Behold Sasso chicken, the queen of eggs and meat

For people that crave for a new chicken taste, attention has turned to Sasso chicken. Established in Sabret, France in 1978, by Selection Avicole de la Sartha and Sud Quest, a major player in France’s chicken breeding business that supplies genetics for birds, Sasso is gaining prominence, especially among farmers.

Sasso vs Kuroiler
Sasso chicken is a duo purpose breed which can be used for meat and eggs. They are bred from original parent breeding stocks imported from France.

Compared to Kuroilers, Sasso are 364 per cent superior in body weight at 18 weeks. Kuroiler itself is 345 per cent compared to the indigenous varieties.
Sasso’s egg production ranges from 170-171 eggs compared to 156-168 for Kuroiler.

For hoteliers, Sasso has a distinct reddish colouring, long legs, a thin, narrow v-shaped breast, substantial amounts of yellow fat, and hallmarks of a short growing bird.

The pedigreed poultry breed’s presence is owed to the efforts of Biyinzika Poultry, a leading supplier of quality chicken and feeds, who introduced them in Uganda in February 2018.

Costs
They supply Sasso one-day old chicks for Shs2,800 while Uzima Chicken, sell similar chicks at Shs3,000. Ugafarm in Nateete are the other known suppliers of the chicken.

According to Nasuru Kusiima of Uzima Chicken which is based in Bukoto, Kampala Sasso chicken grows faster than Kuroilers.

“At 18 months, a farmer is ready to start earning,” Kusiima says.

Winine Namaganda, a poultry keeper commended Sasso chicken as being “a good breed and it is doing wonders on my farm compared to the other breeds I have kept in the past.”

Since the chicken are on a high demand, Uzima Chicken prefers to ration although they do not sell below 500 birds.

“Our main objective is to make smallholder farmers healthier and wealthier as Sasso chicken meet market weight at around three months while females start laying eggs at five months,” says Kusiima.
Uzima’s business model involves supporting agents who reach into communities especially women farmer groups.

The wonders of Sasso chicken
According to Kusiima, Sasso chicken adapts so well to the hot and humid conditions of Uganda and are resistant to most diseases. They are versatile birds which are also flexible and easy to manage.

According to Kusiima, they can be kept indoor in deep litter systems, on free range as well as village-based production. They are preferred for their slow growth rate which enables meat that is firm.

“Sasso delivers profit to farmers and a great taste to consumers,” he says. He explains that Sasso can lay up to 240 eggs per year yet they can attain between 2.5-3 kilogrammes live weight within 12 weeks (three months).

Proper management
According to Kusiima, having a good chicken breed is simply part of the puzzle.

“All chicken must be exposed to the right conditions for optimum benefits. Management starts right from the brooder,” he says.

For good results, a disinfectant needs to be placed at the entrance for any visitors and also avoid wild animals especially cats and dogs.

He explains that a brooder must go through the usual routines of disinfecting, warming, which lasts up to about three weeks.
But proper growth management must take into consideration provision of water, feeds, protection and healthcare.

“Following the right principles of vaccination is key to the proper development of chicken,” Kusiima says. He suggest that for proper nutrition, one should consult a veterinary doctor for feed formulation according to nutrient requirements. Locally available raw materials from vegetables, he says, could also be used.

After three weeks, Kusiima suggests that birds are ready to go on free range. “At this time, most of the feeding, say 80 per cent, should be done in the morning and evening while water is provided in a shade,” he says. He says that free range is crucial for the desired good muscle development.

Birds can be allowed to grow up to 10 weeks and sold according to live weight with bigger birds going for about Shs30,000.

“The only way to empower rural people is by supplying chicken which can fetch a profit at the lower end since Sasso chicken is engineered for scavenging,” Kusiima explains.