This week, the Livestock Officer in Rongo Sub-county visited several beneficiaries who recently received Kenbro day-old chicks under the country’s poultry improvement initiative through the state department of livestock that recently distributed 5000 chicks to smallholder farmers in the county. The visit aimed at assessing the birds’ progress, management practices, and overall performance at the household and group level.

According to the officer Madam Faith, farmers have reported encouraging growth trends, with only a few cases of mortality, mainly attributed to stress experienced during transportation from Nairobi through Migori.

CECM for Agriculture, Livestock Development, Fisheries and Blue Economy, Hon Lucas Mosenda , lauded the farmers for their commitment:
“Our poultry farmers in County are demonstrating resilience and responsibility. These early results reflect the potential of poultry farming in boosting household incomes, and as a department, we will continue providing technical support to ensure farmers succeed.”

One of the beneficiaries, Rose, a farmer from The Legend in North Kamagambo Ward, shared her experience:
“The chicks have adapted well. I only lost one, which we believe was due to the transport stress. As a group, we are currently brooding 250 other chicks sourced from Uzima Chicken. The Legend has been leading in brooding and rearing birds to maturity for the last two years, and we are proud of the progress.”

The Legend group remains a key player in poultry production in the sub-county, serving as a model for other farmer groups in chick brooding and husbandry best practices.

The Department of Agriculture encourages farmers to continue embracing improved poultry breeds and modern management practices to enhance productivity and income generation across the county.