Motherly chicken that provides more

Bernard Bett and Josephine Ngige with Naked Neck birds in Molo. PHOTO | CAROLINE CHEBET | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • Mohammed Ngige rears them at his home on behalf of 24 members of a group called Sakimu. The members come from three villages namely Sachang’wan, Kimanyi and Mukinyai.
  • Each person was then asked to bring a Naked Neck hen for breeding at Ngige’s home, which the villagers considered to be centrally located.
  • On a weekly basis, Ngige collects an average of 80 eggs, with the birds laying five eggs during the period, all which are sold in the neighborhood at between Sh12 and Sh15 each.

The four hens keenly watch over their chicks as they browse on the ground for feeds in the compound in Mukinyai village, Molo.

Upon seeing a hawk hovering in the air, the birds make some guttural sound to warn the chicks, which scamper for safety, hiding in an aloe-vera hedge.

The hens then follow the chicks there, where they stay for several minutes until the hawk disappears.

Looking at the hens, one notices that they are not the normal chicken. These are the Naked Neck or Turken breed, which are famed for being the best mother hens.

Mohammed Ngige rears them at his home on behalf of 24 members of a group called Sakimu. The members come from three villages namely Sachang’wan, Kimanyi and Mukinyai.

So why would the villagers keep this type of chicken that in some communities is frowned upon because of some superstitions? Their story dates back six months ago when Newcastle disease wiped out hundreds of free-range chickens in the region.

The villagers were keeping the birds and the other local breeds. However, while the other breeds died of Newcastle disease, the Naked Neck survived the disease that killed 1,837 birds between May and June.

CENTRALY LOCATED

Out of the 176 chickens that survived, only 32 were the other local breeds, the rest were Naked Necks.

Each person was then asked to bring a Naked Neck hen for breeding at Ngige’s home, which the villagers considered to be centrally located.

They then contributed Sh400 each to put up a structure where the chickens are currently housed. The money was used to purchase offcuts, wire mesh, iron sheets and other materials that were needed.
So far, four of the 17 hens they contributed have hatched, with each producing up to 10 chicks.

On October 16, which was World Food Day, the group sold 18 Naked Neck chicks during an exhibition in Molo town.

“We sold each four-week-old chicks at between Sh100 and Sh125,” says Ngige, noting that the money was spent on buying 70kg of kienyeji mash for the rest of their poultry.

Each day, Ngige feeds the chicken twice a kilo of kienyeji mash. They are also supplied with water throughout the day, while the house is cleaned after two days, work which Ngige does voluntarily.

The group does not give conventional medicine to their poultry. They normally crush aloe aera leaves which they put in water that the chickens drink. The plant has medicinal elements.

According to Ngige, the plan is to ensure that all members own at least 10 Naked Neck chickens.

ADVANTAGES

On a weekly basis, Ngige collects an average of 80 eggs, with the birds laying five eggs during the period, all which are sold in the neighborhood at between Sh12 and Sh15 each.

The money, he says, is saved by the group’s treasurer. However, Ngige declined to reveal how much the group has saved so far. “We are looking for Naked Neck cocks to increase chances of ending up with the only breed we want.”

Animal scientists say that the Naked Neck chicken comes with numerous advantages over the other breeds.

“They have good mothering ability and are more hardy than other chicken breeds,” says Dr Ann Ambula of Department of Animal Science at Egerton University. While other indigenous hens lay an average of four eggs in a week, Ambula says Naked Neck layers give up to six eggs over the same period.

Besides, she adds, farmers are assured that the hen will safely bring up to 99 per cent of her chicks and take care of them for an average of two months.

While she confirmed that the chicken has higher resistance to diseases, the scientist was quick to add this has not been proven by research.