By Pesi Fonua

Cheeping chicks are free at the Livestock Division of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food, Forests and Fisheries, under a year-long national program that aims to distribute 100,000 chicks to Tongan homes.

Householders can have 10 free chicks per household, but they must have a chicken coop and show that they are capable of feeding and looking after the chickens.

The national program aims to distribute the chicks by June/July 2021. Tonga’s border lock down quarantine requirements on 23 March complicated the arrival of the imported chicks by airfreight from New Zealand, and also affected the distribution. In spite of the difficulties, by the end of August  the project was on target, said ‘Ana Pifeleti, the Head of the Livestock Division of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food, Forests and Fisheries on September 4.

At the end of August 10,000 one-day old chicks, all hens, had been imported by the Ministry from New Zealand and distributed to households in Tongatapu, ‘Eua, Ha’apai, Vava’u, Niuatoputapu and Niuafo’ou.

Food security

After seven weeks or eight weeks a chicken is expected to weigh about two or three kilos and is ready to be eaten. 'Ana said the weight depended on the type of chicken feed. With imported chicken feed, the chickens should be ready for consumption in seven to eight weeks, otherwise it could take a little bit longer to fatten them up.

At the end of August, a new and significant contribution was made to the project from the Chinese Embassy in Tonga.

‘Ana said that the Chinese participation considered a scenario where Tonga might not be able to import any more one-day old live chicks from New Zealand because of COVID-19.

“The Chinese send only eggs, and their first load of 3000 eggs arrived on 25 August, on the same flight with 4000 one-day old chicks from New Zealand.”

Incubators

The eggs go into an incubator for 21 days to hatch. The Livestock Division has a new incubator with the capacity for 3000 eggs. Hatching has two phases. The eggs go into the first component for 18 days then to the second component for three days where the eggs are hatched. The outcome is 60% hens and 40% roosters.

With the roosters there is also the opportunity to breed more of these type of chicken, rather than importing them, as the Livestock Division is currently doing from New Zealand.

The objective is for the chickens to be eaten or to be kept to produce eggs.

‘Ana was excited with the involvement of the Chinese in the project, and the possibility of breeding more quality chickens locally rather than importing them.

Now the objective to distribute 100,000 chickens throughout Tonga by June/July 2021, looks more like a reality.

Parliamentary debate on chickens

‘Ana also disassociated her chicken program from issues that had been raised about chickens in the Tongan parliament, during the 2020-2021 National Budget debate .

In the debate the Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Lord Tu’ilakepa had expressed his concern over the fact that Tongans consumed 302,000 kilos of imported chicken every week.

He then elaborated on a working project of his ministry to raise six million chickens, but to feed these six million chickens he said they would have to grow 500 acres of corn. While the main objective of the project is to produce electricity from chicken manure, it would also reduce Tonga’s importation of frozen chicken for consumption.

It was pointed out that biogas electricity generation from poultry manure was initiated from Israel, but the equipment would be provided by Germany.