Pests

: 16 January 2017; Hits: 6953

East Africa poultry farmers warned over avian flu outbreak

Kiambu County farmer Jorgs Mbugua poses with his geese at the farm in Tigoni. Farmers have been asked to report any signs of avian flu to control its spread. PHOTO BY LABAN ROBERT.

Following reports of an outbreak of bird flu in Uganda, East African farmers have been asked to immediately report sudden multiple deaths of the poultry to authorities to stop the spread of the disease.

Europe where the disease is prevent, restricts transporting poultry besides calling for those with more than 50 birds to register with authorities to ease surveillance.

Besides poultry, bird flu, which is also called avian influenza, affects humans if they come into contact with carcasses, excrements, and any body fluid discharges from sick birds.

Uganda on Sunday reported detection of the bird flu on the banks of Lake Victoria’s Entebbe town and Masaka District, according to the international news agency AFP.

Although the disease is not airborne, wind containing fluid droplets from affected birds, can cause the spread of the disease.

According to animal health officer Jeff Oburu, the virus strains responsible for the diseases are “highly contagious” and if quick action like quarantine is not taken, the whole stock can be lost.

“Apart from reporting to the authorities, farmers must restrict movement of poultry to neighbourhoods where they can spread to or acquire the virus from,” Oburu said.

The disease was noted among migratory birds. According to the ministry of Agriculture in Uganda, one hen and five domestic ducks were infected in Masaka while migratory birds were reported to have succumbed to the virus at the shores of the port tow of Entebbe.

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Migratory birds can spread it to domestic birds, which will also affect others in the surroundings like open air markets. If this happens, the disease can spread through East Africa.

Placing feeds and water where wild birds can access can also increase chances of the spread in an already affected environment.

The strains include H5N1, H5N2, H5N5, H5N6, H5N9, H7N1, H7N3, H7N7 et H7N8, AFP reports.

Birds suffering from the disease have swollen heads, sneeze, cough, and rattle as well as showing respiratory stress.

The necks and throat start losing colour, diarrhea, reduced appetite as well as reduced egg production.

Farmers must avoid handling the carcasses without protective gears. and they must clean themselves up well in case of getting into houses of affected poultry.

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: 15 December 2016; Hits: 14545

Poultry farmer fights fleas with banana peels

Ekenyoro Secondary School student carries a seven-kilogramme cock July 15, 206, during the Kisii ASK Show. A Nyamira County farmer is using banana peels to fight poultry fleas. PHOTO BY LABAN ROBERT.

One poultry farmer has discovered the use of banana peels in controlling fleas instead of chemicals, which may have a negative impact on chicken products as well as the environment.

Edwin Mobe stumbled on the simple integrated pest management method while researching in the Internet on the best practices in poultry rearing early this year.

The Nyamira County farmer, who has 41 local chickens-commonly called kienyeji, litters the wooden house with the peels.

Although the impact is not immediate, the chickens gradually stop pecking their under-wings and scratching the necks within five days, he said.

“Bananas are in plenty in the Kisii region. Other than eating and feeding the remains to the cows and goats, I have also discovered that the waste can be a remedy to the discomfort the fleas are causing my chickens,” he said.

Ripe banana peels have an attractive scent, which invites the fleas to feed on them. The flea’s digestive system, however, cannot break down the substrate ‘causing constipation’. This leads to death.

Fleas are blood sucking external pests, which under heavy infestation can cause anemia and egg production drop as well as weakened immunity.

Poultry attacked by these pests concentrates on picking the minute organisms from their under the feathers using their beaks or toe nails.

Egg production and meat weight are affected because instead of feeding, the chickens keep picking the pests to ease the itching.

Stress also sets in as the biting goes on.

Although he does not measure, the farmer says a whole banana finger peeling can cover about two square feet.

Chickens also may feed on the peels. That is why he places more of the peelings to compensate for those lost.

The peels remain on the ground until they turn black.

This remedy may be helpful to home owners who have pests like dogs.

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: 06 December 2016; Hits: 7176

Fly-trap tames livestock parasites

Flytrap-zerograzingunitIPMIsaacGudaThilkaByLabanRobert1.JPG

Real IPM agronomist Isaac Guda tends to two dairy cows in a zero grazing unit. The firm is using the yellow roll trap to control flies that cause discomfort to the cows. The black dots on the tape are dead flies. PHOTO BY LABAN ROBERT.

A Thika-based agribusiness firm is using a sticky polythene sheet to control livestock flying pests in its zero grazing unit.

Real IPM has run the zero grazing unit with the roll trap from end to end and any flying parasite is ‘arrested’ by the glue before starving to death.

It is painted yellow, a colour that attracts most insects, with the stable fly being the most notorious on that causes irritation cows, goats, pigs, sheep, horses, dogs, among others.

According to Livestock Veterinary Entomology, a US online extension services resource centre, an adult stable fly takes one blood-meal per day by drilling its proboscis into the back, belly, legs, ears and head of host animals.

The feeding spree takes place within two to five minutes before taking cover in building and vegetation.

The smell of dung attracts the flies, which feast and go into hiding. Losses occur if there are more than three flies on one part of the body for example the legs.

The effects of the parasites occur following reduced number of feeding and resting as the animals try to wag of the flies with their tail, neck or limbs.

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Heavy infestation of the flies reduces the concentration in feeding besides causing discomfort when the animal is resting.

A reduction in feeding quantities means a drop in milk production. Discomfort while resting reduces milk hormone activation.

Reduced concentration of milk initiating hormones in the blood stream causes a drop in milk production.

At the same time, the glue does not kill the flies, and other flying pests at once like chemicals, its benefits are more because of the ‘24-hour surveillance'.

Chemicals only kill those parasites present during spraying. Those in hiding will turn up later, feed, and continue multiplying. But the tape arrests the parasites and stops them from further reproduction.

Isaac Guda, an environmental officer working at Real IPM said the roller trap reduce chemical use in production.

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