Compare your answers with the information in our discussion below.
There are two types of records that are kept by poultry farmers. These are rearing records and laying records. Let us consider each in further detail.
a) Rearing Records
The information in rearing records should include the following:
The number and cost of chicks purchased
Quantity and value of poultry feed (chick, grower, layers, broilers rations, grit and grain.
Mortality and value of birds (mortality should not exceed 5%).
The number and value of birds sold
Capital investment on buildings and equipment
The quantity and value of eggs sold
Depreciation of the buildings and equipment
Depreciation of the birds.
These records help you to diagnose the weak areas in management which account for high costs of production.
Activity: 7.1
Activity: Record Keeping (Time 15 mins.)
List in the space provided below the information that you need to record in a poultry business.
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b) The Laying Records
The laying period extends from 20 weeks to the time when the flock is sold. The economic life of laying bird varies between 18 to 26 months depending on the breed, standard of management, health etc. Figure 7.1 illustrates the trend of egg production within the 18 months of laying. As you can see from this chart, egg production and quality fall with the advancing age.
It is useful to record and analyze the following parameters on the performance of the flock:
Record egg production every week. A good layer may lay :
170 to 180 eggs in 1st year
130 in 2nd year
100 in 3rd year.
Calculate the margin of eggs over feed (monthly) gross margin at the end of flock’s production life.
Congratulations! You have come to the end of this unit on harvest management and record keeping. Let us review what you have learnt.
Unit Summary
In this unit you have learnt we have discussed harvest management, and particularly how to prepare your eggs and meat for the market. Next we looked at the information that you should keep about your flock. We saw that the information you collect depends on whether you are rearing birds for meat or for eggs. All in all the information you collect will help you to identify weak areas and analyse the performance of your flock.
You have now come to the end of this course on poultry production. We hope you have found it interesting and informative. We wish you good luck in poultry business!
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Answers to Activities
Activity 1.2
Economic Value of Poultry
Write three reasons why chicken keeping is an important economic activity
Provides income from the sale of chicks, meat and fertilized and unfertilized eggs;
The feathers are used to make stuffing for pillows mattresses and quilts
It supplement other incomes from livestock and crops
Poultry droppings are used as livestock (ruminant) feed, as it is a rich source of non-protein nitrogen and provides protein
Poultry manure increase soil fertility and can be sold as fertilizer
Poultry droppings make excellent slurry for biogas production plants
The by-products of a hatchery are used to make livestock protein supplements.
It can generate foreign exchange earnings through the export of poultry products
Activity 2.1:
Qualities of a good poultry house
Which of the following are NOT good qualities of a chicken house? Identify them with a circle.
Well ventilated house
o Dark and dump
Easy to clean
o Difficult to access
Economical to construct
o Leaking roof with big open cracks in the walls
Activity 2.2.
Sizing a Poultry House
1. The floor space of a poultry house should allow 3-4sq feet per bird. If you want to keep 1000 birds, how much floor space would you allow in your design?
The answer is 3,000 to 4,000 sq feet.
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Activity 2.3:
Poultry Housing Management System
Draw an arrow to connect a poultry housing management system with its unique feature.
Housing management system
Features
Extensive or free range system
Birds confined in arks or folds which are moved daily to fresh ground
Battery cage system
House surrounded by a wire mesh enclosure that allows birds to run freely during the day.
Fold system
Birds confined in a building and stay in doors for the whole of their life
House and run system
Birds are kept inside a cage throughout their laying period
Deep litter system
Birds roam freely in fenced ground with a simple house to provide shelter at night
Activity 3.1
Poultry Breeds
1. The following birds are all poultry breeds except?
Quail
Parrot
Turkey
Chicken
Ducks
2. Which of the following characteristics are true of light poultry breeds? Tick the correct ones.
Nervous and get upset by sudden movements
They eat more,
Mature early and get into production earlier
They go ‘broody’ or try to incubate their own eggs
Are smaller in body hence cheaper to maintain
They have an inferior carcass
They are quieter
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Activity 3.2
Incubation Practices
1. Which of the following sign tells you that an egg is fertilized during candling? Tick the correct answer.
A ring of blood around the embryo
Visible blood veins with a dark spot in the centre
A dark cloud around the centre of the egg
2. Which of the following eggs are NOT suitable for incubation? Tick the correct answers
Eggs more than 5 days old
Fertilized eggs
Eggs with abnormalities such as blood spots or double yolks
Eggs with smooth shells
Fertilized eggs
Cracked eggs
3. What is the difference between natural incubation and artificial incubation? Write your answer in the space provided below.
Natural incubation is carried out by broody hens while artificial incubation is carried out by machines.
