Chicken Farmer's preference on use of commercial or self-compounded feeds in Bombo Town Council, Uganda

Abstract

This study investigated chicken farmers' preference on use of commercial versus self compounded feeds in Bombo Town Council, Luweero District, Uganda. Feeding costs account for 60–75% of total variable production expenditures in poultry enterprises, yet limited empirical evidence exists on how farmers navigate between commercial and on-farm mixing options in this peri-urban context. A cross-sectional descriptive design was used to survey 102 poultry farmers selected through multistage sampling across five parishes. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire and analyzed using descriptive statistics and Pearson Chi-Square tests within SPSS (Version 27). The findings revealed that exclusive reliance on commercial feeds is exceptionally rare (6.9%), while a substantial majority (68.6%) employs a blended feeding strategy, purchasing commercial starter feed for the early brooding phase before transitioning to self-compounded rations. Among commercial feed users, broiler starter was the dominant product choice (89.6%). For self-compounding farmers, broken maize (100.0%) served as the primary cereal energy source, fish meal (92.6%) as the leading animal-protein ingredient, and soya bean meal/cake (44.2%) as the principal oil-seed source. Contrary to expectation, perceived feed quality (68.6%) rather than cost (55.9%) was the most frequently cited driver of feed choice, although 91.2% of respondents still rated feed cost as “very important.” Self-compounding farmers faced significant technical constraints: 74.7% lacked appropriate mixing equipment and 69.5% lacked sufficient knowledge of correct ingredient ratios. Furthermore, 28.2% of respondents reported direct experience of feed adulteration, most commonly attributed to low-quality ingredients (81.8%) rather than physical contaminants. Inferential analysis revealed highly significant relationships between feed type and production outcomes (p < 0.001). Feed type was strongly associated with both bird growth rating (χ² = 66.710, df = 6) and overall production rating (χ² = 80.800, df = 4), with farmers relying exclusively on commercial feed most likely to rate growth as “faster,” and blended-strategy farmers overwhelmingly rating growth as “average.” Scale of production (χ² = 15.411, df = 4, p =0.004) and occupation (χ² = 14.385, df = 6, p = 0.026) were also significantly associated with feed type choice. The study concludes that mixed feeding represents a rational economic adaptation to market price volatility and ingredient access, but its effectiveness is undermined by persistent technical capacity gaps and inconsistent feed quality assurance. Recommendations include developing practical training modules for on-farm ration formulation, establishing community based feed quality monitoring networks, strengthening regulatory enforcement against adulteration, and promoting access to low-cost mechanical mixing technologies. Keywords: commercial feeds, self-compounded feeds, feed preference, poultry production, Bombo Town Council, Uganda