Family poultry production in Mauritius - problems and prospects (this publication

FAMILY POULTRY PRODUCTION IN MAURITIUS: PROBLEMS AND PROSPECTS. The Republic of Mauritius has been self-sufficient in poultry meat and eggs for more than two decades and has been successfully meeting the increasing demand for these commodities. About 85 % of the poultry meat is presently produced by four industrial farms, 10 % by small commercial producers, and around 5 % by family (backyard) poultry farms. The flourishing broiler production industry has transformed the erstwhile important traditional backyard poultry farming of indigenous chickens into an insignificant side activity on the main island of Mauritius, while on the other hand, scavenging chickens continue to be an important source of both food and income on Rodrigues, the second biggest island territory of the Republic. A survey carried out on 30 selected family poultry farms in Mauritius and Rodrigues in 1999 and 2000 enabled the identification of the major problems faced by smallholder poultry farmers. At the same time the results provided a basis for future interventions for improving family poultry production. The results showed that diseases like fowl pox, Newcastle disease, Gumboro disease, respiratory and parasitic diseases occurred all year round on 42 % and 82 % of farms in Mauritius and Rodrigues, respectively. Low to mild helminth and lice infestations were detected on 40 % and 50 % of the farms in Mauritius and Rodrigues, respectively. 1