The management practices that can affect the profitability of Poultry Farmers are:
1. Feed: Feed represents more than 70% of your total cost of production, therefore a good farmer must pay attention to the the nutrients content, texture, physical qualities like fineness and coarseness of the feed. To achieve the best result, crumble feed should be used from 1-4 weeks. Also, It’s a common practice for farmers to switch from starter to finisher at week 4, but that’s a wrong practice. The standard practice is to wait till the birds are 1.8kg before switching. Therefore, weight rather than age is the yardstick to determine when to switch and we should also note that the same attention paid to feed should be paid to feeder also. The first rule is that the birds must not be eating while sitting down, therefire the height of the feeder is increased as the birds grows. The target is to always make sure that the feeder is always at the level of the birds chest, this will prevent feed wastages, promote leg health, Gastrointestinal motility and health .Also the number of feeders should also be adequate to prevent uneven growth and the time of feeding is also an important factor alway overlooked. For young birds, we advise feed adlibitum( 24 hours), However, for older birds we advise farmers to not feed during the peak of the Day (12-3 pm) especially during the hot seasons or periods to avoid heat stress.
2.Litter Management: Litter in poultry farming simply means the floor of the pen containing the droppings or poo with the wood shavings. The importance of this litter can not be over emphasize in poultry production and It should be pack routinely. Failure to properly manage your litters is predisposing your birds to several bacterial and coccidia infection. Infact, it can even affect you the farmer, there is a particular smell from the litter called “ammonia”, if expose to it for a long time can predispose one to respiratory infection or even tuberculosis. Therefore, It is also important to note that when a flock of birds is sick, no matter how you treat them with drugs. If the litter is dirty recovery will be very slow or there won’t be recovery at all. So pack and change the litters when:
1. It starts to smell.
2. It starts to cake together.
3. Water splash on the floor.
4. It becomes too much in the pen or becomes too dusty.
If your litter is bad, no amount of drugs given to the birds will have any effect. Also, Make it a routine to always pack and put new ones. Invariably, The litter issues is more important in broiler production and especially in the rainy season.
3. Air: The quality of air the poultry house will directly affect their growth rate. Ventilation is important if birds must grow optimally and also avoid diseases like chronic Respiratory Disease (CRD). Ventilation is the movement of fresh air inside the pen. After feed, ventilation is another thing that will affect the growth of the pen, the walls of the pen shouldn’t be too high, and as much as possible allow cross ventilation. If you are keeping birds in a room or cage, you can reduce the number of birds to allow the few have access to adequate ventilation. So many diseases in poultry production can be avoided if only we do the right things.
4. Water: We advice all farmers to test their water at least 3 times in a year. This is what most farmers don’t want to do, even though the cost is quite minimal. From research, 70% of bacteria diseases in poultry are contracted from contaminated water, so a bad water is bad news for poultry farmers. The golden rule of water is any water the farmer can’t drink shouldn’t be given to the birds just like in feed, drinker management is almost as important as the quality of water. The number, height, size and arrangement of the drinkers can play a key role in determining the optimal performance of the birds.The recommended water temperature is 18-22celsius. During the hot periods, ice block can be placed inside the drinkers to reduce the temperature of the water because warm water in hot seasons contributes to heat stress.
5. Light: There is a standard lighting program for poultry production. Therefore, It is recommended that for the first 5 days, there is 24 hours light with good intensity for the birds, this is to enable the birds eat well, differentiate between feed and non-feed and also to achieve optimal weight at day 7. Remember Day 7 weight will determine the weight at 4 weeks. Fluorescent light type is recommended. Invariably, Bad lighting program will lead to uneven growth and even cannibalism.
6. Spacing: Spacing highlights the importance of stocking density. Stocking density is the number of birds a particular floor space carry for the optimal performance of the birds. The recommended spacing for your chicken are as follows👇🏽👇🏽👇🏽👇🏽
1. Day old chicks/pullets, 40 birds/m².
2. 1 week = 30 birds/m².
3. 2 weeks = 20 birds/m².
4. 3 weeks = 10 birds/m².
5. Matured broilers/Point of lay = 5 birds/m².
Over stocking will grossly reduce the ability of the birds to gain weight and promote the spread of infectious diseases in the flock.
7. Sanitation: Sanitation refers to the hygiene of the poultry pen and farm and it includes *roof hygiene, floor hygiene, feeders and drinkers hygiene and litter hygiene. These hygienes contribute to the health and performance of the birds.
Finally, understand that a sick or uncomfortable and stressed birds will not grow well and Birds dedicate their resources to their well-being before production.
Sulaimon Mutiu
@everyone
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