Unit 1 Introduction to Poultry Keeping Welcome to the first unit in our course on poultry farming. In this unit you learn about the advantages and disadvantages of poultry farming, the economics of poultry keeping and what motivates farmers to keep poultry. We shall also give you a summary of the cost of poultry production to help you assess if the business is profitable. Let us start by reviewing our objectives for this unit. Unit Objectives By the end of this unit you should be able to: Explain the advantages and disadvantages of poultry keeping. Assess the viability of your poultry business. Section 1.1: Advantages and Disadvantages of Poultry Keeping. As you well know, poultry is kept in many rural and peri-urban homes in Kenya either for domestic or commercial purposes. In this section we shall discuss the advantages and disadvantages of poultry keeping. A pedicure on the other hand, is a beauty treatment for improving the condition and appearance of the feet and toenails. A standard pedicure starts with sanitizing the feet. This is followed by filing and/or cutting the toenails, and soaking the feet in warm, soapy water to which an antiseptic is added. Once the feet are softened, the therapist then proceeds to scrub any areas of the foot which has hardened, rough skin. Under the nail is cleaned and cuticles are gently pushed back. Nail polish is then applied to the toenails. Advantages of Poultry Keeping What are the advantages of poultry keeping? Think about it for a minute and then complete the following activity. Poultry Keeping & Management Page 8 We believe your list included the following advantages of poultry keeping: Chicken can be reared in a small space The stocks needed to start a chicken business are readily available Chicken can be reared throughout the year The returns on investment take a shorter time Many people prefer to eat chicken compared to other sources of protein Chicken feed on by-products such as, maize germ, maize bran, sunflower seed cake, wheat bran and wheat pollard Market for chicken meat is wide and lucrative Growing customer base does not require advertisement CHOLESTORAL TAKE NOTE Advantage of Chicken Meat You now know the advantages of poultry keeping; let us look at the disadvantages. Activity 1.1 Advantages of Poultry Keeping (Tme: 5 mins) Write down at least 3 advantages of poultry keeping? 1.____________________________________________________________ 2.____________________________________________________________ 3____________________________________________________________ Poultry Keeping & Management Page 9 Disadvantages of Poultry Keeping The disadvantages of poultry are not many and include the following: Some chicken diseases can affect humans Chicken can die of preventable diseases like New Castle, Gumboro, Fowl Typhoid, Cholera and Cholera Pox If not well protected, chicken can be eaten by a host of predators, like mongoose, eagles, cats and snakes As you can see, the disadvantages of chicken are not so serious because they can all be prevented. In the next section we shall discuss the economics of poultry keeping. Section 1.2: Economics of Poultry Keeping Before you start a poultry business, it is important to find out if it makes economic sense. In this section we shall look at the economic value of chicken and how to cost your poultry project. Economic Value of Poultry A poultry business provides an important supplement to income from crops and livestock. Poultry farming helps to reduce overdependence on traditional commodities whose prices are not stable. Before you continue reading, complete the following activity. Activity 1.3 Economic Value of Poultry (Time: 20 mins) A. Write three reasons why chicken keeping is an important economic activity. 1. __________________________________________________ 2. ___________________________________________________ 3. ____________________________________________________ B. Use the space provided below to write down one compelling reason why you are interested in chicken farming. Compare your answers with the information given in the following section. Poultry Keeping & Management Page 10 The economic value of poultry is one of the reasons why farmers take an interest in poultry farming. The following is the economic value of poultry keeping: 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 Used for recreation and also in poultry competitions and shows. In some communities they are kept for their crowing ability. Use in special festivals, traditional ceremonies, as a gifts, and in traditional medicine. We hope you now appreciate the economic value of poultry. Let us now estimate the cost of poultry production so that you can determine its profitability. Economics of Poultry Production Before you start a poultry business, it is important to determine whether it is profitable and sustainable. There are two costs of production that you should take The economic value of poultry is one of the reasons why farmers take an interest in poultry farming. The following is the economic value of poultry keeping: 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 Used for recreation and also in poultry competitions and shows. In some communities they are kept for their crowing ability. Use in special festivals, traditional ceremonies, as a gifts, and in traditional medicine. We hope you now appreciate the economic value of poultry. Let us now estimate the cost of poultry production so that you can determine its profitability. Economics of Poultry Production Before you start a poultry business, it is important to determine whether it is profitable and sustainable. There are two costs of production that you should take into consideration. These are: Fixed costs Variable costs Your profits will be greatest if you are able to keep your variable costs to a minimum. Let us look at each type of cost in further detail. Fixed costs These are the costs that remain constant throughout the management of one flock. These include the following: Cost of day – old chicks (approximately 12%) Housing depreciation Depreciation of equipment Depreciation of birds (laying birds) this does not apply to broilers. Miscellaneous e.g. insurance of building and equipment Variable costs These are those costs that vary depending on the number of chicken you have. They include the following: Feed costs – is the major item that takes 73% or over Labour cost – 7% Mortality – 5% throughout the growing period Fuel for brooding and litter – 2% Veterinary and pharmaceutical costs – 3% Transport and marketing costs – 10% Poultry Keeping & Management Page 11 To help you understand how to calculate the profitability of your poultry project, we have worked out the production cost of 100 layers in Table 1.1 below. Table 1.1: Estimated cost of 100 layer birds APPENDIX III: ESTIMATE COST OF 100 LAYER BIRDS ITEM QUANTITY COST (Kshs) Cost of Chicks @ Ksh 100 10,000 Day 1 (vitamins + antibiotics + liquid + glucose) 800 Feeds Day 1 - 8wks. Feed with CHICK MASH 1 chick takes 2kg for 8wks (2kg x 100) = 200kg = 3 bags 9450 9th wk - 18th wks. Feed with GROWER MASH Average feed intake is 7kg for 2.5 months 7kg x 100 = 700kg/70 = 10bags A bag costs ksh 2650 = 10 x 2650 26,500 From 18th week Feed with LAYERS MASH 1 bird takes an average of 150g/day = 100 x 150 = 15kg/day For the birds to feed themselves we give them an allowance of 1 month. If 15kg /day, 1 week = 15 x7 = 105kg/70 = 1.5bags per week For 1 month = 1.5 x 4 = 6 bags x 2850 17,100 Vaccines Day 1 Gumboro Day 7 Gumboro Day 14 Gumboro Day 21 NCD + 1B Day 28 Gumboro Day 35 NCD + 1B 8 – 10 weeks Fowl pox F/Typhoid 380 380 380 350 380 350 420 400 3,040 Poultry Keeping & Management Page 12 Miscellaneous {Estimates} Feeders Waterers Wood shavings Source of heat Labour Vitamins & drugs 10,000 TOTAL COST FOR 100 LAYERS 76,890 In addition to costing your project you should keep the following points in mind: To succeed in poultry farming you must make decisions based on sound economic principles. To achieve a good profit in layers each bird should produce 200-220 egg per year. In both broiler and egg production you should keep the mortality of birds as low as possible. You should organize and manage your labour well in order to achieve the highest possible income returns. You have now come to the end of this introductory unit. We hope you now understand the advantages, disadvantages and economic value of chicken farming. Unit Summary In this unit we have learnt that poultry keeping has many advantages. We saw that poultry keeping is requires a low investment, does not require a big space and has good returns on investment. We also considered the disadvantages of poultry keeping which included the risk of diseases and predators. Lastly, we looked at the economic value of chicken farming and noted that it includes income from the eggs, meat, feathers and chicken droppings, among others. We also looked at the costing of a chicken project. In the next unit we shall discuss poultry housing. Poultry Keeping & Management Page 13 Unit 2 Poultry Housing Introduction Poultry housing is a very important part of your poultry farm as it protects the birds from predators and rough weather conditions. A comfortable poultry house is also important for efficient production and convenience of the poultry farmer. In the last unit you learnt about the advantages, disadvantages and economic value of poultry keeping. In this unit you will learn the requirements of a good poultry house, how to identify a suitable location for a poultry house, and the different types of poultry house systems that you can adopt. As usual, we shall start by reviewing our objectives for this unit. Unit Objectives By the end of this unit you should be able to: Describe the requirements of a good poultry house; Identify a suitable size for a poultry house and a good site for construction Determine the most suitable poultry production system for your project. Section 2.1: Requirements of a Good Poultry House The following are the requirements for a good poultry house: a) Protection: ensure that the poultry is protected from extreme weather conditions, such as, high winds and droughts. Also protection from predators, e.g. hawks, owls, mongoose, wild cats etc. b) Good Ventilation: the house should have good ventilation, that is, able to supply oxygen and remove carbon dioxide and dampness. A damp atmosphere favours the development of pathogen and retards the activity of the birds. High temperatures may cause deaths or drop in egg production, low shell quality, and reduced weight gain. A combination of high temperatures and high humidity may kill young chicks. To protect birds from the cold, you can use old feed bags as curtains to cover the chicken wire at night. c) Ease of cleaning: it should be easy to clean and facilitate parasite and disease control. All the interior fittings should be removable or easy to clean. d) Sunlight: this is in order to maintain the heat of the flock (VHD). The sun also has disinfecting value and is important to the birds. e) Economical construction: it should use cheap, durable and locally available materials. Poultry
