1. The Kuroiler chicken as a means of
reducing poverty and providing
nutritional security in Uganda
*
D. K. N. Semambo
Mary Concepta Mbabazi*
Jagdev Sharma**
Mbabazi M. C.*
*NAGRC (please spell)
**Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ U.S.A.
jms1

2. Slide 1
jms1 jmsharma, 5/15/2013

3. BACKGROUND OF POULTRY INDUSTRY
IN UGANDA
• Poultry integral part of rural households(food,
income and social roles
• Poultry population of 42m (88% indigenous
and 12% exotic)
• Kuroiler project initiated in Uganda in 2009

4. Village Flock Production
• Production inadequate to meet nutritional
and economic needs of an average family
• Production remains poor despite effort to
increase production

5. Approaches used to improve
poultry
• Improve management
• Creep feeding
• Reduce brooding period
• Introduce high producing cock
• Introduce hybrid exotic birs
• Selection within flocks for better produced
• Control of Newcastle disease

6. Advantages of Kuroiler chickens
• Kuroiler is a hybrid chicken suitable for village
environment
• Dual purpose
• Phenotypically similar to local indigenous
chickens
• Hen lays 200 (vs 40) eggs, males weigh 3+ kg
(vs 1.5 -2.0 kg)
• Distributed to over 1 m rural households in
India

7. Is Kuroiler suitable for rural Africa?
• A pilot trial in Uganda compared the
performance of indigenous and Kuroiler
chickens under identical scavenging conditions
• The trial was a collaboration between Arizona
State University, National Animal Genetic
Resource Centre and Databank and Keggfarms

8. Summary of the trial protocol
• Local and Kuroiler fertile eggs hatched in Entebbe
• Wing-banded, vaccinated (NDV, IBDV, MDV) and
brooded for 3 weeks
• Ten local and 10 Kuroiler chickens distributed to
100 families in 5 districts and raised as scavangers
• Data collected on mortality, weight gain, egg
production, sale price and quality of meat
• Farmer feedback at the end of the trial

9. Results of the Kuroiler Trial
• Hatching results
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
total eggs set Fertile eggs set
Percentagehatched
Eggs set
Percentage hatched of the total and fertile eggs set
Kuroiler
Indigenous

10. Growth rates

11. Growth rates

12. Growth rates
Kuroiler vs. Ugandan Indigenous Size Comparison
Both chickens were 7-week-old hatchmates and were raised in
Entebbe in confinement with access to feed.

13. Egg production

14. Farmers perception and experience
• Taste of Kkuroiler meat - tastes better – 78.9%
• Texture of meat - soft – 75%
• Meat :bone ratio – better 90.8 %
• Size of Kuroiler eggs – are larger 92%

15. Conclusions from the Trial
• Kuroiler can survive and produce under
Ugandan conditions
• Outperformed local chickens :meat and eggs
• Co-existed peacefully with local chickens
• Did not introduce new exotic diseases
• Not more vulnerable than local to predator
• Majority of farmer preferred Kuroiler meat to
indigenous chicken

16. Sponsored Kuroiler Project: Phase I
Initiated August, 2012
• The vision is to reduce poverty and to improve
the quality of life for impoverished rural
households in Uganda
• accomplished in Uganda in two stages:
– fertile Kuroiler eggs imported and hatched in
Entebbe
– importation of Kuroiler parent stock
– Brooding hatched chicks for 3 weeks in mother
units

17. Kuroiler Distribution System for Rural Uganda
Day-old Kuroilers
produced by the
parent flock will be
sold to a dealer
Dealer will transport
and sell day-old
chicks to mother
units located near
target villages
Mother unit owners
will sell 3-week-old
chickens to local
vendors
Local vendors will deliver
(on foot or bicycle) and
sell chickens to village
households
Households will raise
birds, consume eggs and
meat
Households will sell
surplus at the village
market
Income
Income
Income
Income
Better
Nutrition
Income

18. Kuroiler Project Milestones
• By Year 2, serve 100,000 rural families or
700,000 persons
• Each family to produce twice the amount of
meat and four times the number of eggs
• Hold 4-6 women empowerment workshops on
family nutrition, poultry rearing, income
generation and money management

19. Estimated Production of Eggs, Meat and Income from
Family Chicken Flocks in Rural Uganda:
ITEM INDIGENOUS CHICKENS KUROILER CHICKENS
Starting Flock size (vaccinated) 20 20
Purchase price for day-old
chick*
$3 (20 @0.15/bird) Not Applicable
Purchase price for 3-week-old
chickens
Not Applicable $45.00 (20 @$2.25/bird)
Mortality 40% 10%
Remaining chickens 12 (6 males, 6 females) 18 (9 males, 9 females)
Weight of male at 5-months 2.0kg 3.5kg
Males consumed by family 3 (Total weight 6kg) 4 (Total weight 14kg)**
Males sold at 5 months of age 3 5
Sale price for males at 5 months
of age
$8.40 ($1.40/kg) $24.50 ($1.40/kg)
Eggs laid per female per year 40 150
Total eggs laid by all females per
year
240 1,350
Eggs consumed by family (50%) 120 675**
Number of eggs used to
perpetuate family flock
80 (25% hatch) 0
Sale price of remaining eggs $4.00 (40 eggs @$0.10/egg) $67.5 (675 eggs @0.10/egg)
Weight of spent hen 1.0kg 2.5kg
Sale price of spent hens
($1.4/kg)
$8.40 $31.50
Profit per flock per year $17.80 (8.4+4+8.4-3)*** $78.50 (24.5+67.50+31.50-
45)**

20. Anticipated benefits of Kuroiler distribution in
Uganda.

21. Accomplishments of the project
• Imported 85,000 day old chicks
• Imported 6000 parents stock and importing
15,000 hatching eggs fortnightly
• Expecting to produce 2.7million day old
chicks starting from November
• Expecting to acquire grandparent stock to be
located in an identified centre.