Poultry Farming: The seed to fighting poverty (Where is Dorothy Now?)

Back in the day, ancestors in many parts of Uganda developed a well-tested strategy for fighting poverty. This strategy was built on the idea that with just one chicken (a hen), it is possible to take a child and a family out of poverty. The practice, which is now known as Entandikwa in Luganda (meaning “start-up capital”), centers on the chicken as the start-up capital. So when a baby is born, the grandparents are supposed to gift the newborn with a chicken so that as the child grows, the chicken and its offspring will provide an income to support this child and help give them the education, nutrition and healthcare they may need.

How this idea is put into practice is best seen through the story of one of our veterans, Dorothy. For those of you who do not know Dorothy, you can read about how she became a part of our family in the Trading a meal for an improved livelihood entry from Nov. 7, 2012. 

Dorothy with her most recent offspring;
four young chicks (Dec. 2013).

Dorothy had her first dose of KUKUSTAR just over 14 months ago. After narrowly escaping a center spot at a roast dinner in September 2012, she has come a long way since our last report on her. If you remember well, she was given a second chance at life and proved her value to her new household in rural, Eastern Uganda, producing 12 chicks less than two months after her fate changed. Now, just over one year later, Dorothy continues to be a pillar in her household. From what began as just 12 chicks, her fertility and good health have given way to two goats and numerous chicken offspring.

Over the last 14 months Dorothy, as well as the females from her first offspring that came of age have hatched chickens that have been primarily sold, eaten or gifted. Through the rise in the chicken population, the household income was able to grow enough to invest in the purchase of one goat in April 2013 (seven months after they received Dorothy). To understand the value of each chick that is able to survive disease and predators, and reach adulthood is best understood by its price in the market.  The average price for a chicken in rural Uganda is 15, 000 to 20,000 Uganda shillings (UGX) approximately $6 to $8 USD while a goat is 10 times the price, going for about 150,000 to 200,000 UGX or $60 to $80 USD.  An egg alone sells for about 400 UGX or $0.17.

The two goats that are now in the household as a
result of Dorothy and her offspring (Dec. 2013).

As luck (or keen observation and skill) might have it, the purchased goat turned out to already be pregnant and gave birth weeks after arriving in her new household. This increased the livestock and their value in the household to two goats and numerous chickens. But Dorothy’s journey did not end there. She still continues to contribute to the household’s income and currently has five chickens running around that will soon be ready to begin incubating eggs of their own, as well as her four young chicks that she is still minding for.

The journey of Dorothy and her impact on a rural household in Eastern Uganda is a great example of how livestock, in particular poultry, can improve the income of rural households. It also shows how one chicken (through Entandikwa) can support a child into adulthood, by providing them with the nutritional (through meat and eggs) and financial stability they need to prosper despite the disadvantages they are born into.

The almost effortless practice of poultry keeping, especially with local free-range birds that do not require a lot of special attention, along with the reproductive rate of just one female bird can improve the lives of the people living in her household. However, in order to make this happen, we need to help these farmers find success in poultry farming by helping them keep their birds healthy through vaccination. KUKUSTAR, which was designed to give rural poultry farmers access to a vaccine for Newcastle Disease (which is 100% fatal in chicks and 60-90% fatal in adult chickens), is the first step in the right direction towards igniting a movement to fight poverty through poultry farming.