Hybrid chicken may aid Ugandan villagers

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PHOENIX, July 20 (UPI) -- A highly productive kind of chicken may lift Ugandan villagers from economic poverty and nutritional stress in the country's poorest areas, a researcher says.

Arizona State University researcher Jagdev Sharma has been investigating the advantages of a more productive species of chicken knows as the Kuroiler, an ASU release Wednesday said.

It has already proved successful in other regions of the world, he said.

"The success of the Kuroiler chicken in India, where it was first introduced, makes us hopeful for similar improvements in rural Africa, particularly in Uganda, where our initial results show the Kuroiler significantly outperforming native chickens," Sharma said.

Kuroilers are hybrid chickens genetically selected to provide both increased meat and eggs while surviving and thriving on agricultural and household waste, requiring no additional feed.

This makes them well-suited to resource-poor village environment, Sharma said.

He is hoping to duplicate the Indian success story with Kuroilers in Africa thanks to collaboration between ASU and the government of Uganda, the release said.