Farmers Entrance, Author at Farmers Entrance

1. Ventilation
Is an important factor in moisture regulation in poultry houses because it allows for sufficient air circulation, which aids moisture evaporation. Reduced litter moisture will result in lower levels of free NH3 and CO2, which could lead to higher levels of air dust in poultry houses.

2. Temperature
It has a major impact on the clumping of litter materials into layers, a process known as caking. When a normal litter is squeezed, it can split quickly, but if the moisture content is high, it will stay moulded, and if the temperature is high, it will cause caking.

3. Water spillage
When using manual drinkers in poultry handled on a deep litter scheme, it is difficult, if not impossible, to prevent water spillage. Water lines with nipple drinking points will have some water spillage in semi-automated control systems, while water lines with nipple and cups will have limited water spillage.

4. Quantity of the litter material
If litter content is applied liberally to a desired thickness, the litter can absorb moisture enough, making birds more relaxed and allowing them to display some of their natural behaviors, thus improving bird health, efficiency, climate, and welfare.

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Poultry Farming

LITTER MANAGEMENT IN POULTRY FARMING (1)

August 20, 2024 2 Comments

INTRODUCTION

Proper Management is a vital key to a profitable poultry production business and an essential component of these is proper litter management. Every farmer willing to succeed in this business most find a way to master the act of proper liter management because it is the pre-cursor of many diseases on the farm but many farmers in Nigeria do not take it with the seriousness its deserves.

Poultry litter is a mixture of poultry excreta, spilled feed, feathers, and material used as bedding in poultry operations. This term is also used to refer to unused bedding materials. Poultry litter is used in confinement buildings used for raising broilers, pullets, turkeys, cockerel and other birds. Birds raised on free range do not need to be provided with litter as they can easily roam about and move freely without any form of restriction. Common bedding materials include wood shavings, sawdust, peanut hulls, shredded sugar cane, straw, and other dry, absorbent, low-cost organic materials and processed paper. Sand is also occasionally used as bedding though not a common practice. The commonest ones in Nigeria is wood shavings because of its availability all through the year and the relatively cheap its command – it’s even free in many rural farming communities.

Litter is an essential component in poultry production, because birds are exposed to the litter and its contents (microbes, moisture, ammonia, dust, odour, and texture) from the first day of life till cull or slaughter. It is instructive to note that Badly managed litter may and will facilitate the spread of certain infectious diseases, and also creates problems which may lead to serious economic losses on the part of the farmer. The “litter problems” have not yet been classified or identified specifically, since they are connected with other management problems as well. In essence, it may be difficult to strictly point to different types of litter problem in terms of classification because it is an all inclusive causality issues ranging from management to others.

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Poultry Farming

FACTORS TO CONSIDER BEFORE STARTING A POULTRY FARM

August 18, 2024 No Comments

The following factors are to be considered before starting a poultry farm:

1. Housing system
This is a very important factor you need to put into consideration, no matter the number of birds you are keeping the housing can make or destroy your success in poultry farming.

If you have successfully worked on the housing system more than 40% of problems have been solved. I have met some farmers who have poorly constructed houses. Some poultry diseases are as a result of poor housing. Ensure that you source for the services of a good poultry house mason. Note that housing is the second most expensive of the poultry venture after feeds.

2. Feed and feeding
You need to map out a feasibility studies on poultry farming before you kick-start anything this will go a long way to help you achieve your goals and succeed, feeds and feeding carries larger part of the expenses in a poultry farm and adequate plan towards feeding can help make the journey easier. You can choose either to produce your own feeds yourself or buy various stages feeds from feed mills. Proper feeding makes the birds grow well and to a larger extend their health is secured. Making your own feeds can cut the cost of production by 50%. New farmers should not make their own feeds until they break-even. Remember feed making increases the cost of raw materials as you will have to buy machineries like feed grinder/hammer mill and feed mixer which are very expensive. Farmers with over 500 birds can make their own feeds as this will prove economical.

3. Record keeping
This is another very important factor in poultry system management. A proper record keeping can foster your poultry business development, record keeping will help you determine your success and failures, flaws and where amendment is needed, keep a proper record for your poultry farm in order to increase your production level always. Some farmers don’t even know how many birds they have or the mortality level in their flock. I have been to some farms where a farmer requests me to count the birds for him/her during vaccination or debeaking because of poor records.

4. Changes and differences
You need to be sensitive to changes and differences in your poultry farm,
which includes the growth, feeding, their droppings, the laying capacities, number of birds, sound amongst others.

This will help you as a farmer to be sensitive to changes in the system. For instances: when layers are about to start laying, they makes a lot of noise, feeding rate and body weight increases, and sometimes when there is disease outbreak you can quickly take note of this happenings by their droppings, if it changes from what it use to be when they are healthy then something is wrong, you can call on your vet doctor for inspection. Be sensitive to regular changes in your poultry farm always.

5. Types of birds
This is another important factor you should consider in a poultry farming business what are the types of birds you want to raise? Chicken? (Layers or Broilers as applicable to other birds) Turkey? Goose? Duck? You should source for quality chicks from breeders. First generation chicks are the best. Only source chicks from reputable breeders.

6. Areas of concentration
This is a very important factor to consider in a poultry farming business. Do you want to keep them for: Egg production, meat production, breeding (hatching of
eggs into chicks), feed processing and production, packaging of poultry products, marketing and lots more?

7. Capital
Capital is one of the major factor that determine what happens and what goes on in the system. Capital is the fund (total amount of money you are investing into a business) the main reason why poultry needs enough fund is that you can’t be managing poultry birds you have to provide the best for them in order for you to get the required products at the end of your production.

8. Poultry Equipments and facilities

It is very important to get adequate equipment ready and set before starting a poultry farm so that you don’t get stocked on the way. Some of the necessary equipments includes:

-Feeders
-Drinkers
-Egg trays
-Heat source
-Waste disposal
-Incubator
-Culling cage/ Sick bay (for keeping sick birds)
-Clean water
-Feeds and so on.

9. Poultry location
Should be in a place the smell can not affect people living around them and disposal of waste is easy, actually you can run a poultry farm at home as well in your backyard but in a situation where you are considering thousands of birds, try and locate the house in an environment with less population of people and settlement so that you can run your business without any interference and disturbance.

When all the above factors are looked into then farmers will be successful at farming. We will no longer take poultry farming as a hobby but as a serious venture just as real estate and other serious business.

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Poultry Farming

COCCIDIOSIS (4)

August 17, 2024 No Comments

TREATMENT OF COCCIDIOSIS
Coccidiosis is by far more easily prevented than treated. However, treatment is reserved for when prevention has failed. Amprolium is one of the more popular drugs for the treatment of coccidiosis. Sulfonamides, such as sulfadimethoxine, can be administered in the drinking water for treatment under the direction of a licensed veterinarian.

Other medications such as kepcox, Vitacox, Embazin-forte can also be used to treat coccidiosis.

Regardless of it’s severity, you should consider prescribed treatment for coccidiosis. Medicating infected chickens will minimize the amount of coccidia oocysts expelled in their droppings. This self-limits the parasite faster, prevents the spread of the infection, and reduces the chance of reinfection.

READ ALSO: COCCIDIOSIS (3)

Medication can also minimize intestinal damage, relieve diarrhea to prevent dehydration, and prevent secondary infections from setting in. However, anticoccidial drugs are not an alternative to good management. They simply help control an infection to prevent it from becoming serious and fatal.

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Poultry Farming

COCCIDIOSIS (3)

August 15, 2024 No Comments

PREVENTION OF COCCIDIOSIS

One of the best ways to prevent a coccidiosis outbreak is by practicing responsible sanitation and litter management. Coccidia thrive in damp, warm conditions, so wet litter around the waterer is a virtual parasite paradise.

Here are some ways to prevent the outbreak of Coccidiosis

1. Keep the premises as dry as possible. Coccidia love moisture.

2. Never introduce new adult birds into your flock. Birds that appear healthy can be carriers of a number of deadly diseases.

3. Raise chicks in isolation. Mature birds can pass along diseases and parasites to vulnerable young birds.

READ ALSO: COCCIDIOSIS (1) & COCCIDIOSIS (2)

4. Thoroughly clean and disinfect the brooder between broods. This includes any equipment the chicks will come in contact with. Once the premises are dry, place four to six inches of dry, fresh litter material (wood shavings or a commercial absorbent litter material) on the floor.

5. Provide clean water at all times. A typical problem is that brooder bedding or dust (containing feces) gets scratched into the water source. If possible, elevate the waterer slightly. Clean waterers relentlessly. If you wouldn’t be willing to drink the water yourself, it’s not clean enough. And never let the waterer run dry—it will force the birds to search for water in puddles, which are almost certainly contaminated.

6. Provide clean bedding. Coccidia are spread through the feces of infected birds. If feces are in the bedding, they’re on the birds’ feathers. And if feces are on the feathers, the birds will ingest them while preening (using their beaks to clean themselves). Replace wet bedding around waterers and add bedding to any problem spots.

7. Let sunlight do some of the work. Coccidia hate sunlight. It’s a natural disinfectant. Incorporate as much natural sunlight into your brooder as possible.

8. Ask your veterinarian about vaccinating. A commercial coccidiosis vaccine is available, but it’s not beneficial for every flock. Consult your veterinarian before using the vaccine.

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Poultry Farming

COCCIDIOSIS (2)

August 14, 2024 No Comments

SYMPTOMS OF COCCIDIOSIS

Coccidiosis works quickly as the incubation period is only about eight days. Symptoms can present either gradually or suddenly. It’s possible for a chicken to appear fine one day and very sick or even dead the next day. The most common symptom you might notice is yellow foamy droppings or bloody droppings.

When Coccidiosis attacks birds it leads to sickness or death. If it’s not treated it can wipe away all birds because it spreads easily. Yellow foamy poops and bloody poops are signs of early stage and late stage of Coccidiosis. If you refuse to treat the yellow foamy poops of your birds, in no distant time, it will lead to bloody poops. At this point, mortality is inevitable

READ ALSO: COCCIDIOSIS (1)

The occurrence of Coccidiosis in battery cage system is very low compared to deep liter system

Most birds are affected at 5th week. It’s therefore, advisable to start giving then anticiccidiosis medications from 3rd or 4th week. Anticiccidiosis medication is both preventive and curative. Always remember, “prevention is better than cure”

READ ALSO: Sudden Death Syndrome in Broiler

Other symptoms of Coccidiosis include:

1. Weakness
2. Pale comb and skin
3. Loss of appetite
4. Ruffled or puffed up feathers
5. Loss of weight
6. Diarrhea
7. Poor Growth in Chicks

In Conclusion

Coccidiosis strive in pens that are unkept, warm and wet. If your farm is in any of these state, your birds are liable to contract coccidiosis.

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Poultry Farming

COCCIDIOSIS (1)

August 13, 2024 No Comments

WHAT IS COCCIDIOSIS?
Coccidiosis is an intestinal disease that occurs when a microscopic parasitic organism (called a protozoa) attaches itself to the intestinal lining of a chicken. It damages the tissue of the gut, causing bleeding (which can be evident in their droppings), prevents the chicken from absorbing nutrients and creates an environment in which bacteria can thrive. Basically, it is bad news for chickens. Younger chickens (under six months) are more at risk as they have not yet had time to develop their natural immunity, however adult birds can also become affected.

All chickens carry the coccidiosis organism in their bowels but only some will develop the disease. The disease starts with an unsporulated oocyst (a very simple analogy is to think of a microscopic egg), which is passed through a chicken’s droppings. An unsporulated oocyst can lay dormant in the soil for up to a year and doesn’t sporulate (become infectious) unless it gets the opportunity to sit for several days in wet and humid conditions, for example, in and around waterers and feeders that have not been cleaned properly.

When a chicken eats a sporulated oocyst, either through contaminated water and food or simply during its usual scratching around in the earth, the digestive acids of the chicken’s intestines will break down the hard protective layer of the oocyst. The oocyst will hatch and invade the cell lining in the small intestine. The parasite goes through several life stages, multiplying inside the chicken and at each stage rupturing more cells within the bowel, resulting in ulceration.

The coccidia oocyst will be expelled in the chicken’s poop and can then go on to cause infection to your other hens if they eat it.

There are several different strains of the parasite, some are more damaging than others, but you don’t need to know which species is causing the disease to treat it. In some cases, it may be several species of the parasite working together to cause coccidiosis.

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Poultry Farming

How to manage your poultry farm during the rainy season

August 12, 2024 No Comments

Poultry farmers are always keen to maintain their productivity levels during the rainy seasons.

A poultry farmer generally faces immense challenges from all quarters known and unknown. Even the chickens must adapt to the changing seasons to survive.

Farmers generally see a drop in egg production, rampant diseases, high cost of production, low utilisation of feed.

Here are some tips for how one can take care of the farm during rainy season.

1. Change in the feeding habit

As cool weather sets in, chickens tend to change their feeding habits as they perform fewer activities and huddle together to generate heat within their bodies to keep themselves warm. It is essential to provide chicken with high energy poultry feed. To ensure its energy requirement are met for chicken tend to eat more feed during the rainy seasons to perform its basic metabolic activities.

2. Prevalence of Diseases

During rainy season, there is the transmission of pathogens. Common diseases include respiratory distress, stained or coloured waste, diarrhoea, nervousness, loss of appetite, ruffled feathers, enlarged prostrate and swollen face. As a farmer, always keep the shed dry, do not serve caked feed, and provide antibiotics to boost their immune system.

3. Mud-Balls on chicken feet

Mud balls on a chicken feet is a common disease found during rainy seasons. When a chicken walks on wet floors they scratch the feet allowing the soil and manure to stick to the chicken’s claws. If the amount of mud tends to grow bigger, it can affect the walking posture of the chicken leading to broken toes. As a solution, the poultry floor must be kept clean and dry with sufficient bedding materials. Regular cleaning of dropping and changing bedding materials can diminish the spread of diseases.

4. Chicken Moulting

Chickens shed their old feathers for new ones to grow. The phenomenon usually takes place during shorter days and cooler temperatures. However, laying chicken stop laying during moulting and utilizes this period to build a nutrient reserve. It is necessary to provide the chickens with a high-quality diet even though they are not laying.

In Conclusion

Poultry farmers must follow adequate hygienic measures to curb the outbreak of any harmful poultry disease. The farmers need to understand the dynamics of poultry in the rainy season to maintain a higher yield.

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Poultry Farming

THE DOS AND DON’TS OF POULTRY FARMING

August 11, 2024 No Comments

The following dos and don’ts of poultry farming are very important for all poultry farmers and prospective poultry farmers to adhere to:

1. Don’t allow different people into your farm. Your farm isn’t a zoo.

2. Employ only experienced workers passionate to work on the farm, not someone that is heartless and nonchalant or never worked on a poultry farm before, they would mess things up for you unless you train them before allowing them to work independently. Majority of farms that closed down that I knew could be attributed to the farms’ unscrupulous employees.

3. Start small and grow big. Even if you have billions in your account, start small and let the profit determines expansion.

READ ALSO: Factors that Influence Egg Size

4. For beginners, start with about 500-1000 birds to test the waters, before pumping in more money. You will learn and make mistakes with that and then move on to a bigger size with that experience. You need a small quantity to build your customer base first so that when you eventually expand, you won’t
have a hard time selling your eggs or chickens.

5. Don’t take a loan to start a poultry farm until you have experience.

6. Keep a record of every penny you spent and the money you received. Good bookkeeping is key to your success, this applies also to backyard farmers.

ALSO READ: Grain Overload or Acidosis in Ruminant Animals

7. Keeping account of everything would help you know whether you are making a profit or farming at a loss.

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