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How to turn your local chicken breed into money makers
Laban Bakas Rutare of Chicken Care Uganda at his poultry farm. Photo by Joseph Kato
Local chicken have evolved in a way that allows them survive and reproduce with minimal management.
However, local chickens do not increase so fast compared to the exotic ones perhaps the reason why many farmers do not benefit very much from keeping local chickens. Some farmers are discouraged by the diseases such as Newcastle that usually kill them in large amounts.
For instance, Tom Bizimana hates keeping chickens because of the negative experience he has about them. He lost approximately 100 chickens to Newcastle disease in less than a fortnight. Since then, he has never tried again to invest in poultry. Like Bizimana, many have had similar experiences and have resorted to rearing goats, cows and other animals.
Hatching healthy local chicken
It is against such stories that Laban Bakas Rutare and Benon Sebina, the directors of Chicken Care Uganda, have come up with synchronised hatching purposely to addresses the problems that face the indigenous chickens.
Rutare narrates
It all starts with procuring disease free birds. This needs the buyer to be every observant while buying birds, for example they should not have falling feathers, running nose, red eyes, fallen comb, pale comb, and bloody comb.
Such symptoms might be a pointer of Newcastle disease, fowl pox and coccidiosis. To improve the quality and output of poultry, a farmer is advised to cross breed her chicken. While cross breeding, one cock should mount not more than 10 hens.
The new birds should be separated for at least two weeks. This is done to observe the birds’ traits. Gradually train them to feed with others and detect their feeding habits. In case you realise that some birds have vices such as fighting, feather plucking and cannibalism among others, be fast to address the cause.
The vices could be caused by insufficient feeds and overcrowding among others things Train the hens to lay and hatch on the same day.
Procedures of egg hatching
Rutare says poultry dealers should provide nests for laying hens. The nests should be close to each other in a slightly darkroom. Put some soft material such as dry grass or coffee husks in the bottom. Use sand, soil or small stones to support the nests so that they don’t collapse or drop the eggs as the hens enter and leave the nests.
Use a boiled egg which cannot get spoiled when the hen enters the nest. The boiled egg is to entice the hen to start laying eggs. The boiled eggs should be equivalent to the number of nests. Mark the boiled eggs clearly with a marker for easy identification and put an egg in each of the nests. Pick the unmarked eggs from each nest and put them in trays or boxes as soon as the hens leave the nests.
Mark the eggs with a pencil by indicating the date when they are laid. You should not use a marker or pen while marking the eggs because the ink may penetrate through the airspace and spoil the egg. Keep the picked eggs in a cool, dry store with the airspace facing up.
When all hens have started sitting on the eggs, remove the boiled eggs and give 15 fresh eggs to each hen to sit on. This must be done in the dark because the hen might spoil the eggs in case you bring them in broad day.
If you only had 10 mature hens and one cock initially, your flock would expand as follows. 10 hens can lay around 20 eggs each totalling 200 eggs in one cycle, but each hen can comfortably sit on 15 eggs, making a total of 10x15=150 chicks. The surplus of about 50 eggs can be consumed or sold.
Thus one will have 161 birds after hatching-including the original hens and a cock. Since it is estimated that 40 per cent of the chicks would be cocks, the farmer would remain with 90 new hens, thus totalling to 100.
After six months all birds will be mature to start laying eggs. 100 birds will lay 2,000 eggs per cycle. Since the principle is that each hen can comfortably sit on 15 eggs, the the chicks will be 1500 plus the one hundred mature hens equalling to 1600birds and so forth. If each hen is sold at Shs20000, the farmer will be able to earn Shs3m in less than two years.
Egg selection
This refers to choosing eggs which the hen can comfortably sit on and hatch as anticipated. The right eggs one should select for hatching must have no cracks, avoid too big (twins), too small, too pointed, too oval and too spherical.
Conditions for good hatching
The eggs must be fertilized by the cock. A farmer is advised to have a cock that mounts the hens. Each cock should be given eight to 10 hens to avoid competition and fighting. The humidity or moisture must be favourable. The maternity room should be free from parasites such as lice and mites as these might make the hen abandon the eggs.
The room for hatching should be free from extreme noisy. You should make sure the birds have good health, for instance they should be feeding very well, strong and free from diarrhea. Provide water and feed in the maternity room. The hens will turn and warm the eggs till 21 days. In case the hen abandons the eggs, quickly check the nest. It could because of dangerous parasites for instance a snake.
After hatching
Provide a saver box also known as homemade incubator for chicken eggs. It should have two chambers, one for the mother and the other for the chicks. The two chambers should be connected with a hole only to allow the chicks to cross to the mother for warmth. 35-45 chicks should be allocated to one mother in a saver box.
The chicks are initially fed on water mixed with glucose. Initiate feeding by putting a little on their beaks. Then they are provided with chick mash and water, but the mother is provided with growers mash for four weeks.
Vaccinate the chicks against Newcastle disease within the first seven days after they have separated from their mother. Continue giving water and chick mash. Provide heat with charcoal stove, charcoal pot or electricity.
Disease control
You should maintain good management and hygiene standards through avoiding pouring water in the poultry house, use well mixed and dry feeds, feed the birds at regular times including monitoring the birds’ health daily. Remove feeders and waters from the house every evening.
Principals for improved hatching
Hens never lay during the night. Hens can sit on any eggs introduced to it. Hens never leave the hatching nest until the eggs are hatched. Local hens will sit on the eggs after laying around 20 eggs. When the farmer has got the right number of eggs to sit on, that is when he gets off the boiled egg from each of the targeted nests and places on the fertilized eggs.
Advantage of synchronised poultry keeping
Improved hatching builds on the existing potential and enables rapid income generation. It enhances collective vaccination, marketing and easily develops into an industry. Local hens consume less compared to exotic ones. They are not easily attacked by diseases like their counterparts. One does not need much capital compared to exotic breeds of chicken.
Farmers train all chickens to sit on and hatch all their eggs on the same day. Birds get balanced feed as what is missing in mixed feed is compensated while feeding from outside. Synchronised method of poultry improves production higher than free range system. It also helps to improve on returns, family nutrition, enables organised collective, large scale farming, creates self-employment and reduces conflicts with neighbours.
Improved hatching builds on the existing potential and enables rapid income generation. It enhances collective vaccination, marketing and easily develops into an industry. Local hens consume less compared to exotic ones. They are not easily attacked by diseases like their counterparts. One does not need much capital compared to exotic breeds of chicken.
Farmers train all chickens to sit on and hatch all their eggs on the same day.
Birds get balanced feed as what is missing in mixed feed is compensated while feeding from outside. Synchronised method of poultry improves production higher than free range system. It also helps to improve on returns, family nutrition, enables organised collective, large scale farming, creates self-employment and reduces conflicts with neighbours.
Controlling vices
To control poultry vices, one should feed in a hatchery to avoid disease infestation. They should be monitored not to fight other birds in the boxes. Some birds need special isolation to feed them at a specified time due to bad behaviours. Eggs should be monitored to check damages as some eggs knock each other when the bird is moving out and entering. Pick eggs in the morning to avoid dirt and getting cracked.
The damaged eggs should be removed and not replaced because birds have a tendency of eating the eggs. This can be identified by checking and counting of eggs regularly. Chickens with vices should not be allowed to hatch again. Monitor hens in the maternity to see whether each bird covers all the eggs for uniform heating. If all eggs are not covered at ago, it cause improper embryonic development that result into dying of some eggs. Intensive care should be done to make sure that nothing frightens incubating birds as this causes egg damages and even some birds may completely abandon the eggs. While hatching, birds should be fed on growers mash, this helps the bird to replenish quickly.
Qualities of a good cock, hen
A good cock should have clear and shining eyes, alert and protective nature, clean, dry beak and nostrils, clean feathers around the vent, large size relative hens, straight legs, toes and without scaly. A fibrous hen should appear health and lively, legs less coloured in lay, clean, dry beak and nostrils, red comb, the breast born should not be too sharp, straight legs, toes and with no scaly.
Chicken house
An ideal housing structure should have its two long side walls built up to 2.5feet to 3feet from the ground and the rest of the walls fixed with either chicken wire mesh or sticks for good ventilation. If possible the floor can be of concrete but, a well rammed soil floor is adequate for the poor farmers.
The walls should be smooth to avoid parasites from hiding in the cracks. This can be done by cement and sand or mixture of cow dung and sand to the low income people. The roof should not be leaking to avoid dampness of the litter.
During the incubation one needs to check on which eggs are fertile and which are non-fertile. Fertile eggs quickly develop blood vessels that can be seen against a sharp light from a touch; especially in dim light. This can be done after seven-ten days.
If there are eggs with dead embryo, (seen with a dark Centre and ring around it) they should be removed from the rest and disposed. Furthermore, laying nests should be introduced in the chicken house before they start laying eggs. The eggs should be kept in egg trays with a wider part, (that contains the air space) facing up. They should be kept clean. The eggs should be stored in a cool place not less than 250c and not above 300c.
A hatch generally requires specific design and specifications for handling the parental stock together with the cocks, brooders, young chicks and feeds.
The bottom of the nest can be dusted with ash to prevent parasites from co-habiting the facility. The parasites normally suck blood from the brooder hen on top of disturbing the peaceful settlement of the hen on the eggs.
As a result of trying to clean off the parasites, the hen gets off the eggs more times than necessary and consequently causing damage to the development and growth. The hen only supposed to leave the nest shortly to drink and feed, and this should be within the room.
