2024 – The year Local Chicken comes mainstream

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We have been key advocates for local chicken over the years, and in 2022 we made a pivot from commercial layers, into breeding and raising local birds, based on parent stock from a reputable breeder.

Strategy for Maximizing Outputs

The key to maximizing the outputs for local chicken is based on:

  • Improved nutrition – rather than feed the birds on leftovers, plain maize bran leverage concentrate based feeds like commercial hybrids (while managing costs)
  • Proactive care and treatment – vaccination (following the same schedules as commercial hybrids), regular deworming and vitamin boosts
  • Management – clean and airy rooms, dry litter, clean water and feeding utensils, birds per square meter, number of birds per drinker and feeder
  • Dark laying boxes for hens for eggs
  • Debeaking of hens so that they do not eat their eggs, additional trimming of claws for cocks so that they do not tear the backs of the hens for breeding stock

Market Opportunity

This is always a key question to adoption, and there are two paths:

  1. Home Farming – this approach is for anywhere between 10 to 50 birds, a great place for those who are new to the poultry business. The focus of this approach is:
    • Improve household nutrition – when the hens start laying, chicken for meals (cocks are best for this), as a starting point for households
    • Increase household incomes – once the family has sufficient nutrition, the extra eggs can be sold off, the hens/cocks can be sold off not just for meat but for breeding too
    • Provide training for children home – to understand how to raise chicken, responsibilities, maintaining clean living spaces for them, repairs and creativity in solving common problems
  2. Commerical Purposes – the dual purpose birds are competitive with commercial hybrids if you target different aspects
    • Cocks/hens do not grow as heavy as kuroilers but are preferred for traditional ceremonies, gifts, even slaughter during Eid and for discerning customers
    • Hens do not lay as much as commercial hybrids, only up to 75-85% depending on management, however their offlaying prices are almost 100% higher. Adding green to get yellow yolk eggs provides a premium over the numbers that hybrids produce making breaking even much easier for smaller numbers

Overall the market opportunity is with premium pricing for the birds, eggs and their meat, rather than going head to head with the hybrids broilers and layers, like the marketing books say “Change the rules of the game so that you can compete”

Where do I begin?

The most important question, depends on where you are, however our recommendation is to always start small to what you can manage and afford

  1. Home farming – 10 to 30 birds which helps balance the amount of investment and effort to the outputs
  2. Commerical farming – 50 to 100 birds, for a beginner, and more depending on your experience however targeting a specific market is very important to get clarity on the birds you will select to invest in

How can we help you get started?

We breed and sell all ages of birds, you can select the gender from 4 to 6 weeks when anatomical features become more prominet

  1. Day old chicks – the lowest cost starting point, best if you have experience, capacity and resources for brooding
  2. 4 week old birds – these are the sweet spot for many farmers, the birds are just out of the brooder, not needing additional heat in the evenings
  3. 8 week birds – after fowl typhoid vaccination
  4. 16 weeks – adult birds which are usually adversely affected by any environment changes, thus gives sufficient time for recovery before laying commences from 20 weeks

Resources

What do they look like?

Day old chicks at feeding time
Local chicken
A majestic local cock

How do I safely add local chicken from un-trusted sources to my home farm flock

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This is a common occurance, where you could be gifted some chicken or buy some along your travels, that you want to integrate with your flock at home.

Our recommendation is not to add the new birds directly to your flock, as they could be disease carriers thus infect your existing birds, and in the worst case you could lose all of them. This has happened to other farmers

The approach we suggest you use is to isolate the birds and put them on a treatment regimen to ensure “most” disease is cleared before adding to your flock

DayActionNotes
1Antibiotic treatment for 5 daysCommmon is Tetracycline 10%, this will clear any infections that the birds have carried
7DewormWorms are easily transmitted within the litter this is the next step
9Newcastle + Infectious Bronchitis VaccinationThe two most common and deadly infections, this is done after the antibiotics and deworming
11Vitamin for 3 daysGiven all the medications this helps
37Deworming30 days from the last deworming, and use a different dewormer to ensure all the different types of worms are removed
39Newcastle + Infectious Bronchitis vaccination
Table 1: Isolation and treatment of foreign birds before integration in an existing flock

What approach have you used for your flocks?

Local Poultry Management Guide

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As part of our path to improve local knowledge for raising and managing indeginous local birds, we have started working on a guide based on our experiences that can be used as a starting point for new and existing farmers

This guide will be evolved with feedback and inputs from farmers so please do share all the experiences that you have to help make it more solid

Send feedback to kungufarm@gmail.com

https://guide.kungu.farm/

Poultry Farm Records Keeping – Part II

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This is a follow on from https://kungu.farm/2014/06/08/farm-record-management/ which goes into more detail into the details of records management that we have developed over the years

The image below illustrates a sample page for tracking daily information for one of our flocks

Daily Record Sheet for Poultry Farm Flock

The key pieces of data collected

  1. Feeding plan – when and how much drinking water & feed are provided
  2. Any mortalities during the day and root cause analysis
  3. What medication has been provied in the water or feed
  4. Egg production – these are picked from the hatching boxes every hour to reduce damage, egg eating and brooding (when the hens sit on the eggs), with a production percentage computed and tracked

A summary of this information is sent via SMS message to the Operations manager daily e.g.,

House A 17kgs, water 3jerricans, alive hens 229,B in good condition water 2jerricans, feed 10kgs, alive chicks 193

How do you keep records on your farm?

Poultry Drugs and Medication

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Can you offer technical advice on the use of those drugs in poultry? A question that came into my Inbox a couple of days ago

The answer below was given by a user “Chicken Doctor Himself” in a Poultry Whatsapp group

Ascalex is a dewormer composed of piperazine citrate. It is always used on evidence of worms or following the periodic routine of 30days for highly exposed chicken or 60 to 90 days in non exposed ones. Follow vets guidance and always do not follow it with a dewormer in the same class for better results attacking a different type of parasite keeping other factors costant .

Amilyte is a powdered in-water supplement with vitamins, amino acids and electrolytes all in one pack. It helps manage any kinds of stress such as treatment, after vaccinations, deworming, debeaking, change of feed etc

Doxin is a mixed antibiotic composed of doxycycline and tyrosin used in treatment of respiratory diseases but should be used on vets prescription. Remember flu is not a disease but a symptom so never rush to treat it.

Glucovit is composed of mild vitamin concentrations and glucose majorly used in early stages of birds growth or when energy levels of the birds are dowm due to different reasons .

Poultry Laying Box Design

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A common challenge with poultry especially layers is the design of the design and use of laying boxes. I will be sharing the design of boxes that we have used and the reasons for the design choices, including enhancements we have made in newer iterations

The design considerations are:

  1. The slanting top about 45 degrees stops the birds from spending time at the top of the laying box, and soiling it (the last image below illustrates this adequately)
  2. The laying box has to be placed close to the wall so that the birds do not climb on the edge
  3. The laying boxes are 1 foot wide to fit a laying bird, or even two especially during peak laying times from 9am to 11am
  4. The laying boxes are also about 1.5′ high so that there is sufficient clearing for the birds and cleaning is a breeze
  5. The floor is slanted at a small angle so that the eggs roll to the wall – it should not be a large angle to break the eggs
  6. Coffee husk shavings can also be added on the floor to keep the eggs from cracking when laid, and to provide comfort in cases where the hens are allowed to incubate the eggs
  7. At the front is a wood barrier to protect birds inside from getting their behinds pecked by those on the ground (this is common as the birds turn to position themselves to lay) and protects the eggs from being eaten
  8. The height of the laying box is about 15cm (0.5′) so that a bird cannot fit below but the birds can get in easily
  • Frame – using kirundu
  • Each laying box is about a foot wide
  • Adding a bar at the front
  • Deployed in the house
  • Another completed version
  • Laying box in use but is soiled at the top because the slope allows birds to use the top section

Core Areas in Poultry Farm Operations that need Daily Assessment

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The ever growing demand for poultry products has led to increase in number of people getting attracted towards poultry farming. It is a profitable business prospect.

However, running a poultry farm is not as easy as it appears. Starting and making it a successful business venture is something entirely different. You are not going to be merely a chicken farmer, instead you have to be an entrepreneur as well.

Taking this business to pinnacle requires putting in much more efforts. For operating this business you need to pay attention to the delicate care and maintenance.

Explore some helpful tips and solution to help your poultry farm/s perform at their maximum potential.

Feed Management

The quality of feed remains the main determinant factor in successful poultry farming. You must ensure that the birds must have an easy access to feed. From adequate feeder line height as per the height of the birds to reduce on the feed wastage and mixing feed with litter. INTRACO-CONVERSION FEEDS LTD provides good quality concentrate feed best for your birds.

Water Management

Water being the most important nutrient accounts for more than 70% of the bird’s daily drinking needs. In fact, poultry consume more water than feed during its lifetime. So an abundance of clean water is more than essential. A proper water management process will reduce challenges and maximize performance. Keep a check for:

  • Evacuation of biofilms and mineral build up in water lines using CID2000
  • Pressure, mineral content, quality, height, and accessibility.
  • Cleanliness of drinker lines and containers prior to flock placement
  • Water supplementation with APSA AMNOVIT as an anti stress pack improves egg production

Biosecurity

Biosecurity refers to those measures taken to prevent or control the introduction and spread of infectious agents to a flock. One ought to reduce inlet of diseases to the farm and also spread of the diseases with in the farm. Use of a premium disinfectant in footbaths and car baths like VIROCID helps reinforce biosecurity on the farm

Brooding Management

The period immediately after hatch requires special care and attention for the chicks. You must spend more time during this critical brooding phase. It ensures a good start in poultry production and will impact on the future health and performance of the birds significantly. Maintain brooder mortalities low using CARMINO PLUS or APSA AMNOVIT in water for the first 10 days. Access the duo from any conversion feeds shop near you.

Downtime between flocks

To help reduce transmission of disease between flocks it is essential to keep an adequate downtime, i.e. at least 28 days. This will include appropriate cleaning and disinfection measures plus, it will also allow time to prepare for the next flock.

Litter Mangement

While it is common for the birds to peck at the litter, the same acts as bedding in a poultry house. This means litter condition and quality put a serious impact on the bird’s intestinal health and profitability.

Dusty litter can be an indication that the birds may not be drinking enough. It can cause some respiratory problems like cough and flu. MIST dusty houses with VIROCID DISINFECTANT to reduce on the bacterial load.

In wet litter problems, the ammonia levels in the house rises. This poses danger to bird health potentially as it presents a vicious cycle for intestinal health. It serves as a breeding ground for potential pathogens. This can be a starting point for intestinal stress, further leading to diseases.

Stocking Density

Also referred to ‘crowding’ it is one of the most sensitive issues in poultry industry. Generally, a higher stocking density in addition to crowded housing conditions exerts a negative impact on performance. This will be leading to stress to both the birds As far as a comfortable stock density is concerned, it is said to be of 1 layer bird per square feet and 2 broiler birds per square feet.

Transition Monitoring

This will aid in understanding what is happening in the house. The examination of the activity of the flock and increase in the frequency at which houses are walked in helps early disease detection. Always check on the activity of birds very early in the morning before birds are given feeds, check on the colour of droppings for any abnormalities.
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Lastly, try to establish a strong communication and coordination between everyone involved in running your farm. This ensures a stronger and more successful management program for your business and birds.

Vet Bahati Robert Juma
0758943235
0786712645
Conversion Feeds Ltd

Surviving the COVID Lockdown – A Farmer’s Perspective

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March 31, 2020 will forever be etched into our minds, as the President of Uganda announced a 14 day lockdown with no movement of private cars, only motorcyles, lorries and pickups allowed.

At first glance I can say that we were very fortuate, as our most senior staff at the farm had left the day before to see his wife through childbirth for their second child who was due April 9th, but came April 2nd. He would definitely have missed the birth and first days had he stayed a day longer.

This was the test of the processes and tools that we had put in place since we started this joruney in January 2013:

  1. Feed preparation
    • This is fully outsourced although we control the formulation process, and fully mixed, packed food is delivered to the farm in 100kg bags. We weigh on delivery and cross check with the order made. This proved to be the right call as the trust relation with the feed mixing provider meant we did not have to be present at all times, and transactions could be completed remotely.
    • During this process due to stockout of the 10% concentrate formulation we successfully moved to a 5% concentrate formulation
    • The feed is prepared once a week, which reduces the need for adding preservatives to keep it for longer, and provides an opportunity to make quick changes based on feedback from the birds – always measured by productivity
  2. Farm Records Management
    • On a daily basis we track the total feed and water consumption, production (number of trays per house) which provided remote visibility into how the farm was running
    • In addition we track finer details such how many eggs were picked per hour, how much feed and water is given in the morning and afternoon. This helps spot trends and changes in behavior based on weather and other factors
  3. Production and Sales Management
    • Previously we delivered to our customers which removed visitors from the farm, helping us manage biosecurity and good old security since no visitors are allowed to come in and eggs to leave. However with the lockdown this changed due to transport constraints
    • All deliveries were pre-paid before pickup as no credit was allowed, intially payments were made to the bank (via agent banking) however now this had to change to mobile money due to movement restrictions
    • Stock management – we agressively manage our stock having order levels at 120% of production, and carefully managing our customer deliveries to keep them happy. This was put to the test with a double punch of 3-week lockdown extension and start of Ramadhan, which pushed prices to below cost and at one time we had 800 trays (over 2 weeks of production)
    • Price management – we track and manage egg sales price based on the cost of feeds
  4. Farm Operations – we have regular activities at the farm to maintain the health of the birds which include
    • Monthly deworming followed by Newcastle vaccination
    • Scheduled pre-emptive veterinary service visits to check on the stool, and look for any signs of sickness as well as assess overall biosecurity controls. Additional visits would be triggered by changes in feed & water consumption plus productivity
    • Movement Sticker – we got this one through application to the Ministry of Works, as the farm is a registered legal entity that also files taxes with URA, so proof of need was not difficult to provide
    • The two staff who were at the farm during this period did a tremendous job earning themselve a 50% monthly salary bonus, for holding the fort.
    • The production manager had 2 daily checkin calls (or more)

The lockdown has now been eased with a partial re-opening started, which has pushed up demand and has provided a window for us to complete renovations and prepare for a new flock coming in on June 9, 2020.

What have been your lessons for running your farm operations during this lockdown? What will you change and improve for the future?

2020 Plans

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As the rest of the world is making New Year resolutions we have solidified our 2020 plans

  1. Grow current flock from 2,200 to 3,200 which is our installed capacity. This will enable us to leverage our 6 year learning journey and start turning it into profit
  2. Start livestock farming – this is part of our long term strategy of vertical integration and multiple revenue stream. The plan is
    • The livestock will be zero grazed and growing the numbers organically
    • Start goats herding from the does that we own but do not have a home. Construction of a goat pen
    • Diary farming – start with a heifer mid year as we figure out the feeding needs and processes
    • Immediately we shall get access to dung and urine which will improve the yields of our banana plantations
  3. One of our plantations seems to have a persistent infestation of Digitaria scalarum Chiov. (gramineae) commonly known as lumbugu, and despite all the hard work the soil quality too does not seem to be improving. So we are going to cut this down around the March rains, and plant sweet potatoes, followed by a maize & beans combo to provide alternate soil usage. This will provide a needed 18 month fallow period to better yields post 2021. The plan is to use the biomaterials – stems & leaves  mulch for the one which will be retained to give the necessary soil protection.

Looking forward to a busy 2020

An Alternate Business Model for Small Holder Farmers – Free Range Indeginous Chicken

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The commercial poultry business is now the rage with the increased demand for eggs and broilers, however it is fraught with peril due to the flock management needs, unstable prices of feed ingredients, weather (oh yes ask any farmer what the effects of the heat wave have been), feed formulation knowledge and not forgetting disease management due to the high numbers maintained in closed spaces. This business model requires specialized breeds whose genes have been formulated to grow fast (meat), have high productivity (layers) if managed well. This raises the capital and operational costs, which many cannot afford.

Based on our experience with commerical poulty, we would like to share an alternate business model, and our current progress with it, as a way of stimulating home-based agribusinesses. These are local birds, indeginous yes, which many have shunned over the years for kuroiler breeds (unfortunately we are not a big fan) so went back to our roots.

What are the major challenges with indeginous breeds that have been put forward:

  1. Diseases wipe them out
  2. Low productivity (eggs) and low weights (meat)
  3. Long growth times to achieve milestones
  4. Predators – rats, dogs and “humans”

In our experience, the business model and thinking is that the business model is what is wrong, leading to mismatched expectations. The commercial approach fot indeginous birds is not selling bulk in low value, but low numberrs of high quality and value.

What is our approach:

  1. The value of the local flock cannot be realized quickly, and has to be built over time so that it it self sustaining
  2. Leverage the learnings from the commerical poultry to fix some of the issues such as:
    • Disease management – follow the vaccination schedules for the commercial breeds to build immunity and reduce infection
    • Low productivity – supplement the diet with 30-50% commercial feeds to fix any deficiencies
    • Local additivies – leverage local plants such as aloevera, pupmkins, yams,  tree leaves (will provide names later), millet, sorghum, popcorn to supplement the diets
  3. Infrastructure:
    • Housing – ensure adequate space for the birds to spend the night away from predators such as dogs, and rats (yes we lost 10 1-month chicks)
    • Keep the place clean – oh yes this requires investment, but reduces on disease outbreaks
    • Feeders and drinkers – for local birds, are you kidding me, they can scavenge! Oh yes, look after them well and they will multiply
    • Free range area – demarkate an area for the birds to move around looking for food and scratch around, otherwise they collect diseases as they roam and also are prey for predators. We have not gotten to this stage yet but are getting there as the numbers grow
  4. How do we intend make money through the sale of:
    • Breeding stock – pullets and cocks since their lineage can be traced
    • Cocks for traditional ceremonies like kwanjulas, gifts to parents
    • Yellow yolk organic eggs at a premium
    • Pullets and cocks for food – very tasty for special occasions
  5. What do the numbers look like? This is a summary of the numbers in a way that makes sense on growth. All the chicks were brooded by their mothers
Month Additions Losses Notes
October 2018 3 – Initial stock – 1 Cock and 2 pullets
November 2018 6 pullets,

18 chicks

 1 pullet,

9 chicks

 Purchase of pullets.

Theft of a mother and her 9 babies,
December 2018 10 chicks 8 chicks Predator birds and wild animals
January 2019 15 chicks, 6 pullets 3 chicks A purchase of pullets from upcountry travels
February 2019 10 chicks 3 chicks Predator birds and wild animals
March 2019 4 chicks 8 chicks Rats killed the chicks so moved the mother to the main house
April 2019 4 chicks 8 pullets Had lots of dogs around the house during mating season so ate the birds in the mornings

As of today, 28 April 2019, we have 2 hens brooding 18 eggs, and a laying hen with about 10 eggs – they tend to start brooding at about 10 – 12 eggs, that seems to be the natural cycle.

2019-04-06 18.24.04

Happily walking around with the main cock

2019-04-06 17.59.51

Chicken house from locally made materials and frugal designs

2019-04-06 17.59.11

Drinker from jerrycan leveraged from commercial deep litter operations

2019-04-06 17.59.17

Locally made feeder usually used in deep litter

This Twitter thread covers similar ground for the construction of the house and how the flock is proceeding https://twitter.com/kungufarm/status/1080144748252418048?s=20