Eco woods farm Transforming the Poultry Farming in Kinyamaseke

 

The growth and transformation of the poultry farming to bring major developmental opportunities for the people of Kinyamaseke

At Eco Woods Farm located in Kiyamaseke Town Council, we believe that, poultry contributes to improving human nutrition and food security by being a leading source of high-quality protein in the form of eggs and meat. It acts as a key supplement to income from crops and other livestock enterprises, thus avoiding over-dependency on traditional commodities with inconsistent prices.

Eco woods farm is setting up a demonstration poultry unit to facilitate learning to the youth and women, whose interests are in becoming self-reliant. Over time, people develop their own resources and capacities that ultimately support self-reliance, especially through the creation of vibrant innovations for a healthy life.

Poultry farming is a type of animal husbandry that involves raising birds for the purpose of producing meat, eggs, and feathers.

Poultry farming at Eco Woods Farm encompasses different categories, including chickens, ducks, turkeys, geese, guinea fowls, Pigeons and quail. The methods employed in poultry farming consist of free-range systems, deep litter systems, and the use of folds, among others.

The poultry industry can be categorized into two main production methods: village flocks and commercial farms. Village flocks are characterized by small numbers of birds kept by each household and play a vital role in supplying eggs and meat in rural areas, currently we are practicing this approach.

Eco Woods Farm is fully aware that, the success of the poultry industry relies on several factors, including the availability of high-quality day-old chicks, top-notch feeds, financial support through individual savings, loans and credit schemes, affordable poultry inputs , efficient marketing, and transport systems, training programs for farmers in both marketing and poultry production, effective disease control measures, and consideration of poultry production policies for imported birds by a regulatory body. 

Reasons to Encourage Poultry Production

Encouraging poultry production is beneficial for several reasons. Firstly, it provides income to farmers and contributes to the overall income of the country. Second, it helps diversify the national economy. Poultry production also addresses the issue of malnutrition, as poultry meat and products are highly nutritious.

Furthermore, poultry offers quick returns, enabling faster growth of the enterprise. Poultry has a high production rate, which encourages specialization. With the rapidly growing population, there is a need for small animals that require minimal land, making poultry production essential.

Poultry production also stimulates ancillary businesses and creates employment opportunities, such as farm supply shops. Lastly, poultry manure can be utilized as organic fertilizer for gardens, benefiting agriculture.

Characteristics of Poultry

Poultry farming is highly adaptable and can be conducted under a wide range of conditions, including extreme hot and cold weather. Poultry has a short generation interval, allowing for faster returns per unit of time. Poultry products, such as eggs and meat, have good keeping qualities and do not require extensive preservation methods.

Additionally, small-scale poultry production requires low investments due to the small size of the birds. Poultry products are also rich in proteins, making them highly nutritious for human consumption. Lastly, poultry can be integrated with other agricultural enterprises, such as crops.

Poultry Management

It has a high potential to increase household income through sales of poultry products to the community and neighboring countries. Poultry is highly valued in many social-cultural functions such as traditional functions and festivals. The modern poultry farming in Kiyamaseke is relatively new.

Its major problem is therefore associated with its further expansion, although care must be taken seriously to avoid death or overproduction.

Systems of Management

·         Free range

·         Semi-intensive

·         Intensive

The industry is characterized by widely diverse methods of production which include the following: village flocks, small-scale commercial flocks and large-scale commercial farms.

Constraints in poultry production include: production related constraints (inadequate access to improved breed, access and affordability of feed, disease control); lack of knowledge and skills, inadequate capital at all levels and marketing.

Essential Features of a Poultry House

·         Building a large poultry house ideal for chickens

·         Be rainproof

·         Be safe from windy rains

·         Have smooth surface walls to stop mites and other pests from hiding

·         Periodically spraying the poultry unit with insecticide and disinfectants

·         Periodically removing the dropping/cleaning the poultry house regularly

·         Have good ventilation and in hotter areas at least 2 sides should be mostly chicken wire mesh

·         Preferably have cemented floors for ease of cleaning and disinfecting

·         Be rat-proof

·         Using plenty of litter after cleaning the poultry house

·         Keeping the right number of birds in poultry houses

·         Separating chicks from old birds

 

Management of Chicks

Before chicks arrive at home; make sure that;

·         A brooder is in place

·         Paraffin lamps/electric bulbs/charcoal stoves are available

·         Litter for the floor is available

·         1m2 will accommodate 20 chicks up to 4 weeks old.

·         Temperature control: 350C for day-old chicks, 24-270c for 1 week.

·         Reduce heat as they grow especially at night.

Feeding Exotic Chicken

    Broilers – 1 to 3 weeks feed with chick mash, 3 to 6 weeks feed with broiler starter, thereafter with broiler finisher.

    Layers – 1 to 8 weeks feed on chick mash, after 8 weeks introduce growers mash gradually, then with layers mash after dropping of first egg

General Disease Control Practices for Poultry

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.

Signs of ill health

·         Dullness

·         Reduced feed intake

·         Reduced water intake

·         Low egg production

·         Reduced growth rate

·         Rough coat

Record keeping in Poultry Farming

·         Production data eg number of eggs produced

·         Amount of food eaten

·         Health interventions eg treatment

·         Death

·         Sales and purchases

Layers

Layer poultry farming means raising eggs laying poultry birds for the purpose of commercial egg production. Layer chickens are such a special species of hens, which need to be raised from when they are one day old.

Characteristics of a good layer

·         Bright red comb and wattles

·         alert eyes

·         Width between pelvic bones should measure at least 2 fingers

·         The beak and claws should look bleached

·         The cloaca should be moist

Management of Layers

·         Allow for good air circulation in laying house

·         Layer needs on average 120 gm of food per day

·         Distribute food troughs and water troughs evenly (one basin/50 birds)

·         Provide grit at 20 weeks

·         Laying nests must be kept in dark places, collect eggs 3 times a day, allow a nest/5 chickens

·         Provide soft clean litter

·         Store eggs with small end down

·         Clean dirty eggs with steel wool/coarse leaves (never wash them)

·         Add greens to the diet and whenever possible vitamins to water

·         De-beaking at onset of lay

·         Culling when egg production drops below 40%

Broiler Chicken

Broiler chickens (Gallus domestics) are a domesticated fowl, a subspecies of the Red Junglefowl, bred and raised specifically for meat production.

Typical broilers have white feathers and yellowish skin. Most commercial broilers bred for meat reach slaughter weight at between 5 to 7 weeks of age, although slower growing strains reach slaughter weight at approximately 14 weeks of age. Because of this young age, much of their behavior and physiology is that of an immature bird.

Broiler chickens in Uganda are normally kept successfully under the intensive system of poultry management. The intensive system also includes two subsystems:

The semi-intensive system, in which a small number of birds are produced in complete confinement, and the industrial system in which a large number of birds are raised based on industrial principals where value is added to every unit of input along the production chain to give high value products (chicken) to meet an identified need particularly in urban markets.

How to Feed & space your Broiler birds right in Uganda

You need to understand that feed is and will form the largest cost of production for your broiler chicken in Uganda. Feeding alone can eat up between 60-70% of your total production costs. You must therefore take care to prevent feed waste on your broiler firm in Uganda and ensure that the feed you have put is utilized as efficiently as possible.

Before you even make an order of your one-day old broiler chicks be sure that your total feed requirement for these birds to market weight is calculated. And you should also make sure that as a smart broiler farmer in Africa, the supply of these feeds for your birds is guaranteed.

Your Broiler birds could grow within a period of Six (6) to Eight (8) weeks to about 1.6 -2.2Kg which would be ideal for selling on the Ugandan markets.

Feeds per broiler chicken in Uganda are estimated at 2.2kg for a period of 8 weeks at slaughter age. With a Feed Conversion Rate (FCR) of 2.5, the feed quantity consumed per bird is: 2.5 X 2.2 = 5.5 Kg

Feed ratios in Uganda are as follows:

·         You start by feeding your broilers with broiler starter for 3 weeks and you give broiler finisher for the rest of the growing period.

·         Broiler starter per bird: 1.5-2.0 kg, consumed for 0-3 weeks

·         Broiler finisher per bird: 3.5-4.0 kg, consumed for 4-7 weeks

·         A bag of 70kg of broiler finisher and broiler starter each cost UGX25,000 (check current price)

·         Each Kg therefore costs Ushs 360 (check current price)

·         A bird consumes 6kg from day old to time of sale. This translates to Ush 2,160 per bird. Since the average price of a bird is Ushs 6,000 (check current price). The cost of feeding is 2,160 ÷ 6,000 = 1/3 the price of an adult chicken.

·         With regard to spacing, you will have to plan for Eleven (11) to thirteen (13) broilers per square meter.

·         Feeding space is about 4cm per bird for the long feeder and 2.5cm per bird when using the round feeder.

·         For drinking space plan 2cm per bird for the long drinkers and 1.5cm per broiler bird for the round drinkers.

·         To avoid food waste, you should never fill the feeders to more than one third.

·         And your feeders should never be empty if you want your birds to grow well.

·         Expect average mortality of 3-6%, meaning, if you're keeping 100 birds expect that 3 to 6 of your broiler birds will die even when you have kept all our tips to the letter.

·         Make sure your broiler drinkers always have clean fresh water because the birds drink 2.5 to 3 times more the amount of feed they have eaten depending on the weather.

How to Control Poultry Diseases on your Broiler Farm in Africa

·         As broiler chickens live closer together, your broiler chicken house floor should be covered with about Six (6) inches of litter (wood shavings or coffee husks).

·         You need to do your best to keep this litter dry because dump, moist and caked litter will bring diseases to your broiler birds and cause slow growth.

·         For this reason, you thus need to build a well-ventilated poultry house and you should not leave curtains hanging. You also need to keep regularly turning your litter.

·         Be sure to immunize your broiler chicken against the deadly New Castle Disease and Gumboro.

How to vaccinate your Broiler chicken right

·         Always follow the vaccination program.

·         Note and avoid using expired vaccines

·         Ensure proper storage and transportation of vaccines

·         Always use distilled (or boiled and cooled) water to prepare your vaccines

·         Give vitamins in water after vaccination

Typical vaccination schedule for Broiler chickens in Uganda:

• 1st WEEK- New Castle 1 is given intra ocular, meaning the route of administration is by Eye drop.

• 2nd WEEK – Gumboro 1 is given by Eye drop as well

• 3rd WEEK – Give Gumboro 2 by eye-drop

• 4th WEEK – Give New Castle 2 La Sofa in drinking water

How to give treatment to your broiler birds

·         Follow the manufacturer's instructions for each drug

·         Do not use expired drugs

·         Follow the withdrawal period (from treatment to consumption)

·         Be sure to administer strong anti-biotics along with vitamins to reduce stress

Common Drug Treatment you might give your Broiler Chicken in Uganda

• Chick formula given as 1 teaspoon in 5L water

• Fuzol

• Mayan formula

• Ascarex used for De-worming birds, you mix 30gms to 20L water

• Oxyveto treats a variety of diseases: Urinary tract infections and chronic respiratory tract diseases. You mix 40 mls in 10L of water

• Sulfur dime Controls dysentery and acute chlorella you mix 2 to 3 tablespoons in 5L of water

• Mycomas Controls chlorella and flue you mix 2 mls in 2L of water

• Fuzol liquid is given after you've mixed 2 to 3 tablespoons in 5L of water

• Aminovit Provides vitamins, mix 2 – 3 tablespoons in 5L of water

• Vitalylate powder Boots vitamins in birds you mix 2 – 3 tablespoons in 5L of water

• Norocleanse Disinfectant spray poultry unit mix 10 mls in 30L water before you spray

• Levicide poultry (liquid) is used for De-worming

• Flumequine Treatment for flue mix 1 tablespoon in 1L of water

• Amprolium is used to Control coccidiosis

• Cocci plus is also used to Control coccidiosis

• Oxytetocycline is used to control fever, you mix 1 teaspoon in 5L of water

• Neoceryl treats Newcastle Disease you mix 1 tablespoon in 10L water

• Anflox treats Typhoid, you mix 1 ml in 1L of water

• Oxytetracycline (Anti-biotic) treats Fever and wounds you mix 1 teaspoon in 3 – 5 L water

• Erythromyaria treats Respiratory infections, you mix 1 teaspoon in 3L water/1 tablespoon in 10L water

• DuDu dust used against Fleas, you Sprinkle in the feathers

• Cox – Plus oxytetracycline (Antibiotic) treats Fowl poxs you mix 1 Tablespoon in 10L water

• Tetracycline 25% is used to treat Gomborro IBD, you mix 1 tablespoon in 20 L of water

How to build a good poultry house for your broilers

Your poultry house should be tall enough with wide window frames having wire mesh to enable free aeration. Good ventilation will remove excess heat, dust and other dangerous gases. Where possible, your poultry house floor should be concrete to guard against rodents like rats and to ensure thorough cleaning and disinfection.

Common poultry house building materials

• Iron sheets

• Plain nails

• Bags of cement

• Roofing nails

• Wire mesh.

• Bricks

• Wood

How to prepare for your Broiler Chicks before they arrive

·         Organize your market well in advance, good not to start if you don't have a market strategy

·         Book quality broiler chicks from a reputable supplier

·         Clean and disinfect your broiler chicken house and let it rest for 7 to 14 Days

·         Clean and disinfect your equipment

·         Ensure that you have enough charcoal to heat your brooder

·         Construct the brooder guards within your poultry house using 2ft high hardboards. You need only 4 boards for every 300 chicks

·         3 hours before your broiler chicks arrive, put on the heat to attain a temperature of 34 Degrees centigrade.

·         Make a glucose solution in a ratio of 1kg to 10 liters of water

·         Place your drinkers and feeders around the heat source.

What to do when your broiler chicks arrive

·         Count the chicks to ensure that you know the starting number and that you've got what you paid for.

·         Place the chicks near your heat source within the brooder

·         Feed your chicks on Broiler starter mash

·         Maintain the correct temperature for your chicks

o   WEEK – 32-34⁰C

·         1-2 WEEKS- 30⁰C

·         2-3 WEEKS - 28⁰C

·         3-4 WEEKS - 26⁰C

·         4-8 WEEKS – 20-25⁰C

Use a reflector to ensure that the heat reaches your chicks

Increase the space as the chicks grow. You may have to remove the brooder ring between 7-10 days. Your broilers will occupy the full space of the chicken house within about 4 weeks.