Genetics solutions for improved chicken production in Ghana

The Tropical Poultry Genetics Solutions project intervention in Ghana, a collaboration between the International Livestock Research Institute and the University of Ghana, with support from Ghana's Ministry of Food and Agriculture, seeks to test the adaptability, productivity and farmer preferences of tropically adapted improved dual-purpose chicken genotypes under different production systems. Poultry farmers from two agroecological zones in five of the 16 regions of Ghana were selected to participate in the project. These farmers were provided with selected tropically adapted chicken genotypes, namely Kuroiler and Hubbard, to manage under their production system, and data was collected on bird performance in terms of body weight, egg production, quality and overall acceptability by the farmers. The findings indicate a high farmer preference for, and significantly better (p ≤ 0.05) growth performance of the introduced chicken genotypes compared to local chickens. For instance, the introduced birds reached an average weight of 2kg within 18 weeks, compared to local chickens which required 30 weeks on average to reach 1.6kg under semi-intensive production management conditions. Additionally, the egg production and carcass attributes of these selected genotypes were found to be comparable to those of the local chickens. Based on these positive results, we recommend the multiplication and widespread adoption of Kuroiler and Hubbard chicken strains among smallholder farmers in Ghana. By doing so, we anticipate improved chicken production, increased income generation, enhanced livelihoods and protein food security in the country.