Smart farms

: 29 September 2016; Hits: 11435

Farmer sells guinea pigs by roasting them for consumers

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A rabbit farmer, who visited a friend and found him rearing guinea pigs in the kitchen, has expanded his venture in the later livestock after learning they do not need special care to thrive.

Taita-Taveta County’s Joseph Mwashighadi was pleased by the rat-like creatures feeding on kitchen remains in the free-range system at his friend’s home in Wundanyi.

He bought two guineas pigs at Sh50 each in August 2015, but they have increased more than 50 since then.

Although he has not got a steady market for the guineas pigs, he sells about five per month at Sh250 by roasting them.

“Friends and other people who visit ask me to slaughter and roast the pigs for them. Some just enjoy it plain while others take the roast with them. Half a kilo of the guinea pig earns me Sh250,” he said.

On average, he sells five guinea pigs per month.

For the more than one year he has been rearing the pigs, Mwashighadi cannot place any cost of feeds because they rely on kitchen remains, grains and a few green matter. He simply said “they feed on anything just like rats”.

At the same time, they do not require much attention like rabbits. They only need a hiding place because of predators like hawks.

They give birth to two or three young ones after a 30 day’s gestation period and they mature after about three months.

At the moment, the Voi farmer has 38 mature guinea pigs, but he is looking forward to increasing their number after identifying a stable market.

PHOTO: mature guinea pigs play under a rabbit cage at Joseph Mwashighadi's home in Voi, Taita-Taveta County, on September 29, 2016. They are easy to keep because they feed on anything that is not poisonous like rats.PHOTO BY COURTESY.

Mwashighadi can be reached on +254720939630

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: 28 September 2016; Hits: 9975

Firm fixes boigas on loans

Small-scale dairy farmers can install adjustable plastic biogas digeters on loans, which are repaid in installments of up to 24 months.

GesiShamba Biogas Systems Coordinator George Mwangi said the flexible terms allow for farmers to pay as little as Sh3,600 per month for the smallest digester of two to three cows capacity.

“The programme targets farmers who cannot raise the whole amount at once, but still need this gas in cooking and other domestic uses,” he said.

There are three sets of the plastic digesters, whose prices and monthly installments vary. The down payment for the 24 months loans is uniform, Sh15,000, for the Medium, Large and X-large sizes.

The Medium size, which can process cow dung from two or three cows, requires Sh3,600 monthly installments. For those who can pay the amount in five months, they deposit Sh40,000 and remit Sh8,500 in installments.

For the Large and X-large, the monthly installment is Sh4,700 and Sh6,500 respectively for the 24month repayment plan.

Twelve-month repayment plan is allowed too.

The medium capacity digester can save a family of six between Sh18,000 and Sh20,000 spent in buying commercial cooking gas per year.

The amount of gas produced, Mwangi said, cooks for four to five hours non-stop in two burners running consecutively. The amount of dung required is 30kilos mixed with 30 litres of water.

In Nairobi, the cost of refilling a six-kilo gas cylinder is about Sh950.

Damacline Kemunto, a Nairobi resident who has a family of five, uses the same gas for about 20 days. That means she requires between 19 and 20 six-kilogramme cylinders a year. Nineteen of them cost Sh18,050-if the price is constant at Sh950.

GesiShamba helps farmers change the digesters for bigger or smaller ones to meet the size of their livestock.

For instance if one had the X-large biodigester for seven cattle and the stock reduces to two, the organisation replaces the X-large for the medium one.

Concrete or stone digesters are rendered obsolete when the number of cows cannot meet the capacity required.

PHOTO: Courtesy of GesiShamba.

Mwangi can be reached on +254723114472.

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: 28 September 2016; Hits: 15955

Molasses secures livestock silage for over a year for farmers

Farmers can store excess livestock feeds for more than one year by adding sugarcane molasses to the silage for preservation.

Molasses, which is a by-product of sugarcane, takes about 18 months to crystalise or turn mouldy. After that period, the sugary substance may not release enough organic acid required to prevent the feeds from rotting.

Nyeri County farmer and molasses supplier Boniface Mwangi said molasses initiate fermentation process, which generates organic acids as a result of microbial anaerobic respiration.

“The presence of oxygen causes decomposition of organic matter. Organic acids produced after fermentation prevents decomposition of the silage. After silage making, the fodder remains fresh and compact with the nutrients intact,” Mwangi said.

Molasses liquid is sprinkled over compacted silage after about 20cm in depth. Apart from the sugar keeping the fodder together, it adds flavor that boosts livestock appetite.

Maize, Napier grass, rice straws and other silage materials are stored in pits dug into the soil. Large polythene bags are packed with the chopped feed to appear like a cylinder. Large heaps can also be stored whereby pits are dug and a polythene lining is laid at the bottom and at the top.

No matter the choice of storage, the pits have to be done under sheds to prevent direct sunlight.

At least 40 litres of the molasses can be added to 1.5 tonnes of silage. At the same time, 20 litres of the molasses have to be diluted by 40 litres of water to reduce the sugar concentration, Mwangi said.

For best results, the fodder must not have more than 70 per cent moisture. In case, for instance the Napier grass has been harvested after rains or from water lodged areas, they have to be wilted a bit. To confirm the moisture is below the required level, a farmer can twist a handful of the material by free hand. If droplets are released, then the moisture content is above the recommended percentage.

Mwangi cautions farmer that after opening the silage, it should be sealed immediately to prevent entry of oxygen. Any entry of oxygen initiates rotting.

Because of the sugary flavour, livestock feed more of the fodder and take in more water, translating to improved milk output.

Molasses milk booster feed offers dairy farmers cheap alternative:

Silage is used alongside other feed to boost milk production. At the same time, excess feeds can be stored for later use, for instance when it is dry.

PHOTO: Tractor slashing and packaging silage into polythene bag for storage. Addition of molasses increases the shelf-life and the flavour of the silage for better feeding.

PHOTO BY IRISH FARMERS JOURNAL.

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