Family flock size and age-sex structure of indigenous village chickens.

Background: Indigenous village chickens (IVCs) significantly contribute to rural development. There is considerable variation in family flock size and age-sex structure of IVCs.

Objectives: This study reports the family flock size, age-sex group structure, and demographic history of IVCs.

Breeding practice of indigenous village chickens, and traits and breed preferences of smallholder farmers.

Background: Indigenous village chickens, or (IVCs), significantly contribute to rural livelihoods. Although natural selection has a disproportionate impact on the genetic structure of IVCs, farmers have developed locally tailored breeding practices to get the most out of their flocks.

Objectives: Small-scale farmers' insights on trait breed preferences and family flock breeding practices are presented in this cross-sectional study.

The comparative advantage of urban goat production.

Background: Urban agriculture significantly contributes to food security. The two primary components of urban agriculture are livestock production and horticulture. The goat, Capra hircus, is one of the commonly raised food animals.

The reaction of secondary school and university students toward COVID-19-induced lockdown.

Background: The Coronavirus pandemic triggered a worldwide partial lockdown. The lockdown instigated the school's shutdown making the students follow their courses in the virtual modalities while staying at home.

Methods: The data were collected using an online survey using a semi-structured questionnaire.

COVID-19: socio-economic impacts and challenges in the working group.

The COVID-19 pandemic has influenced the lives of the global community, consequently, many parts of people's lives have been jeopardized. Therefore, there is a need to curb the spread of coronavirus. Accordingly, countries are enforcing partial or full-fledged lockdown to restrict all sorts of socialization.

Sustainable intensification of indigenous village chicken production system: matching the genotype with the environment.

The multi-purpose indigenous village chickens (IVCs) are kept in low- and middle-income countries. IVCs are hardy and are resilient to disease, hostile environment, global warming, and climate change. The IVCs are a little impacted by anthropogenic effects; consequently, they possess high genetic and phenotypic diversity.

The genetic basis and robustness of naked neck mutation in chicken.

Chicken is a homeothermic animal; consequently, regardless of fluctuation in weather conditions, it maintains constant body temperature. However, in hot regions and seasons, chickens suffer from heat stress. To dissipate excess heat, besides modifying the environment, which is costly, however, chickens with efficient heat dissipation capacity might be utilized.

Indigenous village chicken production: a tool for poverty alleviation, the empowerment of women, and rural development.

Indigenous village chickens (IVCs) greatly contribute to food security and rural development. Consequently, IVCs cover incidental expenses, economically empower women, and support the livelihood of disadvantaged groups. Interestingly, ritual practices of traditional communities across the Global South utilise IVCs.

Integrating Genetic and Genomic Analyses of Combined Health Data Across Ecotypes to Improve Disease Resistance in Indigenous African Chickens.

Poultry play an important role in the agriculture of many African countries. The majority of chickens in sub-Saharan Africa are indigenous, raised in villages under semi-scavenging conditions. Vaccinations and biosecurity measures rarely apply, and infectious diseases remain a major cause of mortality and reduced productivity.

Living with COVID-19-triggered pseudoscience and conspiracies.

Objective: This piece of work proposes a way for the wise management of pseudoscience and conspiracy theories.

Methods: This work encompassed a review of relevant literature and synthesized the critical thoughts on the proper management of pseudoscience and conspiracy theories.

Result: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) overwhelmingly challenges the competency of the digital generation.

The role of local adaptation in sustainable village chicken production.

Village chickens are ubiquitous in smallholder farming systems, contributing to household, local and national economies under diverse environmental, economic and cultural settings. However, they are raised in challenging environments where productivity is low while mortality is high. There is much interest in utilizing indigenous genetic resources to produce a chicken resilient to its environment, whilst providing the basis of an economically sustainable enterprise.

Genome-wide association studies of immune, disease and production traits in indigenous chicken ecotypes.

Background: The majority of chickens in sub-Saharan Africa are indigenous ecotypes, well adapted to the local environment and raised in scavenging production systems. Although they are generally resilient to disease challenge, routine vaccination and biosecurity measures are rarely applied and infectious diseases remain a major cause of mortality and reduced productivity. Management and genetic improvement programmes are hampered by lack of routine data recording.

Prevalence and molecular characterisation of Eimeria species in Ethiopian village chickens.

Background: Coccidiosis, caused by species of the apicomplexan parasite Eimeria, is a major disease of chickens. Eimeria species are present world-wide, and are ubiquitous under intensive farming methods. However, prevalence of Eimeria species is not uniform across production systems.

Village chickens management in Wolaita zone of southern Ethiopia.

Little effort has been made to improve village chickens housing, feeding, and health care. Due to this, the amount of output obtained is usually low. The aim of this study was to elicit farmers' knowledge on the routine husbandry practices of village chickens.

Farmers' perceptions on trypanosomosis and trypanotolerance character of the taurine Sheko.

In the humid and subhumid tropics, trypanosomosis is an economically important zoonotic protozoan disease of the commonly kept farm animal species and their wild relatives. For example, more than 20% of the humid western and southwestern Ethiopia, which is home to more than 14 million heads of cattle, is under varying levels of trypanosomosis risk. Our study was, therefore, initiated to document farmers' perception on trypanosomosis and Sheko's trypanotolerance character.

Uses and flock management practices of scavenging chickens in Wolaita Zone of southern Ethiopia.

Rearing of scavenging chickens is among the most commonly practiced farm activities in Ethiopia. This system is dominated by indigenous chickens. Output from indigenous chickens is low due to poor management and absence of intense selection that is intended to improve economically important traits.

Breed and trait preferences of Sheko cattle keepers in southwestern Ethiopia.

Like their smallholder subsistence counterparts in developing countries, breed and trait preferences of Sheko cattle keepers have broad perspectives. Our study has documented breed and trait preferences of Sheko cattle keepers in southwestern Ethiopia--the natural breeding tract of Sheko cattle. Our results showed that due to their multifunctionality, cattle are the most preferred livestock species.