Survival and growth performance of local chickens from Burkina Faso and their crossbreeds with exotic cocks in an intensive production system

In response to the growing demand for poultry products in Burkina Faso, small scale producers near urban centres have increasingly adopted crossbreeding practices, mating indigenous hens with exotic roosters. Despite this trend, limited information exist on the performance of these crossbreeds under intensive production systems. This study evaluated the growth and survival performance of local chickens and their crossbreeds to assess the current crossbreeding practices. Four experimental groups of chickens were established, comprising 54, 40, 38, and 36 individuals respectively, resulting from matings between local hens and cocks of the North Holland Blue, Sasso, Brahma, and local breeds. Birds were reared over a 20 week period, with growth and survival data analysed using descriptive statistics and Gompertz growth modelling. At 20 weeks, the average live weights were 1,297 g for Brahma crossbreeds, 1,261 g for North Holland Blue crossbreeds, 1,572 g for Sasso crossbreeds and 1,083 g for the local breed. The crossbreeds all significantly outperformed the local breed (p<0.05). The Sasso crossbreeds exhibited superior growth throughout the rearing period, while the Brahma and North Holland Blue crossbreeds only surpassed the local breed after the fourth month. The Sasso crossbreeds also displayed the most favourable Gompertz parameters: mature weight (a) of 2,027 g, maturation rate (k) of 0.02, and integration constant (b) of 4.3. However, they also recorded the highest mortality rate (25%), contrasting with the lowest rate observed in the local breed (8.3%), a statistically significant difference (p < 0.05). These findings suggest that while Sasso crossbreeding offers promising gains in meat production, targeted improvements in management practices are essential to mitigate associated mortality risks and ensure sustainable adoption in smallholder systems.