Good and Poisonous /unpalatable green feeds to poultry
Good green feeds to poultry Poisonous/unpalatable green feeds
a) Macdonald (Kafumbe omukazi)
b) Black jack (Ssere)
c) Asystasia schimperi (Temba)
d) Vermonia amygydalina (Omululuuza)
e) Kisanda
f) Amaranthus (Ddodo)
g) Pawpaw leaves
h) Ascalepias simulunata (Akabombo)
i) Marmodica fortida (Ebbombo)
a) Datura stromonium (Amaduudu)
b) Ferns (Kayongo)
c) Fresh cassava leaves
d) Fresh sweet potato leaves
e) Tobacco leaves
f) Nicotina rustica (Ssetaaba)
g) Castor oil leaves (Ricinus communis)
h) Siyesbeckaia orientalis (Sseziwundu)
i) Sunflower leaves
j) Irish potato leaves
k) Tomato leaves
l) Dichrocephata latifolia (Bbuza)
m) Tagetes munital (Kawunyira)
n) Pumpkin leaves (Essunsa)
3. Selective Breeding
Even in the local birds, there are some laying strains and those that can be
developed for meat production.
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a) Selecting indigenous Egg Strains from the local stock
• These are usually small chickens with elongated bodies
• They have tail feathers that stand higher than their head
• They are usually birds that lay 25 eggs and above in one laying
season under the unimproved situation
• When improvement is done in feeding, disease and parasite
control, etc. such birds may not go broody.
Physical
features
to guide
you when
selecting
indigenous
egg strain
birds.
Physical
features
to guide
you when
selecting
indigenous
broiler strain
birds.
b) Selecting broiler strain from indigenous stock
• These are usually birds whose bodies do not spread out
• They are compact and if you follow their bodies, you can draw a circle
around them.
• After selection, the birds in these lines should be bred. Selection and
breeding takes a lot of time and effort but we must get started.
The following should be observed in rearing local chicken:
• Vaccination against Newcastle disease
• De-worming
• Remove mites and lice manually or better still using medicated powder
• Provide water as much as possible
• May supplement free range with other feeds e.g. maize bran and
concentrates
• Avoid buying chicken in dry seasons because diseases, especially Newcastle,
are more rampant in dry seasons
• Avoid buying birds when there is a disease outbreak
• Buy birds of almost the same age i.e. 2-3 months are more ideal. Avoid
buying old birds
• Plan for synchronised mating and therefore synchronized reproduction
and production to ease management
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How to programme/synchronise local birds
a) Assume a farmer has 14 local hens and 2 indigenous cocks
b) Give each bird own nest when they start to lay. A builder’s kalai is ideal
because it is metallic and can easily be disinfected by heating on fire. Put
ash in kalai first then dry grass on top.
c) Boil one egg from each bird and put it in nest as a landmark for each hen.
Mark the egg.
d) Remove eggs that are laid on the day they are laid. Write dates on them
using pencil and store them together on trays with broad end facing up.
Leave boiled egg in nest.
Precaution during egg storage
(i) Do not store eggs in a kitchen where it is hot. Heat may partially incubate
the egg and kill the embryos in them
(ii) Do not store them on top of a cupboard because heat from roof may
incubate them.
(iii) Keep eggs in a cool secure place.
Egg collection.
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Incubation by mother hens
(i) Usually one bird starts incubating by staying overnight on the boiled egg.
Leave this hen on the boiled egg for 10 days while it is waiting for other
birds
(ii) After the 10 days, give all the birds that would have started incubating
(within the 10 days) 17 selected but recently laid eggs
(iii) Leave the birds that refuse to incubate alone
(iv) If you want to eat or sell, eat/sell those which were laid first (old ones).
(v) Avoid giving these eggs to birds: very small, round eggs, very dirty, cracked
eggs, extremely pointed eggs, very big eggs, very old eggs.
(vi) When done this way, all birds will hatch on the same day. An egg takes 21
days, 6 hrs to hatch.
Eggs can also be collected and taken to a hatchery instead of incubation by mother
hens.
4. Economics of production
• Usually 80% of hens are programmable i.e. 11 in this example
• If each is given 17 selected eggs (11x17 =187 eggs)
• Hatchability is usually 90% i.e. (11x15= 165 day old chicks)
• 3 to 5 hatchings are possible per bird though 7 hatchings are possible if
birds sit on the eggs consecutively.(You must provide adequate water and
feed)
• Remember to change water frequently
• Therefore with 14 birds, a farmer may hatch (4x165) =495 to (5x165) =
825 chicks with possibility of 1159 chicks if seven hatches are attained per
year.
General Disease control Practices
The following can only be used as guidelines for disease control, for proper disease
diagnosis and treatment, consult the veterinarian.
• Don’t overcrowd brooders
• Adequate ventilation
• Feed must be of good quality
• Give clean water ad-lib
• Don’t mix young and older birds
• Clean poultry house
• Dispose of dead birds quickly and isolate sick ones
• Provide disinfectant at entrance to house
• NB: Antibiotics should never be used to replace good management
and should be used on prescription by a veterinarian.
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Signs of ill health
o Dullness
o Reduced feed intake
o Reduced water intake
o Low egg production
o Reduced growth rate
o Rough coat
Record keeping
