Smart farms

: 25 June 2019; Hits: 16053

How to stop your one day old chicks from dying

Farmers can avert drastic and immediate death of day-old chicks soon after introducing them into the new brooders by offering clean water and ensuring the temperature is kept between 32 and 34 degrees Celsius.

A 2018 research published in the African Journal of Poultry Farming revealed that more than half of hatched chicks for instance are lost due to mismanagement. The research which was conducted in Ada’a district of Eastern Shoa zone, Ethiopia was done to investigate the major causes of chicken mortality under village production system.

Three or four days to the end of brooding period, chicks absorb all liquid in the egg. The moisture would keep them going until they get water after hatching.

Mary Njeri, the owner of Poultry Farm Hatchery said chicks can be vaccinated and all other pre-transportation arrangements made but dehydration and new environment shock can lead to losses of the chicks.

Biogas heater reduces chicks brooding energy cost to zero

Technology company launches digital smart brooder that monitors chicks brooding space

brooding chicks

The poultry rearing and incubation expert said it is not easy to tell when the chicks need water for instance. But ferrying them can lead to reduced water in the system, therefore, affecting normal body functions.

“Temperature on arrival must be between 32 degrees Celsius and 34 degrees Celsius. Water is necessary before they start feeding. Sufficient clean water must be provided as one of the way of making the brooder friendly,” she said.

One day old chicks are delicate, overcrowded brooders therefore also present stressful moments for the new chicks, which affects development as they adapt to the new environment.

A spacing of 25 chicks per square metre is recommended for the layers. Twenty broiler chicks can cover one metre square space.

Depending on the type of heat source being used, 1,000 chicks would be comfortable with a hover while 200 would be stress free with one infrared bulb.

Chicks crowding at the source of heat indicate that the brooder is cold while moving to the periphery means it is too hot.

Forming a pyramid-like file from the center of heat towards one corner of the brooder signifies drought or strong cold wind.

“Contaminated feeds or infection from the hatchery can also cause deaths of such young chicks soon after introduction into the new set of conditions,” said Mary.

Besides buying feeds from recognized suppliers, general cleanliness while handling all equipment and disinfecting oneself before entering the rearing region averts chick deaths.

The Nakuru County farmer sells a day-old kienyeji chick at Sh90 while a KARI one costs Sh100. Kuroiler chicks fetches Sh110 each.

Mary Can be reached on +254719216513 or her husband Chege on +25472501209

Write comment (0 Comments)

: 24 June 2019; Hits: 13886

Pawpaw farming promises brighter future for a missionary

migori pawpaw farmers being trained Samuel Mutegi Njeru in black shirt of Grate Lakes Breeders Ltd (GLBL) training pawpaws farmers in Migori County on farm management. Photo courtesy.

A missionary who ventured into pawpaw farming in Migori County, Kenya is looking forward for a brighter future after ignoring the normal maize and beans that many farmers in the area are growing and which have faced marketing challenges in the country.

Current intake price of maize, for example, by the National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) stands at Sh3,200 a 90-kilo bag while just 50 kilos of pawpaw fruits can fetch up to Sh7,500 in Nairobi.

Peter Owino is one such farmer who while peers are struggling with the cereals’ prices has venture into the fruit production for a better and long term income after learning the art of farming pawpaw from Grate Lakes Breeders Ltd (GLBL), a company which sensitize, recruit and coordinate the pawpaw production process as well as harvesting in Western Kenya.

“Apart from getting the knowledge from GLBL experts, I also lived in Kericho County for about 10 years. During the time I could see farmers and traders from Kisii and Molo come with different farm produce to sell. Most of them were short term crops with good returns and that is how I developed the interest in fruits and vegetables,” said the 2015 theology graduate from Christian Life International Bible College.

Owino then sold his two cows and realized Sh43,000 when he relocated to his rural home at Bware in Uriri Sub-County, Migori. This money became his capital which he used to purchase his first 350 seedlings at Sh50 each spending a total of Sh17,500.

He bought three varieties of pawpaw which include Solo, Sunrise, Red royale F1 and Malkia F1 varieties which have different qualities and characteristics complementing each other.

“Red royale F1, for example, is an improved breed that gives good quality fruits weighing 1.7-2.3kgs which have red attractive colour and are very sweet while Solo is hermaphroditic producing small round sweet fruits with uniform sizes and shape,” said Owino.

The rest of the money he used drugs, fertiliser and labour which are continuous farm inputs which are needed at various stages of production.

Owino has three acres of family land but pawpaw fruit occupies a 50m by 80m piece of plot while the rest of the land is occupied by a homestead and other crops and farm animals such as rabbits.

He uses human, animal and farm wastes as manure which he deposits in a 2.5x2.5ft dug holes at a spacing of 6x6ft.

He advises that when planting a farmer should ensure that the number of male plants is fewer as compared to those of females.

“I lost some plants at flowering which I uprooted because there were many males than females and this could mean more investment but less produce. The number of females to males should be at the ratio of 25:1,” he said.

Owino who planted the fruits last year March-April long rain period in the country has started enjoying the fruits of his labour after nine months wait pawpaw maturity period.

“I started harvesting last month and I have harvested three times. The first time I harvested 12kg then 15 and the latest is 40kg with production increasing by every harvest due to different flowering time,” said Owino.

Harvesting happens continuously at an interval of every 7-10 days for five years which is the lifespan of the fruit.

He sells the fruits to Kenya Papaya Products Ltd which buys the produce at Sh40 per kilo and with the increase in production, Owino hopes that in the near future he will be harvesting more for better income.

Apart from just harvesting the fruit, there is wet latex harvesting which the company buy the produce at Sh200 a kilo. He says that ten well-managed trees can give a farmer a kilo of latex after every 14 days.

"Another good thing with pawpaws is that it can be intercropped with other low growing crops such as kales, onions, cabbages, chillis and beans among others.

His main challenges include attaching of the crop by diseases such as blight and limited water, especially during dry seasons. The crop needs a steady supply of water especially during flowering and fruiting stages.

Peter Owino can be reached on +254 721 142 864 while Kenya Papaya Products Ltd on +254 773 052 704

Write comment (0 Comments)

: 21 June 2019; Hits: 12225

Local feed mix reduces production costs for Kisii County poultry farmer

Feeding Indigenous Chicken

Feeding chicken on locally mixed feeds is helping farmers save the cost of poultry production which is about 70 per cent in Kenya. Photo courtesy.

One poultry farmer is saving about nine shillings per kilo on commercial feed by mixing course maize flour with omena residue, a process which he says is reducing the cost of production while increasing the profits margins.

Meshack Mogaka, who rears chicken upon orders from customers, said the local mixing has saved him from incurring extra costs in commercial feeds to get same results as for more than two years. Before, he was using feed bought from the shop.

“Business is about making profits after satisfying the customer. From every six kilos of the locally made feeds, I save about Sh50. The amount makes sense when dealing with large quantities of feeds and high numbers of chicken,” he said.

Mogaka buys low-grade maize from farmers, at between Sh20 and Sh25 per a two-kilogramme tin. The tin is ground into coarse flour at Sh15. The total expenditure amounts to Sh40 for the two kilos.

For every six kilogrammes of grade three maize flour, he adds one kilogramme of the red omena residue, which he said is richer in proteins and other nutrients than commercial feeds.

He spends Sh220 in processing the six kilos, whose commercial equivalent cost is Sh270.

Gradual stopping commercial feeds

“Soon after hatching, I offer the chicks ordinary commercial chick mash until after five weeks before gradually introducing the local mix. By the start of the sixth week, they are on the local feed. It is done gradually to avoid feeding stress in the young birds,” he said.

Proteins are important in body building.

At the same time, the digestive system of the broilers, kinyeji, Kenbrow, or indigenous chicks at six weeks can handle the feed.

Because his main target is meat, the farmer gives the poultry the feeds until maturity. In ensuring the birds get extra minerals that may not be in the greens and the local mix, he allows them to move around the homestead in the afternoons as he watches.

As a strategy of reducing operational costs, Mogaka maintains low stocks when he has no orders to deliver. At the moment, he has five improved kinyeji, 10 Kenbrows and 10 broilers.

The broilers are 10 after he recently sold 40 of them at Sh400 to Kisii hotels.

His Kenbrow cock was the champion in Kisii County Agricultural Society of Kenya, 2016 edition, after clocking six kilos at eight months. He said the cock is worth Sh2,500 while another six-month one, which was weighing five kilos could fetch Sh2,200.

Write comment (1 Comment)

Tuesday, 29 June 2021 good info thanks