Consumers’ Preference Attributes for Indigenous Chicken in Kenya

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Date
2017-01Author
Ndenga, Charles
Bett, Eric K.
Kabuag, Lucy W.
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Indigenous chicken (Gallus domesticus) are an important source of livelihoods and food for majority of
households in Kenya. Consumers appreciate Indigenous chicken(IC) more due to its nutritional value
and health benefits. The Kenyan chicken market is dominated by indigenous chickens, an indication of
consumer preferences. This is despite recent improvements by research institutions resulting to
development of Improved Indigenous Chicken (IIC) which has higher productivity levels. Consumer
preference assessment gives important information on acceptability of a commodity by consumers.
The primary objective of this study, therefore, was to analyze consumer preference attributes for
indigenous chickens in Makueni and Nairobi counties. Specifically, the study sought to; identify and
rank attributes of indigenous chickens that influences choice and consumption and to; analyze the
influence of IC attributes on price. A Cross-sectional survey research was used to obtain 200
respondents with the aid of semi-structured questionnaires. Hedonic pricing model in STATA 11.0 was
fitted to estimate the influence of attributes on observed prices. Results indicated that consumers pay a
premium of Ksh 30/kilogram for yellow skin and Ksh. 30 kg for low fat content live IC. Dressed IC with
white meat colour received a price premium of Ksh. 43 kg while red meat colour received premium of
Ksh. 62 kg. Based on the findings of the study, it is recommended that government supports breeding
and improvement programs to ensure IC of preferred attributes are available and affordable to the
farmers. This would enhance acceptability and utilization by consumers.