Smart farms

: 12 July 2016; Hits: 11132

Sigona multistoried poultry farm attracting international visitors

poultry chicken feed

A Sigona farmer who has learnt to maximize a small land and diversify in farming by rearing chickens, rabbits, and farming onions, strawberries, and vegetables is now attracting agribusiness minded visitors who come to benchmark on the practice.

Amos Ndung'u the owner of Sigona Rabbit and Poultry Farm, and former telecommunications technician at Airtel decided to steer off investment options that were a favourite among his friends like investing in shares and real estate. He never regretted.

His farm located near the Nakuru-Nairobi highway has become a model farm with farmers from as far as Japan and Britain visiting him to learn about the success of his venture.

The farm is home to 200 different rabbit breeds and 300 birds. Some of the rabbit breeds include Angora, Chinchilla Earlops and New Zealand among others while birds like guinea fowls, bantams, doves and indigenous (Kienyeji) chickens can also be found there. But it is the way that birds and rabbits are housed that catches everyone's attention.

Rabbits are housed in a one-storey cage which has been raised a metre from the ground to keep off rodents.

A slanting polythene paper that sits between the lower and upper floors harvests the urine while ensuring that the waste from rabbits in the upper floor doesnt harm those in the lower floor.

“This is one of the easiest ways to rear rabbits and poultry and that is why I went for it. I dont have to worry about space as I would if I was rearing cows,” he said.

The structures are made of various materials including wire mesh, iron sheets, cement and wood. He has perfected the art of making the cages, which is now seeing him turn it into a business venture. He sells the cages and pens at Sh5,000.

Based on the breed of the rabbit he sells rabbits at between Sh3500 and Sh4,000 with the rabbit meat going at Sh600 a kilo and rabbit manure at Sh300 for a 50 kilo bag.

“That is the other beauty of rearing the rabbits. It means there is so much you can earn from the rabbit. I also sell the urine and the skin. By the time you are selling the rabbit and its components you have earned something to the tune of between Sh6,000 and Sh8,000,” he added.

His chickens go for Sh1,000 with a tray of eggs selling at Sh500 and Sh1000 for the fertilized ones.

“But it is not always rosy in this venture. One needs to know that these two livestock are the most sensitive to feeding and hygiene. A farmer intending to try their hand in rearing them must equally invest a lot in taking care of them and feeding them well. This for example means having a veterinary officer checking the status of the livestock even when they are healthy. Diseases like Newcastle in birds can wipe them within minutes,” Amos said.

And to further utilize his farm and take advantage of any remaining space, Amos is also growing vegetables like onions, spinach and strawberries through plastic pipes. He fills the soil in the pipes having mixed it with fertilizers, water the pipes then plant the seedlings. He is able to earn up to Sh20,000 a month from the sale of the vegetables and strawberries.

“It is an open secret that we no longer have enough land. But we have to keep our people fed. So the idea is to get smart and learn to optimize small pieces of land. Demand for food is rising. We need to focus on how we can meet it despite dwindling land for cultivation,” he said.

For more information contacts below:

Amos Ndungu

Number: 0725645250

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: 11 July 2016; Hits: 15102

Cow mattress can earn dairy farmers over Sh3,000, cut mastitis

Dairy farmers can earn an extra of Sh3,000 from milk by letting their cows lie on a waste rubber-made mattress after feeding.

John Muya, the production manager of DelLava InServices, said that cows which rest on mattresses increase milk production by 10 per cent to 12 per cent because of the comfort they receive.

“A comfortable sleeping zone gives the cow peace of mind to concentrate on milk synthesis. Free flow of blood during resting ensures that there is uninterrupted conversion of feeds into soluble nutrients, before being turned into milk,” Muya said during the Nakuru Agricultural Society of Kenya show 2016.

Cow mattress.JPG

Cold causes low production

Cows that rest on rough cold or wet floors lose a lot of energy in keeping themselves warm. The rough surfaces may cause minor injuries to the skin, which may be entry points of disease causing micro-organisms. The skin openings will also be feeding points for irritating fluid sucking flies.

This rectangular material can last for three to four years, Muya said.

“Since the mattress is made of rubber, draining of water is easy-in case the cow urinates on any part. It is also easy to clean to remove the faecal and urine odour. This mattress is soft to the cow, but tough too for durability,” he said.

Health benefits to farmer

Increased milk yield will reduce the cost of production, which is a financial benefit to the farmer.

The mattress also has health benefits to the cow.

“Mastitis is one of the most dangerous infections that can cause sudden drop in milk production-and in severe cases, drying. A cow that spends most of its time on the mattress is less prone to such infections because the udder and its teats do not touch dirty floors,” Muya said.

A healthy cow will also give more milk besides reducing costs of treating such diseases.

The company can be reached on +254724256833

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: 01 July 2016; Hits: 12114

Polythene lining keeps ducks home for Machakos farmer

A Machakos County poultry farmer has found a cheap way to prevent ducks from straying to nearby water bodies, by putting up a polythene-lined pool in his backyard.

Wambua Matheka’s ducks used to fly to Athi River in search of water but he has contained the birds in his compound after digging out a simple pool and lining it with a polythene sheet.

The walls of pool are slanted four-feet by seven-feet, and it deepens towards the centre. Matheka replenishes the water every two to three days.

This type of improvised pool may be tens of times cheaper than those made from cement or sand because he only bought the polythene lining, which costs between Sh200 and Sh500 per square metre.

The permanent ones require bricks or blocks, cement, sand, nil and an expert to construct.

Ducks disappearing from home

Matheka’s ducks, of which one of them was the first runner’s up in the Machakos County Agricultural Show 2016 edition, started disappearing to the river soon after he bought them in 2014.

They never came back unless he went searching for them at the river, which is more than five kilometers from his home, in the evening.

“The two first ducks strayed and stayed at the river until evening. It happened severally. I had to look for a solution before losing them. That is when I came up with the homestead swimming pool,” he said.

He borrowed the idea from fish farmers, who use a lining to contain water in the backyard ponds.

Ducks are web-feet birds that spend most of their time in water swimming and wading in search of food like earthworms.

Ducks feed while swimming

He feeds the free-range birds as they swim in the pool by throwing vegetables and other kitchen remains into the water. He has also placed a two-litre plastic basin near the pool, which carries commercial feeds mixed with water.

“Ducks are water-loving birds. They feed well from water. The basin is placed near the swimming pool, where they can see it when they are out of the water,” he said.

Quick maturing

It takes between eight and 10 months for one duck to attain at least five kilos.

By the end of 2015, he had 20 ducks weighing between four and six kilogrammes. He earned more than Sh30,000 after selling them at a minimum of Sh2,000. His stock has since risen to 17 birds again.

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