Smart farms

: 14 July 2020; Hits: 12010

Kakamega farmer cuts poultry feed costs 2/3rds by maggot breeding

download By Fredrique Achieng’

A poultry farmer from Kakamega County has reduced his bird feed expenditure from Sh23,500 a month to just Sh7,050 by substituting commercial feeds with maggots extracted from pig waste.

Pigs utilise only 60 per cent of the food they eat, with 40 per cent coming out as waste. But Kakamega farmer Bernard Njaramba realised he could use the waste to make bird food. He began collecting it into heaps and exposing it to the open air for at least six hours so as to attract flies to speed up the decomposition process. After this, he leaves the droppings for six days to cure and for the maggots to fully develop. He then harvests the maggots manually and uses them to feed his birds between the age of three months and adulthood.

“In our three-acre farm, we used to depend on commercial feeds to feed all our chicken, geese, ducks, guinea fowl and turkey and would spend Sh23,500 per 500 kilos each month. So when we discovered that maggots can be an exclusive alternative source of food for birds, we switched to that mode of feeding.” said Njaramba.“Now we spend Sh7,050 per 150 kilos a month to feed the younger birds from the age of one day to three months since their digestive system is not yet ready to break down maggots.”

Since maggots have a short life cycle Nyaramba recommends that the maggots be fed to the birds within 10 days of harvesting before they develop into adults.

Bernard Nyaramba learnt of the breeding strategy in 2015 through online research when he wanted to find out how to make home-based feed that would improve his overall bird health and weight.

According to Livestock Research for Rural Development, maggots are a high source of protein that helps in the development of birds. A single meal contains 47.1 per cent protein, 25.3 per cent fat, 7.5 per cent fiber and other nutrients such as calcium, amino acids and vitamins.

Bearing in mind that protein is a key component in the healthy development of poultry, feeding them with maggots directly compensates for nutrients that would come from silverfish or soya beans, which tend to be expensive for the majority of small scale farmers.

“In addition, the birds rarely fall sick, they are bigger, look health and always produce larger eggs,” said Nyaramba.

Currently, Nyaramba has 150 birds across chicken, geese, ducks, guinea fowl and turkey, which he feeds with the maggots, and he also produces maggots to sell to farmers around him at the cost of Sh1800 for a 50kg bag. He sources the pig waste from his pigsty.

He can be reached on 0791331636.

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: 14 July 2020; Hits: 11160

Fact Sheet: physical traits of a good dairy cow

jenny hill qysVTP1OONk unsplash 1 By George Munene

Few Kenyan farmers have access to the milking records and genetic providence of cows theya re looking to purchase, meaning they must rely, largely, on physical features, which can be a fraught affair. But from head to hoof size, there are peculiar considerations across Kenya for picking out the best dairy cows based on observable physical features.

Mr.Nelson Wanjuki is an agribusiness manager and farmer with 18 years of experience managing cattle in Kenya, Botswana and now New Zealand, where he is overseeing a milking herd of 500, and is well acquainted with cow morphology. Here’s his own guide to what are scientifically referred to as Traits Other than Production,(TOP), which are fact-based phenotypic considerations when choosing a dairy cow.

Body Frame

An obvious tell for a poor dairy cow is if it's boxy and not wedge shaped.

A good dairy cow ought to have wide hindquarters narrowing toward its head. A cow with a blocky frame is a tell that it is more effective at converting feed into fat and muscle than milk.

You shouldn't take pride in a cow that's too fat; she'll have issues when breeding and calving, as well as metabolic complications. She will also feed a lot and not have a commensurate return in production.

Conversely if she's too skinny, she will eat less, but in turn her production will be lower.The Body Condition Scoring index ranges from 1-7, a good cow ought to be on the 4.5-5 range.

Udder

Just as there's no car service that neglects taking a studied look at the undercarriage, the same holds for cows.

Milking cows with pendulous udders ought to be avoided. The udder should be well attached and not sway as a bull's testicle would. The tits along the udder shouldn't be too widely or closely placed either as this makes it difficult to attach the title cups used in machine milking.

The median ligament looks like a cross on the udder and compartmentalises it's four quarters. If it loosens up the udder becomes detached and looks as though it's hanging off a bowl. The tits on such an udder are hard to attach milking cups on.

This condition is a consequence of genetics; a cow even in its ninth year can suddenly exhibit this malformity.

Tits

They should be moderately sized. If tits are too small or big they make hand milking taxing. This may lead to incomplete milking, which beyond limiting the cow’s earning potential causes mastitis.

For machine milking, the title cups inserted to suction milk may not fit or fall off mid-milking. Also, inspect the cow for any supernumerary tits--any extra tits beyond the usual four. They're either on the udder or attached to another tit. This, again, hinders efficient milking.

Gait

A cow should have good strong feet and legs that can support its udder.

The hock joint angle shouldn't be too sharp, neither should it be straight/ bent. It helps the udder be well situated, more importantly it avoids lameness after calving.

In dairy cattle a high and wide udder is prized. Sufficiently raised hook and pin bones allow the cow the required width to effectively hold up the udder. A cow's rump should be well sloped and wide.

Rumps of high pin boned cows are too high; this makes them prone to reproductive tract diseases and prolongs the calving process.

At the back of the cow, check that it's hip bones are well proportioned. If the hips are too narrow the cow will again experience difficulty whilst calving.

Overall, a cow’s body condition is a predictor of both production potential, and longevity. It is also a direct result of how it is managed - health and feeding practices have a bearing on production, genetic makeup notwithstanding.

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: 13 July 2020; Hits: 8693

Moringa trees deliver cure-all health food and earnings for Kilifi farmers

wheatgerm grass 1169630 1920 By Fredrique Achieng'

With studies showing that many parts of Kenya experience a spike in food shortages and hunger off-season, despite ample food at harvest time, the moringa tree is offering all-year-round crops, super-food nutrition, and extra earnings for farmers in Kilifi.

The moringa, which produces edible fresh and dried leaves, seeds, bark, flowers, as well as essential oils, is delivering financial security in homesteads, as well as solving security problems for Kilifi farmers, said Papu Haroon, Managing Director of Moringa Estates (KME) Limited.

“The moringa drought-resistant tree, native to India and Africa can grow in lowland areas of about 500m-2000m above sea levels. This makes it easy to flourish in areas such as Kilifi, Turkana and other dry parts of the country, provided the area gets enough rainfall of about 800mm annually,” said Haroon.

The moringa matures after nine months with its leaves harvested from 6 to 8 weeks after planting at intervals of two to three times a year. For many farmers, the addition of a single tree can add all-year food for the family, but for some farmers, the moringa is providing such a continuous flow of income and better returns than other crops, that they have converted to its production across their land.

Before venturing into moringa farming, Dzondere Kazungu would get Sh1,500 to Sh2,000 a month from growing pigeon peas, beans, and maize on her six-acre piece of land. She now earns Sh6,400 to Sh10,000 per month after switching to moringa farming.

With 20,000 trees, she harvests around 20,000kg of leaves and 800 pods a year, and has also diversified into powdered leaves and dried seeds.

“All the products of the tree are edible and can be used for different purposes, like medical and beauty. 100g of moringa leaves powder cost Sh395, and a kilogram of moringa seeds cost Sh1,000, according to the current market rates. This has helped me,” said Kazungu.

The crop has been termed as a nutritional gem, as its leaves have 25 times more iron than spinach, 17 times more calcium than milk, 15 times more potassium than bananas, and nine times more protein than yogurt, making it a suitable tree for farmers in dry areas to grow.

Currently, around 1.3m people are facing a food crisis in Kenya, according to a 2020 report by USAID, but this number could be reduced significantly through the addition of several moringa trees.

“Growing of this medical gem is like a cure-all for farmers. This is because they will not just consume the products and get health benefits, but also sell the leaves and its by-products such as oil, juice, and powder, earning returns to take care of their families,” said Michael Meso a Moringa tree expert at KEFRI.

KEFRI sells certified seed and seedlings at Sh1500 per kilogram.

To contact KEFRI 0724259781 or Michael Meso on 0728755919 to contact KME +254 721 388401/ This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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