Kamati ya uchaguzi klabu ya Simba chini ya Mwenyekiti wake, Boniface Lyamwike, imeweka wazi majina 19 ya wajumbe waliochukua fomu ambapo kati yao wajumbe 17 wamepita na wajumbe 2 wameenguliwa kuelekea uchaguzi mkuu wa klabu unaotarajia kufanyika Novemba 3, 2018.
Ambapo wajumbe 17 waliopitishwa ni Hussein Kitta Mlinga, Iddy Noor Kajuni, Zawadi All Kadunda, Mohamed Wandi, Selemani Harubu Said, Abdallah Rashid Mgomba, Christopher Kabalika Mwansasu, Alfred Matin Elia, Ally Suru, Mwina Mohamed Kaduguda, Said Tully, Jasmine Badar Soudy, Juma Abbas Pinto, Hamis Ramadhani Mkoma, Abubakari Zebo, Patrick Paul Rweyemamu, Asha Ramadhani Baraka.
Na wajumbe 2 walioenguliwa ni Selemani Omari Selemani na Omar Juma Mazola.
Pia taarifa ya kamati hiyo imewataja waliopitishwa katika nafasi ya Uenyekiti ni Swedy Mkwabi na Mtemi Ramadhani.
Aidha katika uchaguzi huo kwa mujibu wa katiba mpya ya mwaka 2018, mgombea wa nafasi ya Uenyekiti anapaswa kuwa na kiwango cha elimu ya Shadaha kutoka Chuo Kikuu na katika orodha ya wajumbe watano watakaopigiwa kura, mjumbe mmoja atapaswa kuwa na shahada ya kwanza ya Chuo Kikuu huku wengine wakiwa na kiwango cha elimu ya kidato cha nne.
Na katika hao wajumbe watano mjumbe mmoja anapaswa kuwa mwanamke ili kuleta usawa wa kijinsia katika uwajibikaji wa kazi za klabu.
Remember that “prevention is better than cure!”
Many diseases can be prevented by keeping your poultry house very clean
Overcrowding of birds can cause disease
Do not allow other poultry on to your farm (e.g. neighbour’s scavenging chickens)
Do not allow other poultry farmers to enter your shed
Place a foot bath with a disinfectant in it or limestone outside the door of your poultry house
Have a special pair of boots/shoes that you will use only when you are working in your poultry house
Leave sufficient time between batches of birds to clean the house and get rid of diseases that need to have a bird (host) to survive
Remove old litter, dirty bags and contaminated rubbish and dump them far away but in a responsible place that will not contaminate the environment
Discard damp, old feed. It can grow mould which can produce toxins. They can kill or make your chickens sick
All in-all out systems in which all birds are the same age help to reduce disease out breaks
25
External parasites such as mites, lice and fleas can make your poultry feel uncomfortable. This will affect their growth rate and egg production
Insecticides are used to treat the infected birds. A dust bath will also help to reduce these external parasites
Internal parasites such as different worms and minute protozoa causing coccidiosis can be prevented by medication
This is done routinely by adding a coccidiostat to the mixed feed for broilers
Remove immediately sick birds and bury dead birds.
Never eat or sell sick birds; they will make your family and others ill
7.1 Newcastle disease
There are two diseases that are particularly dangerous in many low-income countries. Newcastle disease (ND) is endemic (always there) in many countries and becomes active particularly at the start of the wet season. It can wipe out entire village flocks although a few individual birds often do survive. There are now ND vaccines that will withstand the heat for a short period (thermostable) of time. Vaccination is most effective by eye drop and birds should be vaccinated a month before expected outbreaks by a trained person. There is also a need to treat the birds at intervals through out their life. This is a specialised area and the poultry keeper will need help from experts but it is well worth the effort and the vaccine is not expensive.
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7.2 Avian influenza
The H5N1 strain of highly pathogenic avian influenza (bird ’flu) is particularly dangerous not only because it can infect different poultry species and wild birds but it can also kill humans. Village poultry are especially at risk because they are outside and may be in contact with wild birds and other poultry species (ducks, geese). The disease spreads rapidly through the poultry flock.
The virus can be spread by eating infected birds and can kill the consumer particularly if she/he is young. Household poultry keepers should keep themselves informed about the situation in relation to bird ‘flu as it often appears at particular times in the year.
EXERCISE
What will you do to stop your chickens from getting sick? Make a short statement.
We will now discuss the two specialised areas of commercial (intensive) poultry production: broiler (meat) production first and then egg production.
[END OF UNIT III]
27
UNIT IV
8. COMMERCIAL BROILER MEAT PRODUCTION
Chicken meat is very popular throughout the world. It is seen as a healthy meat low in fat and rich in protein (lean meat). It is a meal for a family so you don’t need a refrigerator
To prepare for the chicks’ arrival it is best that you have a time plan or schedule
the house will be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected
shavings or litter on the floor
the brooder surrounds in place
the brooder heater checked and adjusted (if there is one)
feeders and drinkers in place. Chicks usually look for water first.
a supply of a small amount of starter feed is scattered on paper on the floor of the brooder so that the chicks can
Remember that “prevention is better than cure!”
Many diseases can be prevented by keeping your poultry house very clean
Overcrowding of birds can cause disease
Do not allow other poultry on to your farm (e.g. neighbour’s scavenging chickens)
Do not allow other poultry farmers to enter your shed
Place a foot bath with a disinfectant in it or limestone outside the door of your poultry house
Have a special pair of boots/shoes that you will use only when you are working in your poultry house
Leave sufficient time between batches of birds to clean the house and get rid of diseases that need to have a bird (host) to survive
Remove old litter, dirty bags and contaminated rubbish and dump them far away but in a responsible place that will not contaminate the environment
Discard damp, old feed. It can grow mould which can produce toxins. They can kill or make your chickens sick
All in-all out systems in which all birds are the same age help to reduce disease out breaks
25
External parasites such as mites, lice and fleas can make your poultry feel uncomfortable. This will affect their growth rate and egg production
Insecticides are used to treat the infected birds. A dust bath will also help to reduce these external parasites
Internal parasites such as different worms and minute protozoa causing coccidiosis can be prevented by medication
This is done routinely by adding a coccidiostat to the mixed feed for broilers
Remove immediately sick birds and bury dead birds.
Never eat or sell sick birds; they will make your family and others ill
7.1 Newcastle disease
There are two diseases that are particularly dangerous in many low-income countries. Newcastle disease (ND) is endemic (always there) in many countries and becomes active particularly at the start of the wet season. It can wipe out entire village flocks although a few individual birds often do survive. There are now ND vaccines that will withstand the heat for a short period (thermostable) of time. Vaccination is most effective by eye drop and birds should be vaccinated a month before expected outbreaks by a trained person. There is also a need to treat the birds at intervals through out their life. This is a specialised area and the poultry keeper will need help from experts but it is well worth the effort and the vaccine is not expensive.
26
7.2 Avian influenza
The H5N1 strain of highly pathogenic avian influenza (bird ’flu) is particularly dangerous not only because it can infect different poultry species and wild birds but it can also kill humans. Village poultry are especially at risk because they are outside and may be in contact with wild birds and other poultry species (ducks, geese). The disease spreads rapidly through the poultry flock.
The virus can be spread by eating infected birds and can kill the consumer particularly if she/he is young. Household poultry keepers should keep themselves informed about the situation in relation to bird ‘flu as it often appears at particular times in the year.
EXERCISE
What will you do to stop your chickens from getting sick? Make a short statement.
We will now discuss the two specialised areas of commercial (intensive) poultry production: broiler (meat) production first and then egg production.
[END OF UNIT III]
27
UNIT IV
8. COMMERCIAL BROILER MEAT PRODUCTION
Chicken meat is very popular throughout the world. It is seen as a healthy meat low in fat and rich in protein (lean meat). It is a meal for a family so you don’t need a refrigerator
To prepare for the chicks’ arrival it is best that you have a time plan or schedule
the house will be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected
shavings or litter on the floor
the brooder surrounds in place
the brooder heater checked and adjusted (if there is one)
feeders and drinkers in place. Chicks usually look for water first.
a supply of a small amount of starter feed is scattered on paper on the floor of the brooder so that the chicks can start to eat
28
For the first 7-10 days the chicks will be brooded (see section 5.) Broiler chickens can grow very fast but only when well looked after and given good feed
After 3 weeks of age when the house temperature is less than 28–30 oC they grow best. In the tropics, the temperature is normally above 30 oC in the day time so they will grow a bit slower than usual
Some chickens will die in the first week particularly those that are small and weak. You must remove and bury them immediately
You can expect to lose at least 4 - 5 chicks out of 100 in the first 3 weeks. Another 2 may die later. Mortality can be much higher especially if management and housing conditions are poor. Some broilers, as they get older, may become lame and are unable to walk and get to the feeders. This is partly a breeding problem but may be reduced by slowing growth in the second week for about a week by limiting feed intake.
29
Ideally, chicks should be given a bought formulated diet. A commercial starter diet should be purchased and fed for at least the first 10 days because they need to get off to a good start
They will have eaten only about 250 g of feed during this time. This will cost you less than 25 ¢/bird
A grower diet will then be introduced by mixing what remains of the starter diet with the same amount of the grower diet. This will mean that they can adjust easily to the new feed
When the mixture is finished, chicks will be on the grower feed only
Check chicks several times a day to see that they are comfortable and have feed and water
Check your chickens frequently. They do not like it too warm.
It will be helpful if you have weighing scales so that you can weigh feed given to the chickens and get the live weight of a sample of 10 birds every 2 weeks caught with a simple leg catcher. This will tell you how well your chickens are performing
30
Do your birds reach targets at 3 weeks and 6-7 weeks? This should be your marketing age range for best growth and feed consumption?
Weight gain is weight of bird divided by age in days then divided by the total number of birds to obtain the average weight gain of one bird
Feed efficiency is feed consumed (kg) during a fixed number of days divided by the total weight of all birds (kg) consuming that amount of feed
As a guide, the average weight of your chickens at 6 weeks should be 1600 g and at 7 weeks 1750 g
Feed efficiency should be under 2.5 kg feed for 1 kg of weight gain at 7 weeks of age [a worked example of these calculation is given at the back of the manual]
Although your chickens look healthy you must still inspect them several times a day. You do not want to lose any. They are now becoming valuable and attractive to a thief
8.1 Marketing
Selling your chickens profitably is essential. You can sell them
alive on a bird or on a weight basis
through a middle man who will take some of your profit for himself
dressed, plucked, eviscerated (guts) and organs (lungs, liver, heart) removed. This is time-consuming
sell to an abattoir for processing
In some regions you will not have
survive over the long term. Therefore it is essential to make a survey in which key questions must first be answered honestly before the farmer decides to launch into a poultry enterprise in which he or she will have to invest time and precious money.
It is assumed that all trainees have a particular interest, but little information, in setting up a poultry enterprise on a commercial or semi-commercial scale and are here to learn some basic management skills. It is only from practice and experience that the farmer will become an efficient poultry producer and this course forms the foundations of a successful poultry enterprise.
The other important aspect is that the farming of poultry must not harm the environment by polluting water ways with plastic bags, poultry waste or chemicals used in the farming industry for example. Each one of us has the responsibility to protect and improve the land we farm.
Any poultry farm will usually be part of a farming system (vegetables, plantation crops, gardens, special crops, trees, other livestock) and all parts must be catered for and must not be compromised. In other words a new poultry venture will likely be part of the existing system.
2
(a) Your first task is to introduce yourself and give us some information on your background. We would like to know what you do, why you are here and a little about your village and family
(b) Now that we know a little about you I will tell you a bit about myself
(c) I am sure that you may have some questions to ask. These may relate to the course or to any other matter. So please ask them
1.1 What will I learn from this course?
At the end of the course you should understand the basic facts about keeping poultry for egg production and meat production.
You should have a good knowledge of
their housing
the different systems of how chickens are kept
their feeding and management
health and hygiene
poultry farming is a business. It is essential to have a business plan
the importance of forming a poultry cooperative or forming an association of producers with the same interests in poultry production
3
1.2 Why keep chickens?
Can you make a list of reasons why people keep chickens? There are at least 6 reasons although not all of them apply to your particular situation. Write down what you think here and we will discuss them.
I will add some of the most important reasons that relate particularly to the health of your children.
Chicken meat and eggs contain special proteins that:
Allow your children to grow strong Allow their brain to develop so that they will be clever at school
Allow pregnant mothers to produce healthy babies and to breast feed them
Allow children to be healthy and not to catch cold and coughs
Eggs and meat also contain vitamins and minerals that are essential in your diet
If you decide to raise poultry always remember to keep some meat and eggs for your own family to eat
4
1.3 The business of poultry farming
There are many small farmers that are making money out of raising meat birds (broilers) in developing countries. They buy day-old chicks from chick breeders who may be far away and usually sell them live after 7-8 weeks. They also buy their feed in from the nearest feed mill. This may be a long way away and this will mean that feed is expensive. They will need to sell their broilers at a high price.
Because of long distances, and because of unreliable transport, sometimes some chicks arrive sick or dead. If there are enough producers, they can form a co-operative and may be able to establish a small poultry hatchery (see section 14). This will help to make chicken meat production sustainable. A depot can be set up to purchase and store large amounts of feed to sell to the poultry keepers at a cheaper price. Egg producers may also benefit from such an arrangement.
Producing eggs is more difficult than broilers. The day-old chicks are very expensive and you have to wait more than 18 weeks before the hen will lay an egg. They are not easy to rear as they must be grown slowly and according to a plan. They also need to have good housing and nest boxes so there is a higher initial capital cost than growing meat birds. There is usually a shortage of eggs in villages and they may have to be transported long distances to customers so there is often great opportunity to farm commercial hens starting with a few and then expanding. The customer can purchase a
house your hens for egg production:
in group battery cages (expensive but saves floor space)
indoors on the floor (barn hens or deep litter)
free-range out-of-doors during the day
large groups or colony cages indoors (see later)
For replacement or point-of-lay pullets (young hens not yet in lay) there are two options
the farmer can purchase hybrids or pure bred chicks from a hatchery (expensive) or
the farmer can hatch and raise his own chicks
9.1 Hatching chicks
The farmer:
can have a flock of breeder hens with one rooster for about 8 hens.
will need nest boxes with litter and placed in a secure, dry place
33
will store the fertile eggs in a cool place for no more than 8 days
will allow a broody hen to incubate the eggs or your own small incubator (expensive and needs a reliable power supply although there are kerosene or paraffin heated incubators. (See section 9.2)
water and feed should be placed close to the broody hen in an isolated place
the nest should have a 2 cm layer of sand then 2 - 3 cm of litter on top at day 21 eggs will hatch out
Half will be females. The farmer must decide what to do with the males. They will grow much slower than broiler chickens but can be given a lower - quality feed than broilers after 3 - 4 weeks of age. It still may not be profitable to grow and sell them. Mother and chicks must be kept separate from the main flock of adult hens until about 4-5 weeks old.
9.2 Artificial incubation
A reliable power supply is essential for satisfactory egg incubation. A thermostat is needed to control the temperature at 39.5 oC and the relative humidity needs to be > 50%. Small-scale poultry breeders have successfully built small incubators to hatch 50 - 100 fertile eggs. A light bulb (s), controlled by a thermostat, provides heat although heating coils are also used. A tray of water on the floor of the brooder keeps the humidity above 50%. The eggs are turned 3 - 4 times a day. Ideally this should be done by marking the egg so that one complete turn is achieved each day but the eggs should not be rotated end to end.
34
A homemade incubator
Paraffin or kerosene incubators used to be common many years ago. Heating is provided by a burning wick in a lamp similar to a conventional kerosene lamp for lighting purposes. The warm air is flowing constantly into and out of the incubator chamber. A damper controls the amount of warm air that enters or escapes from the chamber to outside is set manually once the temperature has stabalised at 39.5 oC at egg level so there is always need for an accurate thermometer.
35
9.3 Pullets
They are usually raised indoors in the same way as broilers. They grow slowly and may need brooding until 4-6 weeks old. They are then given more space than broiler chickens. If there is an out doors fenced area, they can go there during the day.
They should be given 500 g of broiler starter feed for the first 4-6 weeks. When this feed is used up it is replaced with a lower-quality pullet-rearing diet until 17 weeks of age. They are then given a layer diet which is high in calcium (3%) and phosphorous (0.5%). This is needed so that they can lay eggs with hard shells. Pullets will now be transferred to their layer house as they will shortly come into lay.
9.4 Battery cages
can hold 1-5 hens per cage (50 x 40 cm x 45 cm high for each hen)
are expensive but can be made from local material
hens may peck one another and may need to have their beaks trimmed (a specialized job)
can scratch one another if claws are long with loss of feathers from the back
must be given a high-quality layer diet
will lay more eggs and eat less feed than hens in any other housed system
may be in future welfare issues as birds have little space. This worries the public
36
9.4.1 Small scale semi-commercial cage unit
Producing eggs is more difficult than broilers. The day-old chicks are very expensive and you have to wait more than 18 weeks before the hen will lay an egg. They are not easy to rear as they must be grown slowly and according to a plan. They also need to have good housing and nest boxes so there is a higher initial capital cost than growing meat birds. There is usually a shortage of eggs in villages and they may have to be transported long distances to customers so there is often great opportunity to farm commercial hens starting with a few and then expanding. The customer can purchase a few eggs at a time so the financial outlay is less than buying a broiler chicken.
5
There may be opportunity for commercial egg production by starting in a small way. We will talk about this later
When you finish this course, we plan to be able to help you with your chicks, their feed supply and the trainers will be able to give you advice. You will see during the course that there are different ways to keep laying hens and broiler chickens
6
1.4 Background information
You will need to look at all aspects of commercial poultry production before you decide to become a poultry farmer
This means that you will have to seek out information in a survey
On the basis of this information you will make a business plan. This will tell you how much money you can expect to make (or lose) each year
A good business plan will allow you to go to the bank to borrow money to get your commercial poultry farm started
You will not start with a feasibility study now but towards the end of the course when you will know more about poultry and what farming poultry entails. But you should look at this from time to time throughout the course at the questions that need to be answered so that you can gather the necessary information.
End of Unit I
7
UNIT II
2. POULTRY BREEDS
There are many different breeds of chickens. We will only mention here those that have commercial potential (meat and/or eggs).
Dual Purpose. These are used to produce both meat and eggs such as Rhode Island Reds or Plymouth Rock.
Today, for large – scale commercial production they do not produce enough eggs
nor do they grow fast enough for meat production
they eat too much feed
they are not very efficient in converting feed to eggs and meat
Dual purpose breeds may have a role to play where it is not possible to get better breeds or conditions are not ideal or feed is not of the best quality
Special Breeds. These have been selected for egg production
the White Leghorn was very popular for many years
it has a small body (1.5 kg) and lays many white eggs
the Black Australorp is another popular breed
it is very docile (quiet) and lays a tinted (light brown) egg
it is medium-heavy body weight (2.2 kg) and therefore eats quite a lot of feed
it is good for free-range (out doors) conditions as it is not flighty
8
Hybrids. In the commercial world today only hybrids (cross-breeds) selected for either meat or egg production (not both) are used. Because of hybrid vigour
they lay more eggs than special and dual purpose breeds
they lay large, brown or white eggs
they eat less feed per kg of weight gain for meat or per kg of eggs
the male chicks from hybrid layers grow very slowly and normally have to be killed. They are usually too expensive to rear but it depends on feed costs and circumstances
the hybrid broilers grow faster than pure breeds
they produce more meat especially breast meat than the pure breeds
Hybrid chicks are only available to the small farmer through a breeding company. The farmer will not have the parent breeding stock and therefore can not breed these chicks himself. Replacement pullets must be bought in but are not always available in remote areas.
EXERCISE
In a few words list all the characteristics (e.g. many brown/white eggs) that you would like to see in 1. a laying hen, and 2. a broiler chicken.
4-5 weeks old.
9.2 Artificial incubation
A reliable power supply is essential for satisfactory egg incubation. A thermostat is needed to control the temperature at 39.5 oC and the relative humidity needs to be > 50%. Small-scale poultry breeders have successfully built small incubators to hatch 50 - 100 fertile eggs. A light bulb (s), controlled by a thermostat, provides heat although heating coils are also used. A tray of water on the floor of the brooder keeps the humidity above 50%. The eggs are turned 3 - 4 times a day. Ideally this should be done by marking the egg so that one complete turn is achieved each day but the eggs should not be rotated end to end.
34
A homemade incubator
Paraffin or kerosene incubators used to be common many years ago. Heating is provided by a burning wick in a lamp similar to a conventional kerosene lamp for lighting purposes. The warm air is flowing constantly into and out of the incubator chamber. A damper controls the amount of warm air that enters or escapes from the chamber to outside is set manually once the temperature has stabalised at 39.5 oC at egg level so there is always need for an accurate thermometer.
35
9.3 Pullets
They are usually raised indoors in the same way as broilers. They grow slowly and may need brooding until 4-6 weeks old. They are then given more space than broiler chickens. If there is an out doors fenced area, they can go there during the day.
They should be given 500 g of broiler starter feed for the first 4-6 weeks. When this feed is used up it is replaced with a lower-quality pullet-rearing diet until 17 weeks of age. They are then given a layer diet which is high in calcium (3%) and phosphorous (0.5%). This is needed so that they can lay eggs with hard shells. Pullets will now be transferred to their layer house as they will shortly come into lay.
9.4 Battery cages
can hold 1-5 hens per cage (50 x 40 cm x 45 cm high for each hen)
are expensive but can be made from local material
hens may peck one another and may need to have their beaks trimmed (a specialized job)
can scratch one another if claws are long with loss of feathers from the back
must be given a high-quality layer diet
will lay more eggs and eat less feed than hens in any other housed system
may be in future welfare issues as birds have little space. This worries the public
36
9.4.1 Small scale semi-commercial cage unit
This is designed for a household wanting to keep only a few hens and have eggs for their family and to sell
a single cage unit of 3 compartments holding 12 layers. See trainer’s manual (10.3.1)
cage on legs or on a stand or legs constructed cheaply from bamboo
can be moved easily out of rain and bad weather to a safe place
thatched roof or without a roof if kept under cover
bamboo feeders and home-made drinkers (see illustrations 4.1, 4.2)
hens must receive high-quality feed to lay 9 - 10 eggs /day
system sustainable if 5 eggs sold and 4 - 5 eggs consumed by the household
money from egg sales is used to buy more feed
hens sold after 12 months for eating or force moulted (see section 9.7 )
money from egg and hen sales used to buy replacement birds or layer chicks and grown to pullets but starting these 20 weeks before selling old hens
9.5 Barn hens
hens kept indoors and on the floor with adequate floor space
house must be well constructed and safe from thieves
feeders, drinkers, perches and nest boxes must be provided
floor litter is necessary and later used for fertilizer or compost on gardens
some eggs will be laid on the floor and some of these will get dirty(should be cleaned)
green feed (grass, cassava, sweet potato tops) can be given to hens
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9.6 Free range
similar to the barn system except allowed outside
need a docile (quiet) breed who will not fly over the surrounding fence
hens are allowed to scavenge in a secure outdoor enclosure during the day
allowed to go indoors at any time. Floor space 7 - 8 hens per square metre
locked up at night
house similar to that for barn hens with nest boxes, drinkers and feeders
Drinkers are also provided in the outside enclosed area. Space per bird in the house is a little less than for barn hens
Advantage: free range system is that hens can scavenge for some of their feed and pick up some essential nutrients. Hens need green feed and there should be two separate outdoor pens which can be rotated. One will be rested to allow the grass to grow back. Sunlight provides birds with vitamin D.
Disadvantage: hens will eat a little more feed and lay fewer eggs than a battery (caged) hen. They are more likely to pick up a disease (parasites) outside. The hens will not get much nourishment from the pasture and if raining will stay indoors
EXERCISE
Do you understand the different systems of housing poultry? If not write down what you do not understand about them and what you do understand about them
39
9.7 Force moulting
This is to stop old hens from laying for about 4 weeks.
Reasons:
replacement pullets are expensive
egg production drops when hens get old (i.e. production is less than 1 egg/2days (uneconomical)
egg shells will get thin and break when birds get old
may be economical to put hens through a second laying cycle
hens are put out of lay by feeding a poor-quality diet for 3 - 4 weeks when about 60-70 weeks old but must always have water
very few hens will be now be laying. They are then put back on a layer diet and will come into lay 2-3 weeks later
eggs will now have sound, hard shells
hens will lay more eggs than before and for at least the next 20 weeks
will lay large eggs
Disadvantage: hens are out of lay for about 3 - 4 weeks during moulting and come into full lay over the next 3 - 4 weeks so there will be loss of income
40
9.8 EGG QUALITY
9.8.1 Internal
eggs get stale quickly in hot weather
store eggs in a cool place
when the egg yolk spreads into the white the egg is stale
a stale egg may not taste different from a fresh egg
some people like eggs with a deep orange-yellow yolk
others like the yolk a pale yellow colour
colour can be measured with a yolk colour fan
there are sometimes blood spots in the egg yolk but we are not sure why
41
9.8.2 External quality
eggs can be misshapen, soft-shelled, with pimples and rough surfaces
egg breakage occurs easily especially if the hens are old
these eggs are classified as seconds and fetch a much lower price in the market
dirty eggs, blood stained eggs and fly marks on the shell make the eggs unattractive to the customer should be cleaned before selling or eating
consumers prefe
Do not store your feed for too long
Weevils will quickly destroy your feed
Ingredients and the mixed feed must be stored in a dry place and safe from birds and rats
6.1 Choice feeding
Sometimes it is better to let the birds select their own feed and balance their diet themselves. This is called choice feeding or self-selection. Feed ingredients are not mixed together but are placed in separate feeders (about 3) and the chickens in this way make a choice. There are only certain situations where this can be done, usually when the birds are on the ground or the floor.
Sometimes a grain balancer ration is available from the feed mill. This special feed (high in protein) will allow local ingredients to be used and the balancer meets those
22
nutrients that are still deficient in the locally - available ingredients. This allows the birds to select a complete diet.
7. HEALTH AND DISEASE PREVENTION
Chickens are fragile and can get sick very easily especially when young
There are two major sources of disease.
Diet if not correctly formulated can result in the bird getting a metabolic disease due to a nutrient deficiency (vitamins or minerals) in the diet
Other diseases are caused by minute organisms called bacteria and viruses. It is often necessary to treat the chicks as soon as they hatch with a vaccine which allows them to resist the disease if it occurs. This is normally done at the hatchery. Newcastle disease is present in many countries and chickens need to be vaccinated more than once (see section 7.1)
24
Remember that “prevention is better than cure!”
Many diseases can be prevented by keeping your poultry house very clean
Overcrowding of birds can cause disease
Do not allow other poultry on to your farm (e.g. neighbour’s scavenging chickens)
Do not allow other poultry farmers to enter your shed
Place a foot bath with a disinfectant in it or limestone outside the door of your poultry house
Have a special pair of boots/shoes that you will use only when you are working in your poultry house
Leave sufficient time between batches of birds to clean the house and get rid of diseases that need to have a bird (host) to survive
Remove old litter, dirty bags and contaminated rubbish and dump them far away but in a responsible place that will not contaminate the environment
Discard damp, old feed. It can grow mould which can produce toxins. They can kill or make your chickens sick
All in-all out systems in which all birds are the same age help to reduce disease out breaks
25
External parasites such as mites, lice and fleas can make your poultry feel uncomfortable. This will affect their growth rate and egg production
Insecticides are used to treat the infected birds. A dust bath will also help to reduce these external parasites
Internal parasites such as different worms and minute protozoa causing coccidiosis can be prevented by medication
This is done routinely by adding a coccidiostat to the mixed feed for broilers
Remove immediately sick birds and bury dead birds.
Never eat or sell sick birds; they will make your family and others ill
7.1 Newcastle disease
There are two diseases that are particularly dangerous in many low-income countries. Newcastle disease (ND) is endemic (always there) in many countries and becomes active particularly at the start of the wet season. It can wipe out entire village flocks although a few individual birds often do survive. There are now ND vaccines that will withstand the heat for a short period (thermostable) of time. Vaccination is most effective by eye drop and birds should be vaccinated a month before expected outbreaks by a trained person. There is also a need to treat the birds at intervals through out their life. This is a specialised area and the poultry keeper will need help from experts but it is well worth the effort and the vaccine is not expensive.
26
7.2 Avian influenza
The H5N1 strain of highly pathogenic avian influenza (bird ’flu) is particularly dangerous not only because it can infect different poultry species and wild birds but it can also kill humans. Village poultry are especially at risk because they are outside and may be in contact with wild birds and other poultry species (ducks, geese). The disease spreads rapidly through the poultry flock.
The virus can be spread by eating infected birds and can kill the consumer particularly if she/he is young. Household poultry keepers should keep themselves informed about the situation in relation to bird ‘flu as it often appears at particular times in the year.
8. COMMERCIAL BROILER MEAT PRODUCTION
Chicken meat is very popular throughout the world. It is seen as a healthy meat low in fat and rich in protein (lean meat). It is a meal for a family so you don’t need a refrigerator
To prepare for the chicks’ arrival it is best that you have a time plan or schedule
the house will be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected
shavings or litter on the floor
the brooder surrounds in place
the brooder heater checked and adjusted (if there is one)
feeders and drinkers in place. Chicks usually look for water first.
a supply of a small amount of starter feed is scattered on paper on the floor of the brooder so that the chicks can start to eat
28
For the first 7-10 days the chicks will be brooded (see section 5.) Broiler chickens can grow very fast but only when well looked after and given good feed
After 3 weeks of age when the house temperature is less than 28–30 oC they grow best. In the tropics, the temperature is normally above 30 oC in the day time so they will grow a bit slower than usual
Some chickens will die in the first week particularly those that are small and weak. You must remove and bury them immediately
You can expect to lose at least 4 - 5 chicks out of 100 in the first 3 weeks. Another 2 may die later. Mortality can be much higher especially if management and housing conditions are poor. Some broilers, as they get older, may become lame and are unable to walk and get to the feeders. This is partly a breeding problem but may be reduced by slowing growth in the second week for about a week by limiting feed intake.
29
Ideally, chicks should be given a bought formulated diet. A commercial starter diet should be purchased and fed for at least the first 10 days because they need to get off to a good start
They will have eaten only about 250 g of feed during this time. This will cost you less than 25 ¢/bird
A grower diet will then be introduced by mixing what remains of the starter diet with the same amount of the grower diet. This will mean that they can adjust easily to the new feed
When the mixture is finished, chicks will be on the grower feed only
Check chicks several times a day to see that they are comfortable and have feed and water
your village and family
(b) Now that we know a little about you I will tell you a bit about myself
(c) I am sure that you may have some questions to ask. These may relate to the course or to any other matter. So please ask them
1.1 What will I learn from this course?
At the end of the course you should understand the basic facts about keeping poultry for egg production and meat production.
You should have a good knowledge of
their housing
the different systems of how chickens are kept
their feeding and management
health and hygiene
poultry farming is a business. It is essential to have a business plan
the importance of forming a poultry cooperative or forming an association of producers with the same interests in poultry production
3
1.2 Why keep chickens?
Can you make a list of reasons why people keep chickens? There are at least 6 reasons although not all of them apply to your particular situation. Write down what you think here and we will discuss them.
I will add some of the most important reasons that relate particularly to the health of your children.
Chicken meat and eggs contain special proteins that:
Allow your children to grow strong Allow their brain to develop so that they will be clever at school
Allow pregnant mothers to produce healthy babies and to breast feed them
Allow children to be healthy and not to catch cold and coughs
Eggs and meat also contain vitamins and minerals that are essential in your diet
If you decide to raise poultry always remember to keep some meat and eggs for your own family to eat
4
1.3 The business of poultry farming
There are many small farmers that are making money out of raising meat birds (broilers) in developing countries. They buy day-old chicks from chick breeders who may be far away and usually sell them live after 7-8 weeks. They also buy their feed in from the nearest feed mill. This may be a long way away and this will mean that feed is expensive. They will need to sell their broilers at a high price.
Because of long distances, and because of unreliable transport, sometimes some chicks arrive sick or dead. If there are enough producers, they can form a co-operative and may be able to establish a small poultry hatchery (see section 14). This will help to make chicken meat production sustainable. A depot can be set up to purchase and store large amounts of feed to sell to the poultry keepers at a cheaper price. Egg producers may also benefit from such an arrangement.
Producing eggs is more difficult than broilers. The day-old chicks are very expensive and you have to wait more than 18 weeks before the hen will lay an egg. They are not easy to rear as they must be grown slowly and according to a plan. They also need to have good housing and nest boxes so there is a higher initial capital cost than growing meat birds. There is usually a shortage of eggs in villages and they may have to be transported long distances to customers so there is often great opportunity to farm commercial hens starting with a few and then expanding. The customer can purchase a few eggs at a time so the financial outlay is less than buying a broiler chicken.
5
There may be opportunity for commercial egg production by starting in a small way. We will talk about this later
When you finish this course, we plan to be able to help you with your chicks, their feed supply and the trainers will be able to give you advice. You will see during the course that there are different ways to keep laying hens and broiler chickens
6
1.4 Background information
You will need to look at all aspects of commercial poultry production before you decide to become a poultry farmer
This means that you will have to seek out information in a survey
On the basis of this information you will make a business plan. This will tell you how much money you can expect to make (or lose) each year
A good business plan will allow you to go to the bank to borrow money to get your commercial poultry farm started
You will not start with a feasibility study now but towards the end of the course when you will know more about poultry and what farming poultry entails. But you should look at this from time to time throughout the course at the questions that need to be answered so that you can gather the necessary information.
End of Unit I
7
UNIT II
2. POULTRY BREEDS
There are many different breeds of chickens. We will only mention here those that have commercial potential (meat and/or eggs).
Dual Purpose. These are used to produce both meat and eggs such as Rhode Island Reds or Plymouth Rock.
Today, for large – scale commercial production they do not produce enough eggs
nor do they grow fast enough for meat production
they eat too much feed
they are not very efficient in converting feed to eggs and meat
Dual purpose breeds may have a role to play where it is not possible to get better breeds or conditions are not ideal or feed is not of the best quality
Special Breeds. These have been selected for egg production
the White Leghorn was very popular for many years
it has a small body (1.5 kg) and lays many white eggs
the Black Australorp is another popular breed
it is very docile (quiet) and lays a tinted (light brown) egg
it is medium-heavy body weight (2.2 kg) and therefore eats quite a lot of feed
it is good for free-range (out doors) conditions as it is not flighty
8
Hybrids. In the commercial world today only hybrids (cross-breeds) selected for either meat or egg production (not both) are used. Because of hybrid vigour
they lay more eggs than special and dual purpose breeds
they lay large, brown or white eggs
they eat less feed per kg of weight gain for meat or per kg of eggs
the male chicks from hybrid layers grow very slowly and normally have to be killed. They are usually too expensive to rear but it depends on feed costs and circumstances
the hybrid broilers grow faster than pure breeds
they produce more meat especially breast meat than the pure breeds
Hybrid chicks are only available to the small farmer through a breeding company. The farmer will not have the parent breeding stock and therefore can not breed these chicks himself. Replacement pullets must be bought in but are not always available in remote areas.
EXERCISE
In a few words list all the characteristics (e.g. many brown/white eggs) that you would like to see in 1. a laying hen, and 2. a broiler chicken.
3. POULTRY HOUSING
There are many reasons why poultry should have a well-constructed house
to protect them from floods, rain and the sun
to protect them from predators - dogs, cats, snakes, birds of prey, rats and thieves
to prevent mice, rats and other birds from eating their feed and transmitting disease
to give hens a safe place to lay their eggs
You must protect your chickens from predators
What are the basic requirements for a poultry house?
It must be
rain proof
protect the birds from direct sunlight and keep them cool
must have good drainage around the house
easy to clean
have a strong door with a secure lock
Chickens must be protected from the weather
Housing will likely be your biggest investment and to cut
Costs, local material can be used. Positioning of the
house is important to conform to some of the basic requirements (mentioned above). High ground will stop flooding in rain storms
10
Sketches of a simple poultry house for keeping about
There is no point in setting up a farming venture unless it can be sustained; that is, it can survive over the long term. Therefore it is essential to make a survey in which key questions must first be answered honestly before the farmer decides to launch into a poultry enterprise in which he or she will have to invest time and precious money.
It is assumed that all trainees have a particular interest, but little information, in setting up a poultry enterprise on a commercial or semi-commercial scale and are here to learn some basic management skills. It is only from practice and experience that the farmer will become an efficient poultry producer and this course forms the foundations of a successful poultry enterprise.
The other important aspect is that the farming of poultry must not harm the environment by polluting water ways with plastic bags, poultry waste or chemicals used in the farming industry for example. Each one of us has the responsibility to protect and improve the land we farm.
Any poultry farm will usually be part of a farming system (vegetables, plantation crops, gardens, special crops, trees, other livestock) and all parts must be catered for and must not be compromised. In other words a new poultry venture will likely be part of the existing system.
2
(a) Your first task is to introduce yourself and give us some information on your background. We would like to know what you do, why you are here and a little about your village and family
(b) Now that we know a little about you I will tell you a bit about myself
(c) I am sure that you may have some questions to ask. These may relate to the course or to any other matter. So please ask them
1.1 What will I learn from this course?
At the end of the course you should understand the basic facts about keeping poultry for egg production and meat production.
You should have a good knowledge of
their housing
the different systems of how chickens are kept
their feeding and management
health and hygiene
I will add some of the most important reasons that relate particularly to the health of your children.
Chicken meat and eggs contain special proteins that:
Allow your children to grow strong Allow their brain to develop so that they will be clever at school
Allow pregnant mothers to produce healthy babies and to breast feed them
Allow children to be healthy and not to catch cold and coughs
Eggs and meat also contain vitamins and minerals that are essential in your diet
If you decide to raise poultry always remember to keep some meat and eggs for your own family to eat
4
1.3 The business of poultry farming
There are many small farmers that are making money out of raising meat birds (broilers) in developing countries. They buy day-old chicks from chick breeders who may be far away and usually sell them live after 7-8 weeks. They also buy their feed in from the nearest feed mill. This may be a long way away and this will mean that feed is expensive. They will need to sell their broilers at a high price.
Because of long distances, and because of unreliable transport, sometimes some chicks arrive sick or dead. If there are enough producers, they can form a co-operative and may be able to establish a small poultry hatchery (see section 14). This will help to make chicken meat production sustainable. A depot can be set up to purchase and store large amounts of feed to sell to the poultry keepers at a cheaper price. Egg producers may also benefit from such an arrangement.
Producing eggs is more difficult than broilers. The day-old chicks are very expensive and you have to wait more than 18 weeks before the hen will lay an egg. They are not easy to rear as they must be grown slowly and according to a plan. They also need to have good housing and nest boxes so there is a higher initial capital cost than growing meat birds. There is usually a shortage of eggs in villages and they may have to be transported long distances to customers so there is often great opportunity to farm commercial hens starting with a few and then expanding. The customer can purchase a few eggs at a time so the financial outlay is less than buying a broiler chicken.
5
There may be opportunity for commercial egg production by starting in a small way. We will talk about this later
When you finish this course, we plan to be able to help you with your chicks, their feed supply and the trainers will be able to give you advice. You will see during the course that there are different ways to keep laying hens and broiler chickens
6
1.4 Background information
You will need to look at all aspects of commercial poultry production before you decide to become a poultry farmer
This means that you will have to seek out information in a survey
On the basis of this information you will make a business plan. This will tell you how much money you can expect to make (or lose) each year
A good business plan will allow you to go to the bank to borrow money to get your commercial poultry farm started
You will not start with a feasibility study now but towards the end of the course when you will know more about poultry and what farming poultry entails. But you should look at this from time to time throughout the course at the questions that need to be answered so that you can gather the necessary information.
End of Unit I
7
UNIT II
2. POULTRY BREEDS
There are many different breeds of chickens. We will only mention here those that have commercial potential (meat and/or eggs).
Dual Purpose. These are used to produce both meat and eggs such as Rhode Island Reds or Plymouth Rock.
Today, for large – scale commercial production they do not produce enough eggs
nor do they grow fast enough for meat production
they eat too much feed
they are not very efficient in converting feed to eggs and meat
Dual purpose breeds may have a role to play where it is not possible to get better breeds or conditions are not ideal or feed is not of the best quality
Special Breeds. These have been selected for egg production
the White Leghorn was very popular for many years
it has a small body (1.5 kg) and lays many white eggs
the Black Australorp is another popular breed
it is very docile (quiet) and lays a tinted (light brown) egg
it is medium-heavy body weight (2.2 kg) and therefore eats quite a lot of feed
it is good for free-range (out doors) conditions as it is not flighty
8
Hybrids. In the commercial world today only hybrids (cross-breeds) selected for either meat or egg production (not both) are used. Because of hybrid vigour
they lay more eggs than special and dual purpose breeds
they lay large, brown or white eggs
they eat less feed per kg of weight gain for meat or per kg of eggs
the male chicks from hybrid layers grow very slowly and normally have to be killed. They are usually too expensive to rear but it depends on feed costs and circumstances
the hybrid broilers grow faster than pure breeds
they produce more meat especially breast meat than the pure breeds
Hybrid chicks are only available to the small farmer through a breeding company. The farmer will not have the parent breeding stock and therefore can not breed these chicks himself. Replacement pullets must be bought in but are not always available in remote areas.
EXERCISE
In a few words list all the characteristics (e.g. many brown/white eggs) that you would like to see in 1. a laying hen, and 2. a broiler chicken.
3. POULTRY HOUSING
There are many reasons why poultry should have a well-constructed house
to protect them from floods, rain and the sun
to protect them from predators - dogs, cats, snakes, birds of prey, rats and thieves
to prevent mice, rats and other birds from eating their feed and transmitting disease
to give hens a safe place to lay their eggs
You must protect your chickens from predators
What are the basic requirements for a poultry house?
It must be
rain proof
protect the birds from direct sunlight and keep them cool
must have good drainage around the house
easy to clean
have a strong door with a secure lock
Chickens must be protected from the weather
Housing will likely be your biggest investment and to cut
Costs, local material can be used. Positioning of the
house is important to conform to some of the basic requirements (mentioned above). High ground will stop flooding in rain storms
10
Sketches of a simple poultry house for keeping about 250 broiler chickens or 120 laying hens on the floor (barn system)
11
12
3.1 Floor
The floor must be:
flat and smooth and easy to clean
have a good depth of litter cover (sawdust, shavings, dried grass, leaves, chopped straw, rice hulls, crushed coffee hulls, peanut hulls)
3.1.1 Litter
[Unit II. Trainees will now visit the demonstration site to discuss the poultry house and how much a similarly equipped house will cost and what improvements/changes could be made. Use of old litter to make compost or to spread on the garden will also be discussed]
End of Unit II
16
UNIT III
5. BROODING
This is a term which means, keeping chicks warm and comfortable.
When your baby chicks arrive they will need special care. This is the time when you can expect a few chicks to die. In tropical countries it may not be necessary to provide extra heat during the day but only at night and then only for the first 10 days.
Dead chicks should be removed and buried in a hole in the ground. Sick and weak chicks should be kept separately and given special care
17
Chicks should be given water immediately and some may need to be shown how to drink
Electricity may be unreliable or unavailable and a small kerosene lamp can provide heat
Weak chicks need to be watched carefully. They rarely survive. Often it is better to get rid of them
The chicks are placed in a brooder made from cardboard or woven bamboo, leaves or grass
It may be necessary to provide extra heat only during the night
Chicken brooder
18
A cold-box brooder can be used but only for up to 50 chicks. It needs no heat source. The chicks keep each other warm in an insulated box. This box will be especially useful in warm countries for brooding at night. The brooding compartment is surrounded with straw or dried grass for insulation. The other compartment is for a feeder and drinker and a lid of wire mesh to let in the light and protect the chicks. The lid over the brooding area is insulated (e.g. polystyrene)
EXERCISE
Make a list of what you will need to do to prepare your chicken house for the arrival of a batch of day-old chicks
6. FEEDING
Feed is 60-70% of the costs of producing commercial poultry.
Feed is the major constraint (difficulty) to producing poultry in developing countries
Compounded (mixed) feed is expensive. There may be no feed mill and mixed feed is not readily available in many regions.
Feed may have to come a long distance and probably will be very expensive and unreliable so you have to order well in advance.
Often, only very few suitable ingredients (feedstuffs) are produced in the country and most are imported.
Fish meal (rarely) or fish waste, also palm kernel meal, brewery waste, copra meal, wheat bran and rice bran, broken rice may be available. But these are largely inadequate for formulating a high – quality, commercial poultry diet especially for broilers
Feed ingredients are mixed according to a special recipe to provide a balanced diet
20
Baby chicks need a feed of the highest quality. That is one that is especially high in good quality protein (e.g. soybean meal, fishmeal) to match the protein found in meat and eggs
Chicks also need a source of feed energy (wheat bran, cassava, cereal grains) to make them grow well
Chicks also need other nutrients (minerals and vitamins) but only in small amounts
A specialist person formulates (puts together) diets suitable for chickens. That person should also give you good advice on what to and how to feed your poultry
If some feedstuffs are available locally, farmers who receive the right advice may want to mix their own ingredients
First there is a need to get in a stock of the raw materials (ingredients). You will need to weigh out the ingredients or have containers which will
Remember that “prevention is better than cure!”
Many diseases can be prevented by keeping your poultry house very clean
Overcrowding of birds can cause disease
Do not allow other poultry on to your farm (e.g. neighbour’s scavenging chickens)
Do not allow other poultry farmers to enter your shed
Place a foot bath with a disinfectant in it or limestone outside the door of your poultry house
Have a special pair of boots/shoes that you will use only when you are working in your poultry house
Leave sufficient time between batches of birds to clean the house and get rid of diseases that need to have a bird (host) to survive
Remove old litter, dirty bags and contaminated rubbish and dump them far away but in a responsible place that will not contaminate the environment
Discard damp, old feed. It can grow mould which can produce toxins. They can kill or make your chickens sick
All in-all out systems in which all birds are the same age help to reduce disease out breaks
25
External parasites such as mites, lice and fleas can make your poultry feel uncomfortable. This will affect their growth rate and egg production
Insecticides are used to treat the infected birds. A dust bath will also help to reduce these external parasites
Internal parasites such as different worms and minute protozoa causing coccidiosis can be prevented by medication
This is done routinely by adding a coccidiostat to the mixed feed for broilers
Remove immediately sick birds and bury dead birds.
Never eat or sell sick birds; they will make your family and others ill
7.1 Newcastle disease
There are two diseases that are particularly dangerous in many low-income countries. Newcastle disease (ND) is endemic (always there) in many countries and becomes active particularly at the start of the wet season. It can wipe out entire village flocks although a few individual birds often do survive. There are now ND vaccines that will withstand the heat for a short period (thermostable) of time. Vaccination is most effective by eye drop and birds should be vaccinated a month before expected outbreaks by a trained person. There is also a need to treat the birds at intervals through out their life. This is a specialised area and the poultry keeper will need help from experts but it is well worth the effort and the vaccine is not expensive.
26
7.2 Avian influenza
The H5N1 strain of highly pathogenic avian influenza (bird ’flu) is particularly dangerous not only because it can infect different poultry species and wild birds but it can also kill humans. Village poultry are especially at risk because they are outside and may be in contact with wild birds and other poultry species (ducks, geese). The disease spreads rapidly through the poultry flock.
The virus can be spread by eating infected birds and can kill the consumer particularly if she/he is young. Household poultry keepers should keep themselves informed about the situation in relation to bird ‘flu as it often appears at particular times in the year.
EXERCISE
What will you do to stop your chickens from getting sick? Make a short statement...
Because of long distances, and because of unreliable transport, sometimes some chicks arrive sick or dead. If there are enough producers, they can form a co-operative and may be able to establish a small poultry hatchery (see section 14). This will help to make chicken meat production sustainable. A depot can be set up to purchase and store large amounts of feed to sell to the poultry keepers at a cheaper price. Egg producers may also benefit from such an arrangement.
Producing eggs is more difficult than broilers. The day-old chicks are very expensive and you have to wait more than 18 weeks before the hen will lay an egg. They are not easy to rear as they must be grown slowly and according to a plan. They also need to have good housing and nest boxes so there is a higher initial capital cost than growing meat birds. There is usually a shortage of eggs in villages and they may have to be transported long distances to customers so there is often great opportunity to farm commercial hens starting with a few and then expanding. The customer can purchase a few eggs at a time so the financial outlay is less than buying a broiler chicken.
5
There may be opportunity for commercial egg production by starting in a small way. We will talk about this later
When you finish this course, we plan to be able to help you with your chicks, their feed supply and the trainers will be able to give you advice. You will see during the course that there are different ways to keep laying hens and broiler chickens
6
1.4 Background information
You will need to look at all aspects of commercial poultry production before you decide to become a poultry farmer
This means that you will have to seek out information in a survey
On the basis of this information you will make a business plan. This will tell you how much money you can expect to make (or lose) each year
A good business plan will allow you to go to the bank to borrow money to get your commercial poultry farm started
You will not start with a feasibility study now but towards the end of the course when you will know more about poultry and what farming poultry entails. But you should look at this from time to time throughout the course at the questions that need to be answered so that you can gather the necessary information.
End of Unit I
7
UNIT II
2. POULTRY BREEDS
There are many different breeds of chickens. We will only mention here those that have commercial potential (meat and/or eggs).
Dual Purpose. These are used to produce both meat and eggs such as Rhode Island Reds or Plymouth Rock.
Today, for large – scale commercial production they do not produce enough eggs
nor do they grow fast enough for meat production
they eat too much feed
they are not very efficient in converting feed to eggs and meat
Dual purpose breeds may have a role to play where it is not possible to get better breeds or conditions are not ideal or feed is not of the best quality
Special Breeds. These have been selected for egg production
the White Leghorn was very popular for many years
it has a small body (1.5 kg) and lays many white eggs
the Black Australorp is another popular breed
it is very docile (quiet) and lays a tinted (light brown) egg
it is medium-heavy body weight (2.2 kg) and therefore eats quite a lot of feed
it is good for free-range (out doors) conditions as it is not flighty
8
Hybrids. In the commercial world today only hybrids (cross-breeds) selected for either meat or egg production (not both) are used. Because of hybrid vigour
they lay more eggs than special and dual purpose breeds
they lay large, brown or white eggs
they eat less feed per kg of weight gain for meat or per kg of eggs
the male chicks from hybrid layers grow very slowly and normally have to be killed. They are usually too expensive to rear but it depends on feed costs and circumstances
the hybrid broilers grow faster than pure breeds
they produce more meat especially breast meat than the pure breeds
Hybrid chicks are only available to the small farmer through a breeding company. The farmer will not have the parent breeding stock and therefore can not breed these chicks himself. Replacement pullets must be bought in but are not always available in remote areas.
EXERCISE
In a few words list all the characteristics (e.g. many brown/white eggs) that you would like to see in 1. a laying hen, and 2. a broiler chicken.
Pyongyang said it had miniaturised a hydrogen bomb for use on a long-range missile, and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was pictured with what state media said was a new type of hydrogen bomb. State media said the device could be loaded on to a ballistic missile. According to BBC, nuclear weapons expert, Catherine Dill, said it was not yet clear exactly what nuclear weapon design was tested. "But based on the seismic signature, the yield of this test definitely is an order of magnitude higher than the yields of the previous tests." "Current information did not definitively indicate that a thermonuclear weapon had been tested but it appears to be a likely possibility at this point," she said. There have been various responses to the development by world leaders. South Korean President Moon Jae-in reacted by saying North Korea's sixth nuclear test should be met with the "strongest possible" response, including new United Nations Security Council sanctions to "completely isolate" the country. China also condemned the test. Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said sanctions against North Korea should include restrictions on the trade of oil products.
There is no point in setting up a farming venture unless it can be sustained; that is, it can survive over the long term. Therefore it is essential to make a survey in which key questions must first be answered honestly before the farmer decides to launch into a poultry enterprise in which he or she will have to invest time and precious money
There is no point in setting up a farming venture unless it can be sustained; that is, it can survive over the long term. Therefore it is essential to make a survey in which key questions must first be answered honestly before the farmer decides to launch into a poultry enterprise in which he or she will have to invest time and precious money.
It is assumed that all trainees have a particular interest, but little information, in setting up a poultry enterprise on a commercial or semi-commercial scale and are here to learn some basic management skills. It is only from practice and experience that the farmer will become an efficient poultry producer and this course forms the foundations of a successful poultry enterprise.
The other important aspect is that the farming of poultry must not harm the environment by polluting water ways with plastic bags, poultry waste or chemicals used in the farming industry for example. Each one of us has the responsibility to protect and improve the land we farm.
Any poultry farm will usually be part of a farming system (vegetables, plantation crops, gardens, special crops, trees, other livestock) and all parts must be catered for and must not be compromised. In other words a new poultry venture will likely be part of the existing system.
2
(a) Your first task is to introduce yourself and give us some information on your background. We would like to know what you do, why you are here and a little about your village and family
(b) Now that we know a little about you I will tell you a bit about myself
(c) I am sure that you may have some questions to ask. These may relate to the course or to any other matter. So please ask them
1.1 What will I learn from this course?
At the end of the course you should understand the basic facts about keeping poultry for egg production and meat production.
You should have a good knowledge of
their housing
the different systems of how chickens are kept
their feeding and management
health and hygiene
poultry farming is a business. It is essential to have a business plan
the importance of forming a poultry cooperative or forming an association of producers with the same interests in poultry production
3
1.2 Why keep chickens?
Can you make a list of reasons why people keep chickens? There are at least 6 reasons although not all of them apply to your particular situation. Write down what you think here and we will discuss them.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
I will add some of the most important reasons that relate particularly to the health of your children.
Chicken meat and eggs contain special proteins that:
Allow your children to grow strong Allow their brain to develop so that they will be clever at school
Allow pregnant mothers to produce healthy babies and to breast feed them
Allow children to be healthy and not to catch cold and coughs
Eggs and meat also contain vitamins and minerals that are essential in your diet
If you decide to raise poultry always remember to keep some meat and eggs for your own family to eat
4
1.3 The business of poultry farming
There are many small farmers that are making money out of raising meat birds (broilers) in developing countries. They buy day-old chicks from chick breeders who may be far away and usually sell them live after 7-8 weeks. They also buy their feed in from the nearest feed mill. This may be a long way away and this will mean that feed is expensive. They will need to sell their broilers at a high price.
Because of long distances, and because of unreliable transport, sometimes some chicks arrive sick or dead. If there are enough producers, they can form a co-operative and may be able to establish a small poultry hatchery (see section 14). This will help to make chicken meat production sustainable. A depot can be set up to purchase and store large amounts of feed to sell to the poultry keepers at a cheaper price. Egg producers may also benefit from such an arrangement.
Producing eggs is more difficult than broilers. The day-old chicks are very expensive and you have to wait more than 18 weeks before the hen will lay an egg. They are not easy to rear as they must be grown slowly and according to a plan. They also need to have good housing and nest boxes so there is a higher initial capital cost than growing meat birds. There is usually a shortage of eggs in villages and they may have to be transported long distances to customers so there is often great opportunity to farm commercial hens starting with a few and then expanding. The customer can purchase a few eggs at a time so the financial outlay is less than buying a broiler chicken.
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There may be opportunity for commercial egg production by starting in a small way. We will talk about this later
When you finish this course, we plan to be able to help you with your chicks, their feed supply and the trainers will be able to give you advice. You will see during the course that there are different ways to keep laying hens and broiler chickens
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1.4 Background information
You will need to look at all aspects of commercial poultry production before you decide to become a poultry farmer
This means that you will have to seek out information in a survey
On the basis of this information you will make a business plan. This will tell you how much money you can expect to make (or lose) each year
A good business plan will allow you to go to the bank to borrow money to get your commercial poultry farm started
You will not start with a feasibility study now but towards the end of the course when you will know more about poultry and what farming poultry entails. But you should look at this from time to time throughout the course at the questions that need to be answered so that you can gather the necessary information.
End of Unit I
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UNIT II
2. POULTRY BREEDS
There are many different breeds of chickens. We will only mention here those that have commercial potential (meat and/or eggs).
Dual Purpose. These are used to produce both meat and eggs such as Rhode Island Reds or Plymouth Rock.
Today, for large – scale commercial production they do not produce enough eggs
nor do they grow fast enough for meat production
they eat too much feed
they are not very efficient in converting feed to eggs and meat
Dual purpose breeds may have a role to play where it is not possible to get better breeds or conditions are not ideal or feed is not of the best quality
Special Breeds. These have been selected for egg production
the White Leghorn was very popular for many years
it has a small body (1.5 kg) and lays many white eggs
the Black Australorp is another popular breed
it is very docile (quiet) and lays a tinted (light brown) egg
it is medium-heavy body weight (2.2 kg) and therefore eats quite a lot of feed
it is good for free-range (out doors) conditions as it is not flighty
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Hybrids. In the commercial world today only hybrids (cross-breeds) selected for either meat or egg production (not both) are used. Because of hybrid vigour
they lay more eggs than special and dual purpose breeds
they lay large, brown or white eggs
they eat less feed per kg of weight gain for meat or per kg of eggs
the male chicks from hybrid layers grow very slowly and normally have to be killed. They are usually too expensive to rear but it depends on feed costs and circumstances
the hybrid broilers grow faster than pure breeds
they produce more meat especially breast meat than the pure breeds
Hybrid chicks are only available to the small farmer through a breeding company. The farmer will not have the parent breeding stock and therefore can not breed these chicks himself. Replacement pullets must be bought in but are not always available in remote areas.
EXERCISE
In a few words list all the characteristics (e.g. many brown/white eggs) that you
