Requirements for deep litter systems
1. Site: the site should be located in a well drained area;
2. House: the roof should be leak proof, made of aluminium sheets, corrugated iron sheets or asbestos. A grass-thatched roof is not good as it harbours pest and require frequent replacement.
3. Ventilation: the wall on the leeward side should be open from 60-90cm above the ground and covered with wire mesh. Good ventilation is important so as to reduce heat, humidity and harmful gases.
4. Floor: the floor is covered with litter, such as, saw dust, wood shaving, crushed maize cobs, and coffee and rice husks, chopped dry grass, etc. The litter should be turned regularly and more added as it becomes contaminated with droppings. Turning or stirring the litter encourages the multiplication of micro-organisms. These breaks down the hen’s dropping and eventually convert the litter into a mass of fine, dry, friable material which is normally odourless and comparatively hygienic. Turning is done either with the help of a fold, or by throwing grains regularly on the litter. As the chicken scratch for the grains, they turn the litter. When introducing new litter mix with a little of the old so as to introduce bacteria which help the litter to decompose. The depth of the litter should be kept between 15-30cm.
5. Feeders and waterers: these should be clean and well distributed to avoid overcrowding of birds and contamination of the feed and water.
6. Roosts: you should provide timber frames on which the bird perch for rest. You should allow 22.5cm – 30cm per bird and 1-1.2m high. The roosts should be moveable in order to avoid dampness caused by the accumulation of droppings in one spot.
7. Nests: are laying boxes: these should be large enough to make the birds comfortable. They should be built in a dark place in order to discourage egg eating and cannibalism. The floor of the nest should be covered with soft dry grass or wood shavings in order to prevent egg breakages.
There are two types of nests: the individual nests and the communal nests:
The individual nest accommodates one bird at a time. It measures 25-30cm wide, 30-35cm high & 30-36cm deep
The communal nest accommodates many birds at a time. Its door is 20x20cm.
Advantages of Deep Litter System
Many birds can be kept in a small area (high stocking rates);
Labour requirement is low as one person can care for many birds;
The system can be used to rear breeding stock;
Birds are safe from predators and thieves;
There is fast accumulation of manure;
Less loss of eggs as in free range;
Ammonia produced by decomposing organic matter in the litters acts as a disinfectant against coccodiosis.
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Disadvantages of Deep Litter System
Incidences of pecking, egg eating, cannibalism, feather plucking are high;
There is an accumulation of pests and pathogens in the litter. Dry litter causes respiratory problems;
It is difficult to know a poor layer as birds lay eggs in common nests;
Eggs may become dirty especially if laid on the floor;
Litter may be difficult to find in some areas.
B. Battery Cage System
In this system, birds are confined entirely in cages throughout their laying period, see figure 2.5.The cages are made of wire mesh. In each cage 1-3 birds are kept. The cages are arranged in rows which are then arranged in tiers, that is, a row is built over another. Cages have tiers varying from 3-6 in numbers with slanting floors to allow the eggs roll easily into the tray. The lowest tiers are normally 60-90cm above the floor. This height allows easy cleaning of the floor. The water troughs and feeder are fitted above the front side of the cages from one end of the row to the other. Eggs are collected from a tray behind the tiers. The cages are 45cm wide and at the front 45cm high and 57.5cm deep.
Figure 2.5: Battery cage system
We hope that your answer included the following causes of direct contamination:
touching infected skin, or
being in close contact with a person who is infected or who is sneezing, and/or coughing.
Advantages of Battery System
Higher egg production due to less energy wastage by birds;
Accurate egg records can be kept because it is easy to know which bird has laid;
Cannibalism and egg eating are minimized;
Eggs are clean because the hens do not step on them;
Less labour is needed especially where mechanization is practiced
It is easy to identify sick birds quickly;
Birds do not contaminate food and water thus there is no re-infection with worms and coccodiosis;
Culling or handling is easy as hens are restricted to a small place;
Broodiness is discouraged as the birds are not able to reach eggs;
A large number of birds can be kept in a small place;
There is greater efficiency in the control of diseases and parasites.
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Disadvantages of Battery System
A high initial capital is required in addition to the house;
It requires increased level of management;
In case of a disease outbreak, it can spread very fast;
Birds develop bruises on combs, breast and toes.
3. Semi Intensive System
The semi intensive system can be divided into two: the fold system and the house and run method.
A. The Fold system
In this system, birds are confined in small structures called an ark or fold. A fold unit measure 3.5m long by 1.5m wide and 1.5m high. This is enough to hold 10-15 hens.
One third of the fold is roofed to provide shelter. The rest of the fold is left open but it is enclosed with wire mesh. The unroofed part is used for sunning and exercise. The folds should be moved daily to a fresh ground to reduce build up of diseases, provide fresh grass, avoid accumulation of droppings and also to spread the manure. See figure 2.6 for an illustration of the fold system.
Figure 2.6: The fold system with wheels
Advantage of the fold system
Manure is spread uniformly in the field.
Less feed is used because the bird eat grass
This system reduces build-up of parasites and diseases.
Disadvantages of the fold system
Few birds are kept per fold. Where many birds are kept, many folds will be required and this is very expensive
It is labour intensive in that folds have to be moved from one place to the other.
Individual egg production record is difficult to keep.
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B. House and Run Method
This method is useful for keeping small population of birds, around 20-50 birds. It consists of solid roofed housing which is used for keeping birds at night, laying eggs and roosting. Birds are allowed to run freely around the house during the day within an area enclosed with chicken wire. It is desirable to provide two runs (Run A and B) for alternating use to avoid build up of diseases and parasites. As Run A is being used for poultry, Run B can rest under a vegetable crop. Birds should be rotated between Runs A & B after every 6 months or one year in order to give ample time for the parasites, worms and disease pathogens to die off. See figure 2.7 for an illustration of this system.
Figure 2.7: House and run housing system
Advantages of the house and run method
It facilitates the rearing of about 20-50 birds as a side (supplementary) business within a large commercial farm.
Security for the birds especially at night is good since the building is usually a permanent house.
The run does not need large a area as in the extensive method.
Disadvantages of the house and run method
Accumulation of parasitic worms and pathogens in the fenced area.
Cost of fencing and permanent house is high.
Losses from snakes, wild animals and thieves.
That brings us to the end of this section on poultry housing management systems. We hope you now understand the different systems and are able to pick one for your poultry project.
Before you continue, review what you have just learnt by completing the following activity.
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You have now come to the end of our second unit on poultry housing. Let us review
what you have learnt.
Unit Summary
In this unit we have discussed described the requirements for a good poultry house.
We noted that these include good ventilation, enough space, and protection from
weather elements and predators. Next we looked at how to design a poultry house.
We hope you still remember that you need to allow 4-5sq feet per bird when
designing the size of your poultry house. Lastly we considered the various poultry
production systems used by farmers. These were broadly divided into three main
categories, namely, the extensive or free range system, the intensive system such as
the deep litter system; and the semi-intensive system such as the fold system. We
hope you are now able to make an informed decision when choosing a housing
system for your poultry project.
In the next unit you will learn about poultry breeds.
Activity 2.3
Poultry Housing Management Systems (Time: 15 minutes)
Draw a line 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
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Unit 3
Poultry Breeds and Incubation
Introduction
In the last unit we learnt about the qualities of a good poultry house, how to
estimate the size of a poultry house and the different housing systems used by
farmers. In this unit we shall look at the common chicken breeds found in Kenya. We
shall also discuss both natural and artificial incubation practices. As usual, let us start
with our unit objectives.
Unit Objectives
By the end of this unit you should be able to:
Identify the common chicken breeds found in Kenya;
Apply the appropriate incubation practices in the hatching of chicks.
Section 3.1: Common Poultry Breeds
The term poultry refers to domesticated birds kept for meat, eggs and feather
production. There are different species of poultry which are kept by farmers. These
are:
chicken
ducks
geese
turkey
quails
ornamental chicken
Chicken keeping dominates the poultry business as one of the species that is reared
by a majority of farmers. In this section we shall discuss common chicken breeds
found in Kenya.
Chicken Breeds
There are three breeds of chicken found in Kenya. These are:
Indigenous chicken
Exotic layer and broiler chicken
Let us examine each breed in further detail starting with indigenous chicken.
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1. INDIGENOUS CHICKEN (Kienyeji chicken)
Indigenous chicken are mostly kept under the free-range management system in small flocks of less than 30 birds. These are birds on which no selection of breeds or improvement by crossbreeding has been done. Many households in rural areas keep this chicken for domestic consumption. They are more robust and adapt to local conditions than hybrids. Indigenous chicken lay between 8 and 15 eggs per clutch depending on availability of feed. They are broody and hatch about 80% of the eggs they sit on. However only 20-30% attain maturity. This poor survival rate is caused by exposure to risks such as diseases, predators and poor nutrition, which reduce their productivity. If these risks are controlled, their survival rate can increase by 80%. Figure 3.1 shows a picture of indigenous chicken.
Figure 3.1: Indigenous or Kienyeji chicken
Advantages of Indigenous Chicken/Improved Indigenous Chicken (Kuroiler/Kenbro) include:
They are easy to establish for low income families;
They are more prolific and unproblematic to rear on small plots of land;
They are more genetically diverse, we adapted, and more resistant to local pest and diseases;
They are vital for future food security, leading towards self-employment and self-reliance;
Meat and eggs are tastier and preferred by most consumers compared to the exotic breeds;
They are more tolerant to harsh conditions including diseases compared to the exotic breeds;
They can be fed on cheap locally available feeds;
Local markets are readily available for both eggs and meat;
Survival rate of chicks high.
2. EXOTIC LAYER AND BROILER CHICKEN
Exotic breeds are either good as layers or broilers or dual purpose. Layers are breeds used for egg production. Broilers are reared for meat.
They can be categorized into:
Light breeds
Heavy breeds.
Let us discuss each in turn starting with light breeds.
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Light Breeds
Light breeds mature early and get into production earlier than the heavy breeds and have a lower incidence of brooding. They are smaller in body hence cheaper to maintain but the carcass is smaller and inferior. They tend to be more nervous than the heavy breeds and are easily upset by sudden and quick movements. You should therefore avoid sudden appearances as this frightens them. Light laying breeds include the White Leghorn, Brown Leghorn and Black Leghorn and the Black Minorca.
Table 3.2: Types of light breeds The white leghorn This is a good layer, which starts laying at 5-6 weeks. The leghorns do not normally sit. Its egg shell is white and has an attractive appearance on the market. It has been used extensively to produce hybrids for egg production. It is white in colour with a single and large comb. Black leghorns This is a hardy and prolific breeder but very nervous. Brown leghorn This is a hardy and prolific layer for egg production. It is a carrier of the recessive genes for golden colour carried on the sex which is used in breeding.
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Heavy Breeds
Heavy Breeds are quieter, eat more, and in most cases go ‘broody’ (i.e. try to incubate their own eggs). Examples of heavy breeds are Rhode Island Red, Light Sussex, Plymouth rock, New Hampshire red. Many of them are dual purpose, meaning that they are both good layers as well as table birds or broilers, see figure 3.3 below.
Figuree 3.3: Types of light breeds Cambridge breeds or auto-sexing breeds Are pure breeds produced by crossing a non-barred breed with a barred breed for a number of generations? 1. Rhode Island Red This is a dual purpose bird, that is, it is a good layer as well as a table bird (broiler). It’s body is broad and deep, with a brilliant deep red coloured plumage. The comb is single or rose comb. This bird has great stamina and a high production capacity. It produces eggs with a brown or tainted coloured egg shell. The bird’s flesh is yellow. 2. Light Sussex This is also a dual purpose bird with white skin. The colour of its plumage is white with black only in the neck hackle, on the wings and on the tail feather. The comb is single and of medium size. It produces eggs with a tainted coloured shell. Because of its hardiness this breed is used for the production of many useful commercial hybrid crossers.
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As a way of reflecting on what you have just learnt, complete the following activity.
3. Plymouth Rock – Dual purpose This is an early maturity bird with fairly heavy body. It has a single comb of medium size. The egg shell is brown in colour while the flesh, skin and feet are yellow. The bird is a prolific layer and makes a good mother. 4. The Barred rock – Dual purpose This is a tail bird with a deep long square body. The barring (black parallel stripes of plumage) is uniform throughout the body with a grayish under colour. 5. New Hampshire red This is a hardy bird and an excellent layer which produces tinted eggs. It has a single comb of medium size. The flesh, feet and legs are yellow in colour.
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Activity 3.2
1. The following birds are all poultry breeds except:
a) Quail
b) Parrot
c) Turkey
d) Chicken
e) Ducks
2. Which of the following characteristics are true of light poultry breeds? Tick the correct ones.
a) Nervous and get upset by sudden movements
b) They eat more,
c) Mature early and get into production earlier
d) They go ‘broody’ or try to incubate their own eggs
e) Are smaller in body hence cheaper to maintain
f) They have an inferior carcass
g) They are quieter
Compare your answers with those given at the end of this unit.
You now know the various chicken breeds available in Kenya and their characteristics. Next we shall discuss incubation practices.
Section 3.2: Incubation
Incubation is the process of keeping eggs under favourable temperatures in order to promote embryonic growth and the hatching of young chicks. Before we look at the process of incubation, let us look at the composition of a chicken egg.
Composition of a Chicken Egg
A chicken egg is made up of various parts as shown in figure 3.5 below:
The shell
The shell membrane
