Women Group- based Pullet Supply Business
Development in Selected Kebeles of Dale PLW
11th regional conference of Southern and Eastern African
Association for Farming research-Extensions (SEAAFSRE)
South Africa, 19-21 November 2012
A poultry value chain development
IPMS experience
By Kettema Yilma1 , Azage Tegegene,2 Lemlem Aregu3 ,
Dirk Hoektra4, Tesfaye Lema5 and Mulugea Yigzaw6

Dale location in SNNPRS

Dale agro-ecology

Background
 Market oriented small-scale poultry development is a feasible
means of supporting livelihood urban and peri-urban small
farmers:
 There is growing demand for poultry (egg & meat encouraging
prices)
 Good market access( accessible to booming urban cities
(Awassa & Dilla, new universities and growing tourist industry)
 Presence of egg supply net work system liking produces with
consumers (traditional and privately organized)
 Require smaller space and capital
 Quick turnover on investment
NB: with high risk wo all inputs and services in place

Diagnostic survey indicated production and productivity of the traditional
scavenging system was not very productive and so also the contribution
to livelihood !
 No support in studying the indigenous chicken
for their potential
 No extension support for the indigenous chicken
 Input required to sustain poultry production
(Feed, drug/vaccines ) not in place
 Growth is slow and egg production is low
compared to the commercial layers (Low in-put
and low output)

The main challenges for scaling up
commercial type of poultry
Mainly on the input supply side:
 Pullets (shortage of appropriate type of
commercial pullets supply)
 Feed supply not (require high quality feed
competing with human being)
 Disease control/drugs and vaccines
 Marketing of both poultry and eggs (the
traditional market linkage cause lose of quality of
eggs)

Challenges continued
 Extension system:
 Limited extension support
 There were the comprehensive package (25,50 &
100 commercial breed chicken but require high
(25%) down payment
 Regular extension package (1 male and 1 pullet)
 Both constrained due to high down payment and
no credit facilities)

The value chain intervention
During value chain development planning with key
stakeholders shortage of supply of pullets was
identified as a priority area of intervention to be
considered!
Intervention: Women-group based pullet rearing
and supply system as an alternative input
supplier to small commercial rearing urban and
peri-urban egg producers (initiated 2006)

The pullet input supply system (sub system in poultry chain)
To demonstrate a new approach for the input system
Women based poultry rearing and distribution system
To improve production and income of women
Egg supply to consumers
Pullets sold to urban & peri-
urban egg producers
Pullets raised for sale by women
Day old chicken supply from poultry
multiplication centres

The main value chain intervention
Production Intervention:
Extension and capacity building:
Site selection and group formation:
 WoA identified kebeles and later on women to be
involved:
 Criteria include biophysical information of each kebele
 Access to clean water
 Road access to the village and to market
 Women participate voluntary bases as well as their
industriousness & credit worthiness.

Group formation
 5 kebeles identified and DAs selected 80 participant
women
 A loose group of 5 clusters were formed to
 Facilitate communication externally and internally, K-
sharing and eventually marketing
 Each group has its selected peer leaders
 Women in cluster are with in 15-20 minutes distance
from centre of village (to reduce walking distance for
vaccine delivery and close enough to share k and help
each other)

A loose group of five clusters were formed in Ajawa
(20), S.mesenkela (20), D.kege (20) Soyama (10) and
Weynenata (10)
Clustering for linkage, Each cluster has its peer
communication and training leader

Training
 Woreda vets trained by regional vets from poultry
multiplication centre on vaccines and drugs
administration.
 Woreda vets under supervision hand on training to
women on vaccine administration
 WoA /IPMS conducted training to women groups in
each kebele on: skills in handling and raising day-old
chickens up to the age of pullet hood.
 WoA/IPMS trained urban farmers in poultry mgmt
and egg production.

Acquaint assistant vets of WoA and farmers
with poultry vaccines and way of delivering

Training approach for village women
 Women consulted to identify venue & time of
training
 Training is mainly participatory, build on their
indigenous K, impart new info & K and also build
new skills
 Hand-on practical training in managing the new
technology: hay box brooder, watering, feeding
and hygiene

Training
In cordial environment
Introduce the new technology
Let them take over the stick

Production intervention Input supply:
 Hay box brooder and feederer
 Training
assembled locally
 Hay box brooder  Waterers made by local potters
 Poultry feed & feeding  Feed purchase facilitated from DZ
 Feederers and waterer  Provision made for purchase and
delivery of vaccines (cluster approach
 Hay box brooder to create critical number of chickens)
management  Innovation credit fund
 Poultry vaccines through RFFA(each woman
received Birr 1300 in group loan)

Production and input intervention
Hay box brooder:
• Provide safety (low mortality)
• Provide comfort & ease mgt.
• Low cost
Visit commercial
poultry farm
50 day old chicken delivered
Chicken hosed in hay box
brooder

Production and input intervention
Feed starter
and grower
ration from
DZ
Vaccines;
HB 1 3-7 days
Lasota: 3rd,7th Waterer and
and 14th wks
Gumbaro at feederer
station locally
produced

Result
 80 women managed to raise 3733 (of which 3376
pullets were sold while 357 was kept by women).
 Pullets were sold to urban farmers in Y. Alem,
Awassa and Boricha woreda, Safety net program
 Survival was 93.3% (mortality 6.7%)
 The average net return per member was Birr 812
(with a range of 2400 at the highest and Birr 500)

Cost and return estimates for production
cycle (6 months)
Item quantity Unit Total value in Birr
value/Birr
Pullets sold 3376 50 168,800
Pullets kept 357 50 17,8500
Total gross return 186,650
Cost Items
Day-old chicken purchase 4000 15 60,000
Feed 28,815.99
Transport 7,280
Travel expenses 2,400
Sale cost 750
Interest rate (7.5%X1/2) 3,900
Depreciation 18,477.6
Total cost of production & marketing 121,593.59
Total net return to labor & management

The pullet input supply system
Pullets sold to urban & peri-
urban egg producers
Market
Pullets raising
information
and
linkages
Day old Training, feed supply, market
information and linkages
chicken
supply
BDSs:
Hay brooder, Extension service,
training, feed microfinance,
vaccine , credit fund multiplication centres,
l feed producers, NVA,
Credit to buy Day privates drug shops, egg
old chickens collectors and
Training mgmt merchants

Main challenges
 High price for day old chickens
 Lack of input suppliers mainly for feed and
drugs/vaccines
 Lack of continuous supply of day old chickens

Locally made incubator with 300-1000 egg
setting size could serve local demand for day
old chickens