Potential of using non-conventional animal protein sources for sustainable intensification of scavenging village chickens: A review

• Potential of using non-conventional animal protein (NCAP) sources for chickens was assessed.
• Earthworm, maggots and termites have a huge potential to be used as protein feed source.
• NCAP sources can improve the performance and productivity of village chickens.
• Research is needed to assess feasibility of sustainable production of NCAP sources.

For sustainable intensification of village chickens, it is imperative to explore the potential of non-conventional animal protein (NCAP) feed resources. The objective of the review was to assess the potential of NCAP sources as sustainable feed supplement to improve the chicken nutrition and thereafter, production. The existing information on the potential of using NCAP sources to chickens is scant. These protein sources are of interest since they have the potential to reduce or replace expensive conventional protein sources. They are beneficial to ecosystem by making use of detritus materials into valuable products. In communal production systems, the use of NCAP is drive by the desire to improve nutritional status and, subsequently, improve the productivity of scavenging chickens and produce organic meat and eggs. NCAP sources are the potential renewable feed resources to meet the protein requirement for chickens. Earthworms, maggots, termites and silkworms have a huge potential to be used as protein supplement for scavenging village. Seasonal availability of NCAP sources necessitates innovative and appropriate methods for collecting, propagating, harvesting, processing and storing them to ensure their ready availability for chickens. These methods and materials used should be appropriate to farmers to maintain low cost of production whilst ensuring both environmental and financial sustainability for resource-poor households. Propagation of these NCAP sources requires unrestricted locally available substrates such as cattle dung and chicken excreta. Research is needed to assess feasibility of sustainable production and effective use of NCAP sources. It is, therefore, important to assess farmer perceptions, geographic distribution of these sources to raise awareness among farmers. It is also crucial to establish their availability, nutritional value and conducting on-farm and on-station investigations to assess aspects such as responses in growth performance, nitrogen balance and digestibility of these protein sources.