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Due to the large number of poultry and concentration in flocks it is imperative that producers put in place precautionary measures to prevent the introduction and spread of disease-causing organisms. Biosecurity consists of a bundle of preventative disease control measures practiced by poultry producers. It reduces the risk of disease agents moving onto farms from outside, the movement of diseases …
Poultry production in Africa is severely undermined by the Newcastle disease. This viral disease spreads by airborne droplets from coughing or sneezing among infected birds making it highly contagious. Wild birds, contaminated eggs and dirty clothing also transmit the virus. Chickens of all ages are affected but young chicks are most susceptible, with mortality levels as high as 100% percent. …
Availability of safe low-cost poultry feed is a prerequisite for enterprise profitability and growth. Efficient feeding systems promote high productivity and reasonable profits despite feed generally comprising about 70% of conventional production costs. In the same way, lack of affordable and adequate feed prevents small-scale farmers from expanding their operations. This raises the possibility of producing lower cost feeds from …
Housing poultry protects birds from predators and climate extremes in ways that minimize stress and enhance productive gain. In addition, suitable housing contributes to ease of collecting wastes, biosecurity, sanitation, and feed management. Commercial poultry production requires sophisticated housing types and automated equipment. However, most smallholder farmers cannot afford the cost of building elaborate poultry houses. In addition, consumer interest …
The number of chicks that can be produced by hens via natural incubation is limited to 10-12 chicks per hatch. Such a rate does not allow rapid scaling of new breeds and reliable supply of young birds needed to expand poultry farming. Artificial hatching in semi-automatic incubators makes it possible to rear day old chicks (DOCs) within 21 days. These …
Most indigenous chickens have low levels of egg and meat productivity and high mortality rate. Breeders have developed “dual-purpose” chicken that produce both egg production and meat, and are low cost, disease resistant, heat tolerant, and feed efficient. The distribution of these improved breeds to farmers takes place by companies that establish a parent stock and hatchery operation. Day old …
Inferior breeds with poor genetics and poorly controlled diseases are major limiting factors for poultry production in Africa. Naturally selected local chickens exhibit adaptation to adverse conditions but offer lower meat and egg production than improved breeds raised under better management. Heritable traits of interest in chickens include growth rate, egg yield, average daily gain, and feed conversion efficiency. Improved …
Limited access of small-scale farmers to favorable markets and reliable storage facilities is one of the key causes of food insecurity and pervasive poverty across millet and sorghum production areas. As a result, farmers are forced to sell their grain at peak production times for low prices. Later in the year, food prices increase but poorer households are unable to …