Knowledge and practices of traditional treatment of chicken diseases using medicinal plants by indigenous communities in Najjembe sub-county, Buikwe district central Uganda.

backgroundFor centuries, farmers in central Uganda have used diverse medicinal plants in ethnoveterinary medicine for treating chicken diseases. However, the unique plant species used, and associated ethnoveterinary knowledge had not been well documented. Hence this research reports the medicinal plants used in the management of chicken diseases in Najjembe sub-county, Buikwe District, Central Uganda to guide the advancement and sustainable use of these plants in the future.

methodsAn ethnoveterinary survey was conducted among 150 chicken farmers who were purposively sampled from ten villages within Najjembe sub-county, Buikwe district from January to September 2021. Voucher specimens of the plants were prepared, identified and authenticated at Makerere University Herbarium. Numerical data summarized using percentages, frequencies, Informant Consensus factor (ICF) and paired comparisons.

resultsAll farmers (150), atleast used medicinal plants to treat chicken diseases, with majority of them aged 25 to 44 years (65.3%) and acquired this indeginous knowledge from family members (48%). Fifty-nine plant species were reported with the most cited or preferred being; Aloe vera (L.) Burm.f., (64), Capsicum frutescens L., (60), Nicotiana tabacum L. (55),Cannabis sativa L. (50), Bidens pilosa L.(12), Momordica foetida Schumach.(10). The plants belonged to 59 genera and 31 families: mostly Asteraceae (n=8, 13.6%), Fabaceae (n =5, 8.5%), Rosaceae (n=5, 8.5%), Myrtaceae (n=4, 6.8%) and Lamiaceae (n=4, 6.8%). Most medicinal plants were herbs (45.8%) and trees (25.4%). Leaves (66.1%) were the most used parts and were largely prepared as decoctions (38.9%). Most plant species had ICF greater than 0.7 for given chicken disease implying a high consensus in the community. Nicotiana tobacum L. had ICF values of 0.98, 0.98, 0.90, 0.98, 0.86 and 0.88 for swollen eyes, manson's eye worm, eye infections, diarrhea, fowl typhoid and flue. The major challenges reported were failure to determine doses and scarcity of medicinal plants due to the escalating deforestation of Mabira Central Forest Reserve.

conclusionThere is widespread use of herbal medicines in the treatment of several chicken ailments in Najjembe sub-county, Buikwe District. The rich diversity of medicinal plants provides good prospects for development of novel ethnopoultry drugs that might provide a solution to the escalating global resistance against conventional chicken drugs. Although some of the species are exotic in Uganda, there is an urgent need to conserve the threatened plant species against increasing deforestation, climate change, human settlement and agricultural expansion.