INDIGENOUS CHICKEN REARING SYSTEMS AND THEIR INFLUENCE ON HOUSEHOLD INCOME AMONG SMALL-SCALE FARMERS IN MAU-NAROK DIVISION OF NJORO DISTRICT, NAKURU COUNTY, KENYA

Poultry production in Kenya is an important source of livelihood for small-scale farmers who produce 80% of the national poultry production; indigenous chicken (IC) rearing remains attractive to poor households because they have a number of advantages compared to other livestock species. Although majority of small-scale farmers rear indigenous chicken, it has been reported that few engage in it as a commercial enterprise for household income. The reasons for low commercialization despite IC’s high demand in the market are not well documented. The purpose of this study was therefore, to examine the type of IC rearing systems used and their influence on income obtained from among small-scale farmers. A cross-sectional survey research design was used. The target population consisted of small-scale farmers who reared IC in Mau-Narok Division of Nakuru County. A sample size of 120 respondents was randomly selected from a sampling frame of 10,479 households. Data were collected using a semi-structured questionnaire. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used in data analysis and all tests were computed at ?=0.05. Study findings indicated that the type of chicken rearing system used did not significantly influence the household income generated from the enterprise. This could be explained partly by the fact that, IC rearing farmers under intensive system were rearing few birds which translated to low returns to economies of scale. This study recommends that extension service providers should educate small-scale farmers rearing IC on the importance of using appropriate rearing system and increasing the number of IC kept in order to reap maximum commercial benefits from IC rearing.