Domestic chicken farming in Bentarum has declined due to frequent waves of Newcastle disease and a belief that chickens require expensive commercial chicken feed. This is reducing food security and influencing rates of wildmeat hunting.

We have established a free-range chicken demonstration plot to show how domestic chickens can be housed to reduce zoonotic disease risk and increase animal welfare. The plot is also being used to measure the impact of both commercial and locally made organic feed.

As of March 2026, the local chicken farming system at the demonstration plot has become more structured, with a total of 55 chickens across 4 small coops and 1 large coop. At this stage, two feeding treatments are applied: a combination of 50% commercial feed and 50% natural feed, and a fully natural feed approach, as part of our efforts to improve cost efficiency and promote feed independence using local resources. Egg production has also begun to show positive results, with a total of 78 eggs produced to date. Some of these eggs are also being used for hatching trials using an incubator, as an initial step toward developing a self-sustaining breeding system at the demonstration plot.

This phased and structured management approach not only improves productivity but also serves as a practical learning model for farmers in developing a more efficient, adaptive, and sustainable local chicken farming system.