POULTRY

Poultry farming is a lucrative source of income for many fanners and non-fanners all over the world. Some are subsistence, while others are reared for commercial purposes. Poultry products are very good sources of protein.

Types of Poultry

Poultry can be defined as the rearing of birds that are of economic use to man. These birds are reared for their meat and eggs; and they include fowls (chickens), ducks, geese, turkeys, guinea-fowls, pigeons, ostriches, and swans.

Among the different classes, some breeds are specially reared for meat or eggs or for both. Those reared for meat are called broilers’; those for eggs are called layers.

Classes	Young	Adult male	Adult female
Chicken	chick	cock/ rooster	hen
Duck	duckling	drake	duck
Goose	gosling	gander	goose

Incubation is the process of hatching chicks either by natural or artificial methods. In natural incubation, a broody hen sits on fertile eggs in a coop or a dry darkened area for about three weeks or 21 days. The hen turns the eggs regularly so that the embryo within each egg can develop properly.

Baby chicks needed in commercial quantities are hatched artificially in incubators. Fertile eggs are placed inside an incubator in special racks. The incubator turns the racks with the eggs. After 21 days the eggs are hatched.

	Diseases	Symptoms	Treatment	Prevention
1	Coccidiosis	Blood in droppings	Drugs	Prevent droppings in water or feed. Avoid wet litter
2	Newcastle disease	Nervous e.g. neck twisting	Drugs	Prevent droppings in water or feed. Avoid wet litter
3	Respiratory disease	Sneezing, respiratory distress, moist nostrils.	Drugs	Keep chicks away from carriers, reduce population
4	Fowl pox	Lesions on exposed part, like a comb, wattle	Treat lesions	Vaccinate and avoid contact
5	External parasite	Lice or mite on skin, especially under wings	Delousing drugs	Delouse
6	Internal parasite	Emaciation, dead worms, and eggs in faeces	Deworming drugs	Deworm, clean litter

Systems used in Rearing Chickens

The systems employed depend on whether the chickens are reared for commercial purposes or not. There are basically three systems used in rearing poultry. These are:

1.   extensive systems

2.   semi-intensive systems

3.   intensive systems

The extensive systems are the free-running system and the range system. In the free-running system, chickens are allowed to forage for food without any restrictions as found in villages. The Very little shelter is provided for the chickens to roost at night. The owners may put hens to sit on eggs when the hens show signs of broodiness.

In the range system, chicks are allowed to run in a fenced area during the day. At night they are confined in a hut or shed.

In this system, the chickens are reared in a fixed house but have access to grass runs which are adjacent to the house. During the day they are allowed to run. Food and water are provided in troughs in the house and the birds will enter occasionally to eat and drink. During the night the birds are shut in the pen. The run provides grass, insects worms and grit on which the chickens forage during the day.

In this system, the birds are confined in houses all the time and are not allowed to run outside. It is used for commercial egg and broiler production. Intensive systems require less land space but high capital. The feed provided has to be a good quality and special attention has to be paid to sanitation to control diseases and parasites.

Intensive systems are the deep litter or built-up litter and the battery cage system.

Deep-litter System: In this system, the chickens are reared ail the time on a litter of wood shaving which is placed on the floor to protect the birds from cold and to absorb the moisture in the dung. The litter can be built up by adding fresh material like rice hulls and dry grass or straw whenever the need arises.

Battery Cage System: The birds are kept in cages which may be placed one on top of the other. Each cage will carry its own litter collecting pan. The cages are kept in a house. The birds are kept either one in a cage or in groups.

Housing: The farmer should build durable houses to protect the chickens. The building should be on well-drained land and should be well ventilated.

1    electrical facilities for lighting.

2    Feeding troughs and feed hoppers,

3   waterers   e.g.   water   fountains   and automatic waterers

4    hay forks and rakes for turning of litter

5    spades for removing litter.

6   Others  are buckets, nest boxes,  egg baskets, egg trays, egg grader, candler,

Brooding: this is the period of management for first three to four weeks during which some source of warmth is provided for the comfort of the chicks. Brooding can be done naturally and artificially.

Care and Management:

1.   Cleaned and disinfected pen before the introduction of chicks.

2.   Secure the pen from predators such as rats, cats, and dogs

3.  Provide disinfectant to disinfect the feet of anyone entering the pen.

Feed and Water: During brooding, the chicks should be fed special rations. Laying chicks should be fed chick starter and broiler chicks should be fed broiler starter.

the reach of the birds at all times. The raising of the feeders and drinkers are essential as the birds grow older.

Managing Litter: The litter should be turned daily, and if wet, it should be removed.

Vaccination: Growing birds should be vaccinated before they begin to lay.

Debeaking: This is the removal of a portion of birds beak. Debeaking is done to prevent the birds from injuring one another.

Culling: This is the practice of removing from the flock those birds which are not laying economically. Layers are usually culled when their egg production falls below 40 %. Egg collection.

Candling: The passing of light through egg in a dark room to see inside the egg is called candling. This is done to determine whether eggs are fertile or infertile. If fertile the embryo in the egg is seen as a speck with a network of blood vessels.