Assessment of backyard broiler production in Zambia: a potential for household food and economic security

Introduction Poultry production remains an important aspect of food systems because it provides supplementary income and a cheap source of protein. Backyard production has been growing lately due to many factors like urbanization, population increase, and increases in income levels at household levels. However, there is a paucity of information on the characteristics of backyard broiler production in Zambia. Methods This study using a structured online questionnaire was administered to 444 respondents in all 10 provinces of Zambia to provide information on the management practices and production performances. Results The study revealed that most producers were located in urban and peri-urban areas (74.52%) and that most producers were males (61.49%) with 72.07% having attained tertiary education. Provinces showed no significant variation ( p > 0.05) in the average batch size (292.40) and the number of batches per year (6.32). The most commonly raised breeds were Cobb 500 (50%) and Ross 308 (44.14%), which were mainly sourced from agents. These were mostly fed commercial feed (97.97%). All farmers provided housing mainly made of concrete floors (87.16%) and clay brick walls (50.90%) with iron sheets (92.79%) for roofing. All farmers used the deep litter system, and wood shavings were the most (64.86%) used as bedding material. The mean mortality rate per batch of 7.59% varied significantly ( p < 0.05) among provinces. Most farmers that experienced disease outbreaks (77.03%), had their chickens treated (97.30%), and vaccinated (97.75%) while 60.36% of the respondents never used ethnoveterinary medicines. The common marketing channel was selling to people within the residences (40.32%) and selling directly at the market (40.32%) at 6 weeks of age. With a national mean profit of ZMW 5,932 that varied significantly ( p < 0.05) between the provinces, most farmers earned between ZMW 2,000 and ZMW 5,000 from their backyard broiler production. Discussion The findings of this study provide insights that could inform policy and influence the sector’s possible growth, thereby enhancing household food and economic security.