Chickens in extensive and semi-intensive poultry production systems account for more than 75% of all poultry in the South. Owned by smallholders in rural areas, these birds provide food security and fam- ily income and play an important role in socio-cultural events. Poultry is an important farm species in almost all countries. It is an important source of animal protein, and can be raised in situations with limited feed and housing resources. Chickens are ‘waste- converters’: they ‘convert’ a scavenged feed resource base into animal protein. They are therefore by far the most important species for gen- erating income for rural families
