The Sunday News
Dumisani Nsingo, Senior Farming Reporter
AS the cock crows heralding a new day, Mrs Susan Mapendere (52) like most women in her village, one of her immediate worries is to make sure she opens the family fowl run and sprinkle an assortment of grain to feed her free range chickens popularly known as nkukhu makhaya.
Mrs Mapendere, a mother of seven and six grandchildren has since discarded the practise of rearing chickens for consumption during celebratory occasions or in exchange mostly for grain synonymous with most village folks — she is now breeding the birds for commercial purposes.
She is part of the hordes of women and youths in Guruguru Ward One in Madziva Village, Zvishavane District in the Midlands Province that have taken the rearing of free range chickens on a commercial scale.
“We sell most of our chickens to locals but of late we have started receiving orders from people who are running restaurants in Zvishavane. The feedback is that a lot of people in towns now prefer this type of chicken so we want to leverage on that,” she said.
Mrs Mapendere said on average each chicken is sold at $5 and depending on demand, villagers can sell about 20 to 30 per month.
“The good thing is there is little capital which we put in the project.”
Free range chickens are those which are raised on pasture and allowed to feed themselves on a normal diet of grass and bugs.
They are free to range over the ground, out in the sunshine and fresh air, eating what they choose. They may eat some commercial grain-based food, but they are not confined in cages.
Through the benevolence of the Deputy Minister of Mines and Mining Development and Member of Parliament for Zvishavane-Runde Constituency Fred Moyo’s wife, Yeyani, the villagers’ dream of turning their poultry projects into viable enterprises is slowly turning into reality.
Although the pilot project commenced in Guruguru Five plans are underway to spread it throughout the constituency before the end of the year.
A number of beneficiaries have already started profiting from the scheme and there are plans to grow it to become the biggest supplier of free range and products in the district.
“Eleven women in our ward have benefited from Mrs Moyo’s projects with most of us already having sold some of the chickens from the scheme and managed to generate some income while the layers are now at a point of laying. This project will improve livelihoods in a big way.
“Our intention is to also model it in a pass-on-the chick project to ensure that it eventually covers the whole constituency.
There is also one of our youths who has promised to put up an incubator so we can quickly hatch the eggs,” said Mrs Mapendere.
However, the prevailing liquidity crunch in the country, which is felt more in remote areas largely due to a lower number of people with substantial disposable income is threatening the viability of the poultry venture.
One of the youths who has also benefited Mr Perfect Fazhe said the project was already playing a key role towards alleviating hunger and poverty in most households.
“If you take a look at our area its was ravaged by drought and the chickens have to a certain extent assisted in improving household food security while we have realised some income through selling the chickens to teachers and other Government workers,” he said.
Mrs Moyo breeds free range chickens at her Harare residence. The enterprising poultry producer’s chickens lay 100 eggs a day, most of which she takes to hatcheries or incubators and later distribute the chicks to women’s groups at her husband’s constituency.
“We embarked on a pilot project at Chief Mpakane in the Guruguru area about five months ago and it has been well received among the women. I take the eggs to those with incubators where they take 21 days to hatch then ferry them to organised groups of women in the constituency.
“I started the project in a bid to see how women were going to manage the birds for their benefit and that of their families. I realised that free range chickens are quite convenient and much cheaper to keep for rural women instead of broilers, which required pen feeding. The beneficiaries can either sell the eggs or chickens, in the process generating revenue,” she said.
Mrs Moyo said she distributes the chicks together with starter mash since the feed was rather expensive for most rural folks.
“I also provide starter mash for the beneficiaries, which they use to feed the chicks as per requirement when they are still very young. Thereafter they can be introduced to small grains such as rapoko, millet and sorghum. Even chaff obtained from grinding mills or having them seeking food for themselves since they are free range,” she said.
Having the chickens roaming freely all day enables them to search out much of their own food. They will find insects, berries, grubs and greens to fill their stomachs and in turn one does not have to supplement as much in the way of feed. Free range chickens are also not susceptible to various diseases that affect broilers.
Chickens are scavengers and omnivores, and they need protein in addition to plant foods. Bugs, grubs and worms provide this protein and contribute to the chicken’s optimal state of health. If allowed, they will spend a great deal of their time scratching and scavenging over wide areas, looking for food.
“Apart from generating revenue this project emancipates women in the sense that they won’t be dependent on their husbands to fend for the family.
“They can also use the money realised from the venture to start other viable projects. I am optimistic that by the end of the year I will have distributed chicks to cover the entire constituency,” said Mrs Moyo.
@DNsingo
