Traditional poultry farming in five regions of Madagascar (analamanga, anosy, atsinanana, atsimo atsinanana and vakinankaratra)

Village poultry farming is widely practiced by households in Madagascar and constitutes a significant source of income. To improve knowledge about its practice, 220 households were surveyed over a period of 25 months in 5 regions (Analamanga, Anosy, Atsinanana, Atsimo Atsinanana and Vakinankaratra). These surveys revealed that 58% of breeders were women, while 42% were men. The most numerous breeders were over 30 years old. The average number of poultry per farm in the regions of Atsimo Atsinana (32.96±21.09) and Vakinankaratra (34.43±26.44) were significantly higher than those of other regions. This significance was also observed for the poultry costs of Vakinankaratra (22616.66±5836.39 MGA) and Analamanga (21583.33±3110.28 MGA), compared to other regions. The reasons for selling poultry are mainly related to crises, festive events, and the need to acquire basic necessities. The reasons for eating poultry are mainly related to festive events such as a national holiday, weddings, and birthday celebrations. Farmers in the Analamanga and Atsimo Atsinanana regions consume more poultry and at higher frequencies. Vaccination is poorly practiced (44%) and the availability of vaccinators and the average cost of the injected vaccine dose (541 MGA for all regions) could explain this. Rice bran, corn, cassava, and kitchen scraps are the main foods given as supplements to poultry. For housing, farmers build shelters that are acceptable for some (50%) and others let the poultry sleep outside (30%). Others, for security reasons, sleep with their poultry in their homes (20%).