Favouring the fowl?
To the rural and peri-urban poor, chickens provide a critical nutritional resource. However, other poultry species are equally well
adapted to the integrated production systems of the tropics and are often more resistant to disease than backyard chickens. Scarcity of land, labour
and capital make guinea-fowl and pigeons cheap and easy to maintain and, like chickens, they provide a regular source of animal protein as well as
cash income. Waterfowl are particularly well suited to integrated systems since they can be used for weed and pest control. Ducks have proved popular
in Asia (see Ducking the issue) while geese have remained a largely underestimated species.
Geese
Domestic geese are easily managed and are well suited to small-farm production, particularly in the humid tropics. They are well adapted to aquatic areas but geese readily adapt wherever pasture is available. They can provide meat and eggs from natural grazing, rich fat for cooking as well as soft down and feathers for bedding and clothing. Goose husbandry has been practised in Egypt, China and much of Europe since ancient times but, more recently, they have become neglected and their global potential is far greater than is generally recognized today.
At present goose farming is economically important only in Asia and central Europe. Some European breeds, such as the Embden and Toulouse, have been introduced into tropical developing countries with significant success. Moreover, Chinese geese, which are widely kept in Asia, seem to be especially promising for smallholders: they are good layers, smaller than most other breeds, active foragers and produce the leanest meat. However, geese are not fully mature until two years of age, so their overall reproductive rate is lower than that of other poultry. In addition, the processing of geese is more complicated than processing chickens and technical skills are needed to pluck the birds efficiently.
Guinea-fowl (Numida meleagris)
Guinea fowl are particularly popular in Africa and occur in a few regions in Asia but there is potential for more smallholders to raise these
adaptable birds. The birds are semi-domesticated, thrive under semi-captive conditions in hot and cool climates, are relatively disease free and need
little special care.
Unlike chickens, they do not scratch in the ground to get insects out of the soil, so they are less destructive and can be kept in
vegetable plots to control pests. Guinea fowl produce large numbers of eggs, which in Africa are often sold hard-boiled in local markets. The meat is
especially appreciated for its dark and delicate flavour. Compared to backyard chickens, they have a better ability to scavenge and a greater
capacity to utilize green feeds. They are also more capable of protecting themselves from predators and have been known to attack and kill snakes.
However, females are indifferent mothers and keets (chicks) are best hatched under chickens and then kept indoors for 3-4 weeks to avoid losses due
to predation and wet weather. Farmers in Niger have developed particular techniques for improving survival rates of guinea fowl keets including
adding a chicken egg in a clutch to allow a chick to serve as a leader for the keets. This results in early independence from the mother, who can go
on to hatch a second brood.
Pigeons (Columba livia)
Pigeons can be kept in most regions and are particularly suitable as an interest for children as these birds require little care other than a supply of fresh water. In addition, pigeons are ideal for peri-urban and urban farming as they require little space and markets for their meat, which is delicately flavoured, tender and commands a good market price, are readily available. Dovecotes, traditionally used to raise pigeons, serve as a good source of squabs (young pigeons which grow at a rapid rate) and manure for fertilizer. Wild pigeons, also found throughout the humid tropics, are trapped for meat or rearing in regions such as New Guinea. These serve as an important food source for many subsistence farmers and shifting cultivators and, with some dovecote management (even wild birds quickly lose their fear of man), could provide a greater, more dependable source of food and income.
