Poultry farmers in Ngoingwa, Thika West Sub-County have been encouraged to embrace indigenous chicken breeds.
Speaking to farmers at Ngoingwa's eggs collection point on Friday, Thika West Livestock Production Officer Jacqueline Muthoni, said that indigenous poultry farming was less costly and has good returns.
“Indigenous poultry farming is what we are now encouraging farmers to go for. We have locally bred chicken which can cope with various weather conditions and withstand almost all common poultry diseases,” said Muthoni.
She noted that exotic chicken farming was becoming expensive yet the returns were minimal, attributing the high cost of rearing exotic chicken to the increase in price of poultry feeds and the birds maintenance.
"Exotic poultry have to be fed with commercial feeds which have become expensive. You also have to invest well in terms of housing and other things to keep them healthy and productive unlike the indigenous ones,” she said.
Muthoni further noted that land in the area had become minimal, hence the need for farmers to practise more cost effective farming which she said could be realised in indigenous chicken farming.