There is substantial current interest in linkages between livestock-keeping and human nutrition in resource-poor settings. These may include benefits of improved diet quality, through animal-source food consumption and nutritious food purchases using livestock-derived income, and hazards of infectious disease or environmental enteric dysfunction associated with exposure to livestock feces. Particular concerns center on free-roaming chickens, given their proximity to children in rural settings, but findings to date have been inconclusive. This longitudinal study of 503 households with a child under 24 months at enrolment was conducted in villages of Manyoni District, Tanzania between May 2014, and May 2016. Questionnaires encompassed demographic characteristics, assets, livestock ownership, chicken housing practices, maternal education, water and sanitation, and dietary diversity. Twice-monthly household visits provided information on chicken numbers, breastfeeding and child diarrhea, and anthropometry was collected six-monthly. Multivariable mixed model analyses evaluated associations between demographic, socioeconomic and livestock-associated variables and (a) maternal and child diets, (b) children’s height-for-age and (c) children’s diarrhea frequency. Alongside modest contributions of chicken-keeping to some improved dietary outcomes, this study importantly (and of substantial practical significance if confirmed) found no indication of a heightened risk of stunting or greater frequency of diarrhea being associated with chicken-keeping or the practice of keeping chickens within human dwellings overnight.

Introduction: Salmonella and Campylobacter spp. are commonly reported bacterial foodborne pathogens causing morbidity and mortality worldwide. In rural areas, where there is a high occurrence rate of human–animal interactions and poor hygiene practices, shedding animals present a high risk to humans in acquiring animal-associated infections. Materials and methods: Seasonal prevalence of Campylobacter jejuni, Campylobacter coli, and Salmonella spp. in scavenging indigenous chicken faeces was determined by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Antimicrobial resistance was studied in Salmonella isolates by disc diffusion method, and whole-genome sequenced isolates were used to determine Salmonella serovars, antimicrobial resistance genes, virulence genes, and plasmid profile. Results: The overall prevalence of Campylobacter in chickens was 7.2% in the dry season and 8.0% in the rainy season (p = 0.39), and that of Salmonella was 11.1% in the dry season and 16.2% in the rainy season (p = 0.29). Salmonella serovars detected were II 35:g,m,s,t:-, Ball, Typhimurium, Haardt/Blockley, Braenderup, and Enteritidis/Gallinarum. One S. II 35:g,m,s,t:- isolate was resistant to ampicillin and the rest were either intermediate resistant or pansusceptible to the tested antimicrobials. The resistance genes observed were CatA, tetJ, and fosA7, most common in Ball than in other serovars. Seven plasmids were identified, more common in serovar Ball and less common in II 35:g,m,s,t:-. Serovar II 35:g,m,s,t:- isolates were missing some of the virulence genes important for Salmonella pathogenicity found in other serovars isolated. Conclusion: PCR detection of Campylobacter spp. and Salmonella spp. in chickens necessitate the improvement of hygiene at the household level and reducing human–chicken interaction as a strategy of preventing humans from acquiring chicken-associated bacteria, which would enter the human food chain. Infrequent use of antimicrobials in this type of poultry is most likely the reason for the low rates of antimicrobial resistance observed in this study.

Village chickens are essential for rural livelihoods and food security in Sub-Saharan Africa; however, their productivity is constrained by seasonal feed scarcity and suboptimal feeding management. This study evaluated household-level feeding practices and their seasonal variation across three wards in Central Tanzania (Sanza, Majiri, and Iwondo). Data were collected from 852 randomly selected households using structured questionnaires covering flock ownership, feeding frequency, feed types, seasonal feed availability, and gender roles. Feeding practices exhibited marked seasonal variation, with supplementary feeding peaking during the rainy and post-harvest periods because of the increased availability of crop residues and natural feed resources. In contrast, supplementary feeding declined during the dry season, accompanied by increased reliance on scavenging. Feed types varied according to local cropping systems, with millet and sorghum predominating in different wards. Women were primarily responsible for daily poultry management activities, including feeding, but had limited involvement in decision-making related to resource allocation. Flock sizes were small and relatively uniform across the study areas. These findings highlight the importance of seasonally adaptive feeding strategies, improved feed resource management, and gender-responsive extension services for enhancing the productivity and sustainability of village chicken production systems.