Nutrient status of crop contents of rural scavenging local chickens in Tanzania

1. A total of 144 chickens purchased from peasants in Morogoro, Tanzania were slaughtered, their crops dissected and the contents analysed. The birds consisted of 48 chickens from each of three climatic zones (warm and wet, warm and dry, cool and wet). Seventy-two chickens were slaughtered in each season, that is short rainy and long rainy season. 2. Cereal grains, bran, green forages, insects/worms and kitchen food wastes were the main crop contents and their composition varied significantly with season and climate. 3. The overall mean chemical compositions (g/kg) of the crop contents were: 430.8 +/- 107.78 dry matter (DM), 104.4 +/- 43.47 crude protein (CP), 61.2 +/- 36.48 ether extract (EE), 58.2 +/- 26.29 crude fibre (CF), 125.4 +/- 58-27 ash, 6.3 +/- 5.19 calcium (Ca) and 3.6 +/- 2.41 phosphorus (P). 4. CP, EE, ash and P contents varied significantly (P<0.05) with season but contents of DM, CF and Ca were not significantly different. 5. CP content was significantly higher (P<0.05) in growers than in adults while the reverse was true for Ca content. Other variables did not differ significantly. 6. Significant differences (P<0.05) in chemical composition were observed among the zones in all parameters except for CP content. 7. The study showed that the chemical composition of feeds eaten by rural scavenging chickens was below the nutritional requirements and varied with season, climate and age of birds.