 36-41. Two thirds of the respondents have an
intermediate degree and the experience of three fourths of the respondents is limited to the area of
poultry (3-11 years). Three thirds of the distributors have never attended meetings or training sessions
in this area and the majority have limited landholdings (15-64 kirats). Half of the respondents have
additional jobs (workers or civil servants).
5.Animal fodder distributors (12 distributors)
58% of the animal fodder respondents are in the age group 35-44 years. Half the respondents have
intermediate education and the expertise of 58% ranges between 2 and 6 years. The majority did not
attend any seminars or training session in the area, and around 58% have limited landholdings (15-33
kirats). Three quarters have additional jobs (civil servants and workers).
Housewives’ Skills and Knowledge in the area of Poultry production:
1. Characteristics of the hatching eggs:
Data indicated that many respondents have knowledge about the characteristics of hatching eggs and
rarely did the knowledge fall below 50%.
2. Nursing operation:
Female respondents have non- reliable sources to purchase chickens. They also rely on egg laying,
and buying from specialized farms. Agricultural Extension comes last among the buying sources
possibly because they do not offer this service. Almost all respondents raise baladi chicken. One
third only raise improved hybrids, in addition to baladi chicken.

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Most respondents place the chicken in a card boxes with holes. 27% only use ordinary boxes. Half
the respondents expose the chickens to normal weather as they move them from the place of purchase
to the house. Two thirds of the women place the chickens next to each other without leaving space
between them as they transport them home, possibly because many of them buy the chickens from
near- by street vendors and not from distant sources that require proper transportation. In that case,
the purchase process takes only a few minutes until the chickens are finally placed in their final place.
It is important to raise awareness about the need to take precautions if the chickens are to travel for
long distances. Findings indicated that the majority of respondents know about the conditions required
to raise poultry and that the space needed to raise them should be appropriate relative to the number of
chickens.
3. Feeding and care:
The study pointed to a high level of knowledge among respondents with regard to proper feeding of
chickens during the incubation period. However, it is still important to raise awareness about the need
to provide them with fine and clean sand during the first days particularly in the villages of Abu
Mashhour, Al Makate’ and Toukh Tabansha. It was also indicated that the majority of respondents
were fully aware of the appropriate utensils for feeding chicken and the need to keep them in closed
areas. It is also important not to disturb the hens so that their eggs don’t decrease, particularly in the
villages of Al Asatla and Sobk el Dahak, and provide lighting for 16 to 18 hours every day. Chickens
have to be disposed of after a maximum of two years.
With regard to medical care, respondents’ knowledge about the diseases that chickens could get and
means of contracting diseases and prevention was limited. Half the respondents only knew about
symptoms and prevention of white diarrhea and only 20% knew about Newcastle and other diseases.
Respondents relied mainly on their individual knowledge as well as on their families and neighbors to
obtain information about poultry raising. Mass media including television and radio as well as
agricultural guidance came at a later stage as sources of information on poultry, which confirms the
need to enhance the role of mass media and agricultural counseling in raising the awareness of women
and their families about agricultural production activities.
Services offered by Agricultural Extension to increase the production of poultry:
Study findings indicated that two thirds of the respondents had no idea about counseling services
offered by Agricultural Guidance to increase the production of poultry, with the exception of the
Makate’ village, where women had a relatively good idea of the importance of agricultural extension
and what it does to increase poultry production.

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Two thirds of the respondents who had an idea about the counseling services offered by Agricultural
Extension to increase poultry production reported that they provide improved breeds as well as fodder.
Half the respondents said that they undertake the vaccination of chicken against disease, while 42%
said they provided leaflets about poultry and a small percentage reported that they provides foreign
breeds (14%).
Technical aspects of poultry production:
The study indicated that the eggs of hens are the only type of eggs sold by egg traders and that they
are sold in paper plates or in plastic bags. Housewives are the main purchasers of eggs inside the
village, a fact that must be taken into account as we design awareness raising programs in the village.
Excess eggs are sold by installments or are stored in shops.
Owners of veterinary medicines said that antibiotics for intestinal and bronchial disorders are among
the main medications on sale, followed by vitamins and vaccinations against contagious diseases.
Housewives, family heads and owners of poultry farms are among the main consumers of medicines.
Owners of shops offer information to the consumers for free.
Chicken distributors distribute live chicken and only one third sell them slaughtered. Housewives are
the main consumers of sold chicken, followed by various members of the family, children and finally
the family head. The study indicated that the only way to dispose of slaughtering waste is through
garbage vehicles, dumping in the canal, burning or selling. Owners of poultry farms reported that
their chickens run around on the ground and are not kept in boxes.
Dead poultry is burned, dumped in canals or disposed of in garbage vehicles. Eggs are collected in
new or used plates or in buckets or card boxes. Most owners of poultry farms place the eggs on their
lower tip which would only allow a short storing period, whereas placing them on the top side would
allow for longer storing periods. The majority of respondents reported that they sell their egg
production daily, or store it. They reported that the main consumers of their products are distributors,
ordinary consumers then companies. Cracked eggs are sold, eaten or dumped in the garbage. Poultry
waste is disposed of through sale, placing in the field, or dumping in canals. Most owners use
disinfectants in their farms.
Study findings indicated that half the fodder distributors obtain fodder from factories. Less than half
manufacture the fodder themselves and a limited number buy it from wholesale traders. Chicken and
duck fodder is the most common type they manufacture, then fodder for fattening, egg chickens and
fodder for rabbits. Two thirds of the fodder distributors reported that they do not follow any particular
fodder composition.

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Challenges facing poultry production:
Study findings indicated that the most important challenges facing poultry production among female
respondents is the death of the chickens (69%), high costs of breeding (65%), children are busy with
their studies and have no time to help (39%), lack of awareness about poultry diseases (38%), lack of
manpower (34%), shortage of fodder 31%), shortage of hatching eggs (26%), absence of organizations
concerned with poultry production (24%), shortage of vaccines and medications (23%), difficulty of
marketing (21%), primitive breeding methods (20%), and shortage of chickens (19%).
Most distributors agreed that the main problem facing egg distributors in the village is speculation in
the prices of eggs, eggs spoil rapidly in the summer, farmers do not like to buy eggs in plates and
difficulty of marketing eggs in the villages because farmers raise their own poultry in their homes.
Owners of veterinary medications’ shops reported that from their point of view there is no awareness
among breeders on how to properly dispose of dead chickens and poultry diseases, and the shortage of
new disease- resistant breeds.
The problems facing chicken distributors are the long distance to poultry farms, differences in the age
of chickens and disparities in weight, high and unstable prices, Copts’ fasting periods, high supply
relative to demand, high prices of meat, instability of prices of fodder, sudden spread of diseases
among chickens and merchants’ delay in delivering chickens.
Owners of poultry farms face the problem of high supply relative to demand, spread of diseases
among chickens, high prices of animal fodder, long distance to fodder factories and high temperature
that causes considerable losses.
Fodder distributors face the problem of constant change in prices, adding irrelevant to fodder, long
distance to fodder factories and reliance of housewives on green fodder.
Suggestions for a poultry production system:
As officials consider appropriate solutions for the problems of poultry production, it is important to
take into account the opinions of rural female respondents. Among the main recommendations made
by respondents was to provide fodder at appropriate prices, organize seminars to raise awareness
about diseases and required vaccinations, provide the required medicines for diseases at reduced
prices, provide good new breeds at appropriate prices, help housewives market their chickens,
encourage veterinary units to play a more active role and encourage increased labor in this areas.

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Egg merchants proposed to facilitate obtaining eggs at appropriate prices, provide refrigerators (costs
to be repaid on installments) to keep the eggs, and provide distributors with fresh eggs. Owners of
shops for veterinary medications suggested to raise breeders’ awareness about the appropriate
medications for each case, how to dispose of dead chickens, and provide new breeds through the
outlets of the ministry of agriculture and veterinary units.
Chicken distributors suggested reducing the prices of fodder, developing veterinary units, procuring
chickens from reliable sources, and granting permissions to build chicken farms in all villages.
Owners of farms suggested proper study of the needs of the market, provide vaccinations, enhance the
role of veterinary units, and decrease prices.
Distributors of fodders suggested finding solutions for the problems of fodder manufacturing and
distribution as follows: reduce the prices of fodder, organize seminars on proper feeding of different
kinds of poultry, and close surveillance of the sources of fodder distribution.
Recommendations:
Based on the above, the study findings focused on the following recommendations:
1-Eradicate the illiteracy of rural women since a higher level of education would enhance their
abilities to grasp the advice of Agricultural Extension on how to raise chicken.
2-Promote the role of mass media in increasing and enhancing the information of rural women, their
families and relatives, and supporting the activities of agricultural production in general.
3-Given the lack of expertise of rural women on how to raise poultry, they must be made aware of the
recommendations on reliable sources of chicken, characteristics of a good chicken, that chickens
should not be exposed to normal weather conditions upon purchase, leave space between chickens
upon their transportation, the need to exclude two- yolk eggs, specifications of good breeding places,
conditions of good feeding at different stages, and finally the diseases that chickens catch and means
of prevention.
4-Enhance the role of Agricultural Extension to encourage women to approach it, increase the number
of poultry specialists on the level of the villages, activate the role of veterinary units and increase rural
women’s awareness about the role of these units.

Research Briefs No. 43
About the Author
Dr. Yousri Abdel Mawla: Researcher, Institute of Agricultural Extension and
Rural Development, Agricultural Research Center.
About the Program
The Egyptian Partnership in Development Research Program aims to inform
development policies and strategies by linking those who conduct research
with those who can utilize its findings to promote development in local
communities. It promotes a research agenda which is responsive to the needs
and priorities of local communities. The program is characterized by a multidisciplinary,
demand-driven, and participatory approach. The program began
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members who are concerned with development issues.
About the Series
The PDR Policy Brief Series disseminates the results of research conducted
under the auspices of the Partnership in Development Research Program
funded by the Netherland Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Development
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