Smart Harvest - 28 November 2020

Saturday Smart harvest 1

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SATURDAY NOVEMBER 28, I2020 The Standard FREE with, The Standard Saturday, November 28, 2020

Lessons from thriving ornamental birds farms, Pg2

Eight chicken breeds with great potential, Pg8

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VALUE CHAIN EDITION

Poultry: The good, bad and the profitable!

2 Smart harvest

Ornamental Birds NEW FRONTIERS

Milton Weche (left) and Benson Wekesa hold ornamental birds at Mitoto farm in Trans Nzoia County. [Mumo Munuve, Standard]

Doctors’ gamble with beautiful breeds pays off F

or years, proprietors of Mitoto Poultry Farm in Sango village, Trans County used to keep improved kienyeji chicken. The birds had a ready market.

The 15-acre poultry unit run by two doctors was home to thousands of improved chicken breeds but is now dotted with ornamental birds.

“We used to have more than 1,000 improved kienyeji breeds but we sold them. The venture was not making economic sense then.

“It’s all a matter of math and what makes economic sense in these difficult times,” says Fredrick Ouko, a veterinary surgeon. He co-owns the farm with Brian Okumu who is a physician.

According to Ouko, ornamental birds have a high production rate of eggs, have tastier meat and mature faster compared to indigenous breeds.

Ouko says running expenses (feeds and vaccines) are lower (a quarter) than the indigenous and improved kienyeji birds and one does not need a large flock to break even.

Dual purpose “The pure breed dual-purpose chicken can lay well in excess of 200 eggs a year, which is far more than kienyeji will lay, but less than what the commercial or hybrids will lay and attains maturity in five to six months and weighs at least 2.5 kilos,” he points out.

The veterinary surgeon says the demand for the birds is more than the supply at the moment.

Some of the breeds at Mitoto Ornamental Poultry Farm

include the Light Sussex hen, the Rhode Island Red, Old English Game, Mayoka, Araucana, frizzle bantam, white bantam and White Leghorns. The farm has over 35 species of ornamental birds.

According to Benson Wasike, the farm manager, the birds are sold in a pair (male and female) at a between Sh7,000 and Sh11,000 after attaining the age of three months. The eggs cost between Sh40 and Sh250 depending on the species.

“This is a timely investment especially now that there is a glut in poultry market following record numbers of people taking up this project having lost their jobs due to corona virus,” Okumu said.

Okumu added that the housing structure of ornamental should be a replica of the nature they normally grow to give them room to express their natural behaviour.

“The booted varieties (Pekins, Silkies, Brahamas, Cochins) should have restricted access to early morning grass dew and wet grown while the long tailed varieties (Onagodori, Yokohama, Sumatra) should have perches to rest. Access to sand baths and sunshine is crucial for all breeds,” Okumu said.

Okumu says with two hens and a cockerel, one is good to go. “The vaccination regime for pure breed chicken is like that of the commercial variety or improved Kienyeji. They suffer from the same diseases such as Newcastle, Infectious bronchitis and Gumboro.”

[Nathan Ochunge] Dr Fredrick Ouko.

[Benjamin Sakwa, Standard]

Saturday, November 28, 2020 The Standard

Why you need permit to keep ornamental birds Tausi Farm supplied the pigeons released in the air

by President Mwai Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga during the promulgation of the new constitution in 2010

Benefits of rearing ornamentals

Bugies and cockatiels

Pigeon birds

A common pheasant

BBy Nanjinia Wamuswa

nwamuswa@standardmedia.co.ke

As customers flock to buy some of his ornamental birds, Murungi Muthamia insists they must have a licence from the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS).

The manager of Tausi Farm has on many occasions turned away several clients with hundreds of thousands of shillings, who wanted to buy ornamental birds without a permit.

“That is the rule here. It is not my rule, but a government law that anyone who wants to rear ornamental poultry must have the permit,” says Murungi.

He says every game has its rules.

“This is not a challenge but a total risk. If the government finds out l’m selling without a permit, they will revoke my licence and take the hundreds of birds away.

I will be the loser,” he says.

Even clients from outside Kenya need the permit, says Murungi.

Tausi Farm located in Karen houses hundreds of types of ornamental birds, including peacocks, quails, guinea fowls, ducks, ornamental chicken, pheasants, peafowls, partridges, pigeons, king pigeons, fan tailed, silk fan tailed, yellow necks and tragopaths.

Murungi inherited the farm from his father Phin e a s Mbaabu, who in 2 0 1 0 received an award from then President Kibaki for being the top poultry farmer in the country.

VIP birds The pigeons released in the air

by President Mwai Kibaki, Prime Minister Raila Odinga and other dignitaries during the promulgation of the new

Golden pheasant

A male peacock

constitution in August 2010 were bought from their farm.

The poultry sing, squawk, whistle, quack, croak, chip, chirp, caw, whisper and screech as Murungi moves up and down collecting eggs and feeding them.

“It is always like this from morning to evening, starting with cleaning their houses, distributing feeds and water, collecting eggs from layers and monitoring their overall welfare,” he says.

Murungi took over the management of the f a r m from his father in 2 0 1 2 after he retired.

Mbaabu had starte d

A male peacock and a peahen

and managed the farm since 1988.

After graduating with a degree in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) from Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT), Murungi took up the farm.

“I am a part-time ICT consultant, but managing ornamental poultry is my full time employment,” he says.

His passion for ornamental poultry started during his childhood when he cared for the birds any time his father was away. He knew then that ornamental birds are profitable because his father educated them and paid bills from the proceeds.

By the time he was inheriting the farm, he already had all the information required to manage the birds. He would read books and other materials his father had bought and websites.

Although his father started by importing wild eggs for ornamental birds, Murungi has been hatching those laid at the farm using a modern incubator he imported.

He says when diseases break out, he loses two or three birds, and this is quite a lot of money because they are expensive.

However, Murungi says he has learned and can easily recognise the presence of a disease just by looking at a bird’s behaviour. When it’s serious he calls in a vet.

Agri tourism Murungi says guinea fowls are hardy and rarely get sick.

Since he took over, there has been steady growth and with it more profits. He is now expanding the farm and relocating to Ole Tipis Picnic site, along Kiserian-Isinya Road.

“I am now expanding to

Dr Subiri Obwogo from Kienyeji Kenya says ornamental birds are better than chicken because with only two or three, one gets a return on investment.

“The fact that they do not have any special needs yet fetch much more makes business sense,” Dr Obwogo told farmers. co.ke.

However, despite their huge profits, ornamental birds account for only two per cent of the poultry population in the country.

This could be because they are also expensive and require huge capital.

He says most farmers keep them as a hobby and only see their ornamental value, yet they have a high potential of scaling up their meat and egg production.

Obwogo advises farmers to diversify from the normal chicken rearing to geese, ducks and guinea fowls. “Diversifying poultry farming cushions farmers against risks.”

He says in case chickens die from diseases, the farmer at least has the ducks and geese to rely on.

Ornamental birds are also more resistant to diseases than chicken, making them easier to rear. increase the number of foreign ornamental birds. Through my research, l have identified a good number of other types of birds not at the farm. I intend to get and breed them here. My new location – a free range system on over two acres – is meant to boost agritourism,” says Murungi.

Visitors will pay Sh500 to see the ornamental birds.

Murungi says the farm has lived for over 30 years because it generates profits. There are not many farmers in ornamental poultry, which creates a huge demand.

“Unlike chicken, ornamental birds do not have competition for market, and that is reason they have a huge demand and market,” he says.

Murungi Muthamia in his ornamental birds farm in Karen, Nairobi. [David

Gichuru, Standard]

Smart Harvest is published by: Standard Group PLC. Editor-in-Chief: Ochieng’ Rapuro; Managing Editor: John Bundotich; Editor: Hellen Miseda; Production Editor: Kennedy Mureithi; Revise Editors: Gathenya Njaramba, Mark Oloo; Contributors: Gloria Aradi, Gardy Chacha, Mercy Kahenda, Lydia Nyawira, Kevine Omolo, Titus Too, Stephen Rutto, Nathan Ochunbge, John Shilitsa, Manager, Print Creative: Dan Weloba; Creative Designer: Alice Ariri Photography: Benjamin Sakwa, Kibata Kihu, Kipsang Joseph E-mail: smartharvest@standardmedia.co.ke; Website: www.farmers.co.ke

Smart harvest 3

Saturday, November 28, 2020 The Standard

Innovation

In developed economies, robots are used to perform tasks such as feeding birds, transporting, handling and packing eggs.

BBy Nathan Ochunge

nochunge@standardmedia.co.ke

The future of poultry business is in technology and value addition, this was the resounding message at a recent webinar attended by the who-iswho in the sector.

Like their counterparts in the Western world, if farmers in Kenya are to boost efficiency and maximise profits, then tech and value addition is the way to go.

In developed nations, poultry keepers are have embraced cutting edge technologies that have revolutionised their ventures.

For example, robotics are emerging as a key player in chicken rearing. In the modern world, robots are used to perform tasks such as feeding birds, transporting, handling and packing eggs and managing shed ventilation.

Remotely monitor birds In the chicken meat processing sector, robots are used to perform tasks such as automatic transfer of carcasses, detection of defective carcasses and other roles that require poultry man’s keen eye. The use of robots is expected to increase in the future as other capabilities are developed that improve the ability to remotely monitor birds.

“For farmers with more than 20,000 birds, robots are the way to go. Having robots perform some of these tasks can cut down labour costs by at least 70 per cent,” Peter Ndeche, an experienced poultry farmer in Kakamega says.

Ndeche, an agricultural engineering graduate says farmers can use the data relayed by the robots to improve on the welfare of the birds and maximise on profits.

Dr Ludovicus Okitoi, an expert in poultry farming and the Principal Research Scientist at the Kenya Agricultural Research and Livestock Development Organisation (Karlo) notes that to better manage poultry farms and keep at bay common diseases such as Newcastle disease, farmers must learn to use farm data.

This is only possible through technology.

An equally effective way to a run poultry farm is embracing modern disease management strategies.

For instance, to manage Newcastle disease which is one of the leading killers of birds, Okitoi says a new vaccine introduced to the market early last year has proved effective.

“Karlo carried out investigations on the efficacy of the vaccine and from our findings, it is ideal for our environment.

However, farmers must always adhere to strict hygiene proce-

How robots and value addition will transform sector

Guest Column Climate shocks haven’t spared poultry keepers

DR.JOEL KHOBONDO

T

Staff at a butchery that deals purely in poultry products in Kakamega town. According to Kalro, there are only two of such butcheries in Kenya, the other one is in Eldoret. [Mumo Munuve, Standard]

Technologies used in Western world For efficiency and

maximum yields, developed nations have embraced use of hi tech production systems. For example in countries like Israel, robotics and innovative technology are the norm.

Here, automated robots are being used to run poultry farm doing activities like detecting an outbreak of diseases, picking eggs after they have been laid by the birds and making instant reports to the farmer via mobile

A Gohbot machine uses imaging sensors to navigate around the poultry house.

dures to keep poultry diseases at bay,” Okitoi points out.

Value addition On value addition, Okitoi says this is the surest way for farmers to reap maximum profits from their farms.

“You stand to make more by selling chicken in parts as opposed to live and whole. Do some research and come with

phone.

For instance, A Gohbot

machine uses imaging sensors to navigate around the poultry house, detect and pick eggs on the floor, sense environmental temperatures and harmful gasses inside the poultry house. This is ideal for a farmer with over 20,000 birds. With such technology, one does not need workers in the farm and this cuts down running costs by at least 70 per cent.

Another robot like machine known as ChickenBoy is also used to effectively manage a poultry farm. ChickenBoy is an autonomous that runs on simple rails suspended on the ceiling of a poultry house, adding that it is uses artificial intelligence and sensors to monitor and manage the birds, detect and isolate sick ones, pick dead ones, asses the ambient conditions and detect equipment failures.

the best way possible to market your products. Supermarkets are already attending to this market need,” he says.

As consumers continue to become more health-conscious, Okitoi says poultry farmers need to take advantage of the rising demand for white meat.

“Supermarkets are selling chicken parts and are making

more than the farmer who is sell whole chicken. I want to challenge poultry farmers to set up butcheries that sell purely poultry products. Currently we only have two of such butcheries in Kakamega and Eldoret,” says Okitoi.

He challenges farmers instead of only selling live chicken to make delicacies like chicken sausages and samosas that fetch more cash.

“I am happy that university students have seized the opportunity in Kakamega by roasting chicken meat and selling it in parts. That’s a good move but they should ensure they maintain the required hygienic standards,” says Okitoi.

He further urges farmers to make their own feeds to reduce the cost of production.

To cushion farmers from unhealthy competition such as cheap eggs from neighbouring countries, Okitoi says there needs to be a policy change.

“We must address the root cause of our problems which I think is in the policy.”

Bernard Kutwa, a livestock production officer in Bumula in Bungoma County says to market their products, farmers must also learn to make good use of social media platforms.

Kutwa calls on farmers to always change the script if what they already doing doesn’t seem to work. He said while chick hatching is a lucrative business, many farmers still insist on rearing chicken until maturity which is more costly.

he world faces the hazards from climate change due to Green House Gas emission. Greenhouse gas pollution originates from agriculture industry, forestry and other land use. Kenya’s total greenhouse gas emissions stand at 73 metric tonnes carbon dioxide gas equivalents in 2010. Of this, 75 per cent is from the land use.

Therefore, climate change is a threat to poultry production due to the negative impact on quality of feed crop and forage, water availability, diseases, biodiversity, agro ecological zone, food security and heat stress.

The effects of heat stress alone on poultry results in lower feed nutrient utilisation, reduced feed intake, compromised production, low reproduction efficiency, deteriorated health and high mortality. These factors affects production and lowers profitability forcing farmers to adapt. Adaptation is the mechanism by which farmers adjust to new environments or to changes in their current environment to sustain profitable poultry production.

Adaptation measures involve production and management system modifications, breeding strategies, institutional and policy changes, science and technology advances and changing farmers’ perceptions. Therefore, adaptation strategies can improve the resilience of poultry productivity to climate change. In the wake of climate change, here are strategies that poultry farmers employ to remain a float:

Producers’ management systems modifications Adaptation to heat stress are dictated by size of the farm and operation. Small farms in Kenya and elsewhere can invest in traditional strategies such as early stocking, frequent litter change and raising of local genotypes/ breeds. More small scale farmers are now rearing the naked neck chicken due to their ability

to dissipate heat. The medium and large farms can adopt modern technologies such as air and water ventilation and use of low-energy bulbs which emit less heat. Giving the birds vitamins and medicines when they are sick, litter spreading and decaking of the chicken houses, also helps. Intergrated poultryfish farming and pasture based poultry production systems are also beneficial.

Breeding strategies Research and higher learning institutions like Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO) and Egerton university are involved in development of climate smart chicken breed and improvement of indigenous chicken productivity that are resilient to hot temperatures.

The demand for this chicken are ever increasing.

Institutional and policy changes The poultry subsector has benefited from a number of public and development projects that addressed increased productivity and profitability.

Key among them is the Kenya Climate Smart Agriculture Project (KCSAP) that has prioritised the chicken value chain.

The National Agricultural and Rural Inclusive Growth Project (NARIGP), has also prioritised the chicken value chain.

State Department of Livestock Development, the lead body championing change in the poultry sector has made progress. Under the big four agenda, the department is building hatcheries for multiplication of adapted chicken breeds, modern slaughterhouses and encouraging farmers to form cooperatives. These initiatives will help increase producers involvement in poultry as a diversification strategy hence provide more climate resilient food and income source. For example, despite the negative impact of climate risk, chicken production can mitigate effect of drought on food security.

At international level, the removal of taxes by East African Community on raw material for the manufacture of animal feeds has encouraged private investment in feed industry.

[The writer is Director, AGLIVEDS Consultancy Ltd, lecturer, livestock specialist] To conserve energy, the medium and large farms should use of low-energy bulbs which emit less heat in brooders.

[David Njaaga, Standard]

4 Smart harvest

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2020 The Standard

Agribusiness

Smart harvest 5

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2020 The Standard

Sure gamble. With a rapid demand for white meat, experts agree that poultry farming has grown into one of the most profitable agri-businesses

Why every Kenyan wants piece of pie in poultry farming

Kenya National Bureau of Statistics census report 2019

The biggest markets for poultry meat are Nairobi and Mombasa cities, which account for three quarters of the country’s total meat consumption.

By Dominic Omondi

dakure@standardmedia.co.ke

Long ago, when fast food joints were rare and Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) was one of those American brands on TV, chicken was a delicacy for special occasions and people.

For those who celebrated Christmas, chicken was eaten

during Christmas or when someone special visited.

Not that this came to an end, but it has changed significantly.

A study done last year found that meat consumption, which generally increases with income, rose during holidays.

Holidays with increased meat consumption in Kenya are during Christmas, Easter, Id al Adha (Islamic Festival of Sacrifice, Id al Fitr (The Festival of the Breaking of the Ramadan Fast) and Diwali, according to an April 2019 study by the Kenya Markets Trust Society (KMTS), an NGO. “When there are religious and cultural festivals or households

3.3m 

Household rearing traditional chicken breeds.

30.

3m 

Households rearing indigenous chicken Counties Nakuru Machakos Kakamega Makueni Kitui Bungoma Kiambu Meru Sub-counties Mwala in Machakos Chepalungu in Bomet Mbeere in Embu Kuria West in Migori Mau Forest in Narok Makueni Nakuru North Imenti South

5.5m 

Households rearing exotic layers

2.9 m 

Households rearing broilers.

Households 1.5 million 1.4 million 1.4 million 1.3 million 1.3 million 1.1 million 1.1 million 1 million 280,163 252,408 240,522 216,058 211,764 210,803 207,577 205,385

Communities

 Luhya

3.8m  4. 2m Ukambani

 354,335  The number of

chicken in Nairobi.  146,398

 The number of

chicken in Njiru which is leading in terms of numbers

James Nduati a vender at City Market at his butchery. He says demand for broilers is high.

[Wilberforce Okwiri, Standard]

have guests, the high income buys more meat, followed by middle and low,” read the report.

Meat demand, retailers told the authors of the report, is seasonal reducing from 20th every month (Mwenzi iko kwa corner) and picking by the first day of the month, following the monthly cycles.

“Meat is more heavily consumed during certain holidays, school holidays as well as during certain time of month e.g. end month, meat consumption goes up.”

However the middle-class and the poor, the study found, buys more meat when the children are on holiday.

Ready market But meat, and especially chicken, is increasingly being consumed frequently. As the economy has grown, incomes have gone up with a bulge in the number of middle class families. Moreover, tastes and preferences have also changed, with a lot of people preferring white meat mostly for health reasons.

As a result, poultry farming has grown into one of the most profitable agribusiness as farmers are assured of a ready market.

Although we did not find a study that puts a monetary of this market, experts say it is worth billions of shillings.

Eating habits have also changed.

Unlike before when people ate

mostly in their homes, outdoor consumption has become popular, especially in urban areas.

Thus, even if people will not eat chicken everyday in their homes, their teenage children mostly, can’t help a taste of chicken and French fries in the many fast food restaurants.

A study done in April last year by Kenya Markets Trust Society (KMTS), showed that chicken is the highly consumed meat among the high income and middle class.

Titled, “A Study on Meat End Market Trends in Kenya,” the study explained that the popularity of chicken meat among these income groups is due to their increasing sensitivity to health as well as safety.

Consumers of meat are also concerned about the uncertainty of the genuineness of product, with some fearing red meat for possibility of eating wild meat.

Quality, safety, and reduction in household size are other factors that are driving up consumption of chicken meat.

With tonnes of studies showing a correlation between red meat and lifestyle diseases such as cancer and obesity, a lot of people have been ditching beef, goat meat and other red meat for chicken and fish.

In 2018, for example, 132,000 tonnes of poultry meat was consumed in Kenya, resulting into per person consumption of about 2.7 kilograms per year.

While this is still a far cry compared to the global per capita consumption of 15.2 kilograms, it is an astronomical increase from a decade earlier.

In 2008, chicken meat produced and consumed in the country was worth 24,000 tonnes, translating into per capital consumption of 600 grams of this meat.

While chicken consumed by a typical Kenyan has increased by more than four times in a decade, that of meat has actually declined.

Many players As a result, poultry farming has attracted a lot of players. There were about 38.8 million chicken in Kenya by end of August when the census survey was done. Almost 80 per cent of these chickens were indigenous, popularly known as Kienyeji.

Although most of them are reared for subsistence, there is a great opportunity to make money out of them.

The study by KMTS noted that the reason the poultry meat production is higher than beef is due to intensive production system and active role of such smallholder and indigenous chicken production systems.

Demand for Kienyeji chicken has been increasing, particularly among the high income and some middle class families who are becoming increasingly conscious about their health.

However, among the high income, group, a lot of of people who would like a taste of Kienyeji

 Reasons for not consuming chicken 1. Affordability- especially among the poor and middle class 2. Accessibility among the rich with most saying they can’t get indigenous free-range chicken Frequency of selling chicken by retailers- better than all the other meat, except beef 1. Daily- 90 per cent 2. 3-4 days- 10.1 per cent 3. At least once a week- 10.1 per cent

Want to export poultry?  Export of poultry is regulated by the Directorate of Veterinary Services (DVS) who issues an international veterinary certificate to ascertain the conditions outlined by the country of destination have been met, and that the animals are healthy and disease free.

chicken can’t relish the dish because it is inaccessible, according to the study by KMTS. The study found that for the other groups, people who would have loved to eat chicken, were however put off by the high price.

The biggest markets for meat, all kinds of meat, Nairobi and Mombasa cities, which account for three quarters of the country’s total meat consumption.

Data from the national statistics indicates that besides these cities having people with high

incomes that enables them to afford chicken, there are very few people that rear chicken.

However, you can still sell chicken in rural Kenya, with studies showing that close to 60 per cent of the chicken consumed in these parts of country are actually purchased.

You can decide to rear broiler or layers. With layers, you will see eggs in the first 24 months, cull them and sell them into meat.

With broilers you start selling meat directly.

THOUGH LUCRATIVE, POULTRY FARMING IS NOT WALK IN THE PARK Poultry farming is not a smooth-sail. The cost of production for layers is high, with feeds taking up more than 93 per cent of total expenses, according to Timothy Njagi, an agricultural economist.

There are challenges on food safety for broilers. Overdosing broilers with hormones and antibiotics has in some cases been blamed for microbial resistance- a situation where overuse of antibiotics makes resistance bacteria more common.

Some of the medication administered are sub-standard and dosage is not administered by professionals, said Njagi.

But there is also increased competition from the region. Eggs from Uganda, for example, land in the country at Sh170 per crate. In Kenya, a crate is produced at Sh250. “So, when eggs from Uganda come into Kenya, you have to wait for it to end,” said Njagi. In the last 10 years to last year the quantity of imported poultry has risen from zero in 2007 to 1000 tonnes in 2018. On the other end, Kenya exporters have had difficulties accessing the regional markets, with Uganda and Tanzania going around the rules of fair trade. In May this year, Patrick Githinji and Monica Wanjiru, said in one of the national dailies that while Uganda was exporting chicken meat to Kenya tax-free, it was slapping those of Kenyan with various taxes including value-added tax, withholding tax and railways development levy. This, the insisted was against the common market protocoals and custom union.

They noted that Tanzania has also imposed stringent requirements for compliance from the Tanzania Bureau of Standards. Players in the poultry sector have seen as this as deliberate efforts to bar them from accessing the market.

“Worth noting is the fact that Tanzania banned the importation of poultry and poultry products into the country in 2016. We, therefore, cannot overemphasize the vulnerability of the Kenyan poultry industry from the regional attack,” they wrote.

But the mother of all challenges will be the completion of bilateral trade talks between Kenya and the United States that is currently ongoing. Among some of the products that Americans want to be sold in Kenya duty-free is poultry meat. In a country where consumers are price-sensitive, it will difficult for Kenyan farmers to compete against cheap poultry meat from the United States.

SPONSORED CONTENT

Gilgil-based farmer embraces organic farming

By Caroline Mwendwa

Are you reluctantly using poisonous synthetic agro-chemicals on your crops for not knowing that there are alternatives? Biovision Africa Trust (BvAT) is turning around the lives of many farmers with training and information on sustainable farming methods that make the use of these poisonous agro-chemicals unnecessary. Through its Farmer Communication Programme, the Trust is reaching millions of farmers who are gradually adopting new farming technologies that are environmentally friendly and less costly to produce safe and healthy foods.

For many farmers, the idea of organic farming is an ideal that they desire but they do not know how to start. They lack the information.

However, organisations championing for a shift to more sustainable food production methods, such as BvAT avail this information in different formats and every means possible. In print, BvAT features highly edifying articles monthly on organic farming; through broadcast, it airs Swahili radio programmes in national radio stations, Radio Maisha on Thursdays at 7.30 pm and other vernacular programmes on various radio stations.

The Trust has established a network of extension services through its Outreach Programme with officers in 10 counties, all dedicated to training farmers willing to convert to organic farming and continually walk the journey with them.

In the digital era, most information seekers are used to access all information on their screens and Infonet Biovision (www.infonetbiovision.org) page is the to go to page for all things, ecologically sustainable farming. On this page that can be accessed online and offline, there is information on all possible interventions against pests, various crop varieties and how to grow them, their benefits, animal husbandry, poultry, and environmental conservation among others, tailored for the local small holder farmer.

One beneficiary of these projects is Andrew Ngure, a 37-year-old farmer from Gilgil growing Sukuma wiki, potatoes, beans, asparagus, and maize.

“Being a farmer, it always felt odd to exhaust my farm produce such as maize, vegetables and potatoes and end up purchasing them before the next harvest. My farm productivity was dwindling by the season until I discovered what I was not farming right,” says Andrew Ngure, a TOF ambassador in his home area.

His challenges sprung from resistant pests, especially aphids that attacked his crops costing him huge losses, and highly infertile soil that had degenerated from overreliance on synthetic fertilizer. When he met Francis Maina of Biovision Africa Trust, he had resorted to a highly

expensive farming approach of constantly buying farm inputs and later buying food as what he harvested could not last to the next harvest.

“Being a farmer, it always felt odd to exhaust my farm produce such as maize, vegetables and potatoes and end up purchasing them before the next harvest.”

“Maina introduced me to organic farming and told me about Infonet, where all information on how to enrich the soil organically and manage pests without use of synthetic pesticides can be found. When I visited the page, I found so many solutions that I could use within the farm. I have a booklet with all this information downloaded from Infonet page, and I use it in every stage of my crops,” says Ngure.

Through training with Maina, Ngure has learnt various techniques to ensure productivity of his farm. For instance, to fight aphids that ravage kales, Ngure prepares an extract from Sodom apple and African Marigold, “I chop the Sodom apple fruits and African Marigold leaves and soak in water for one day. I then add a little bit

Andrew Ngure, a farmer from Gilgil growing Sukuma wiki, potatoes, beans, asparagus, and maize. of soap to aid in stickiness. I sieve the mixture and fill it in a spray bottle, to spray on the crops,” he explains. This solution has kept the pests away as he uses it frequently, and evidently, the intervention is no doubt effective.

“Organically grown Sukuma wiki has a distinct taste, that is richer than conventionally grown kale,” he says.

Fetching a few potatoes from a bucket that he uses to do farm gate sales to neighbours, Ngure explains that he can now feed his family from his farm yields and still have more to sell. “The organically grown potatoes have a good physical appeal, and do not ooze the white fluid from the pores even after being stored for a long time,” he explains.

Other tactics he has learnt from The Organic Farmer Magazine and

TOF Radio include, composting of farmyard manure, mulching to retain moisture in the soil and practising crop rotation to ensure richness of the soil. “To kill bacteria in the soil after harvesting, I splash ash on the affected portion before planting the next season,” he says.

Among other things, Ngure is grateful for having learnt through BvAT the value of providing sufficient nutrients to his family. “Through listening to TOF Radio programmes and reading the TOF Magazine, I have learnt to ensure that I grow a variety of crops, to feed my family. I also grow asparagus, which is a high value crop, and instead of selling all the harvest, I ensure my family gets to enjoy its nutritious value,” says the father of two.

6 Smart harvest

Saturday, November 28, 2020 The Standard

Housing & Health

What to keep in mind when it comes to housing choices DR OTHIENO JOSEPH

W

hy should housing matter to you as a commercial poultry farmer? The right poultry housing guarantees the birds’ good health and welfare and affects egg and meat production. Poultry houses ideally should be in isolated places to minimise human traffic and mixing between different farms. You have probably noticed how far Kenchick locates their production units – in the middle of nowhere. You may not afford this luxury as a small-scale farmer but still you can use the furthest corner of the farm.

When housing birds, do not overcrowd. Create enough room for the birds to perch, walk and run around. Ensure there is good ventilation because birds are easily stressed when there’s ammonia accumulation in the

Most illnesses are brought into the poultry house by wild birds, rodents and farmhands BBy Dr Paul N Kangethe

pkangethe@standardmedia.co.ke

Chicken diseases interfere with productivity and the growth of chicken and are a serious threat to the profitability and sustainability of the venture.

Many aspiring poultry farmers give up their projects due to the challenge of diseases. Here are the top common diseases, the signs to look out for and the remedies.

1. Newcastle Disease Cause: This is a highly contagious virus called Newcastle Disease Virus (NDV). It is a deadly chicken disease globally. It causes respiratory and nervous disorders in chickens and other birds.

Chickens are readily infected by aerosols and by ingesting contaminated water or food.

Infected chickens and other domestic and wild birds may be sources. The main methods of virus spread to healthy flocks are contact with infected birds, faeces and contaminated equipment or litter.

Symptoms: Affected birds will gasp for air, cough, sneeze, and have tremors, paralyzed wings and legs, twisted necks. They will also exhibit complete paralysis, watery greenish diarrhoea and significant drop in egg production. Eggs may be abnormal in colour and shape.

Prevention and treatment: Vaccines are used to induce an antibody response.

Vaccinated birds must be exposed to a larger dose of the virus to be infected. Routinely

air. To cure this, make sure the house has sufficient flow of fresh air and is adequately lit.

Sterilise houses when bringing in new chicks. Here are the three broad categories of rearing: Free-range poultry rearing system Free range involves rearing poultry in the open; letting them forage on their own during the day and at night they are sheltered from predators and cold. This is the oldest form of poultry management. It is still applicable today especially in organic farms and there is a niche of consumers who have a

The design of a poultry house should take into consideration the number of birds, environment and lighting, and so on.

preference and taste for poultry produced under this system.

Animal welfare activists advocate for this system as it allows the birds to express their natural behaviour. It is relatively cheap since not much is spent on feeds. However, a large track of land and predator control should be factored into this system.

Semi-intensive system Under this system birds are half housed and half let to move freely. This system is a hybrid between free range and intensive systems. The birds forage on vegetation and insects plus the farmer’s supplementation.

It is relatively cheaper compared to intensive system of rearing.

Intensive system Under this system, the birds are kept indoors throughout and provided with feeds and water. There are several methods of housing under this system. The common ones are deep litter and battery systems.

Ideal chicken house should be well ventilated and have a place for the birds to perch.

Deep litter system This system can be used for layers and broilers. This system uses beddings on the floor (litter). The litter can be saw dust, leaves, rice hulls or grass. The litter absorb excess moisture from the droppings and drink-

ers hence the drying effect. The litter also dilutes feacal waste and reduces contact between birds and manure. It also provides a cushion between the birds and floor protecting them from the cooling effect.

Five diseases that could kill your poultry dream boost their vaccination three months thereafter.

2. Fowl Pox Cause: This infection is caused by the Avipox virus. Poultry carrying this virus can spread it to other birds through wounds. It can even spread it to nearby poultry houses.

Symptoms: They are two forms of the disease; the cutaneous or dry and the diphtheritic or wet. Both may be present in the same flock or animals.

The dry form shows as a pimple or scab on skin mainly comb, wattles, eyelids and other unfeathered portions of the body.

The wet-mucous form shows diphtheritic, cankers or yellow lesions in the mouth, oesophagus or trachea. Others signs are blindness, poor appetite, low egg production and facial swelling.

Prevention and treatment: Feed chicken on soft food and give them a warm and dry place to recoup. Chances are high that your birds will survive if given adequate care. Vaccination effectively prevents the disease and may limit spread within actively infected flocks. Vaccination with an attenuated vaccine of cell-culture origin in the first few weeks of life and re-vaccination at 12–16 weeks is often sufficient.

3. Avian Influenza or Bird flu Cause: This disease is caused

by Avian Influenza virus. Trans-

With New Castle disease, birds will cough, sneeze, and have paralysed wings and legs, and twisted necks. mission is through contact with birds who are carriers.

Symptoms: The signs include respiratory troubles and birds will stop laying. Sick birds also develop diarrhoea. There may be swelling in the chicken’s face and their comb and wattle may be discoloured or turn blue.

Prevention and treatment: There is no vaccine. Practice of exclusion bio-security strategies to prevent introduction of AI into poultry is the best preventive measure. If it infects a

vaccinate a sick bird.

Always be observant to pick signs of disease early.

itize all areas that the birds were, before introducing a new flock.

Be careful because this disease can make humans sick.

Affected flocks can be treated with broad-spectrum antibiotics to control secondary pathogens.

chicken, it will always be a carrier. Wild animals can even carry the disease from bird to bird.

Once your birds get this disease, they need to be killed and the carcass burnt or buried. San-

4. Infectious Bronchitis Cause: The disease is caused by the avian infectious bronchitis virus (IBV).

Symptoms: Infected birds will sneeze, snore, and cough and afterwards will produce fluids

Top tip As a rule of thumb, never

Battery system Commonly used for commercial layers. Individual or groups are birds are put in cages from where they are fed. The cages are designed in a way that the eggs slip to a collection point outside the cage. The floor of the cages is made of mesh wire; enabling the feacal waste to drop down for collection.

This method allows for good care and monitoring of the birds. The system also saves on feeds wastage and therefore reduces the cost of production.

It uses less space and saves on labour due to its simplified design.

However, this system denies birds their freedom and that is why it has been banned in countries where animal rights are prioritised.

[The writer works in the Division of Communication and Vet Advisory Services jothieno43@ yahoo.com]

from their nose and eyes. Chicks may cough, sneeze and have facial swelling. The feed consumption and weight gain will be compromised. Other signs are depression, ruffled feathers, wet droppings and finally death.

In layers, egg production may drop by as much as 70 per cent, and the eggs are often misshapen, with thin, soft, wrinkled, rough and pale shells. They are also smaller.

Prevention and treatment: Vaccination is the best preventive strategy. However, if you decide not to use a vaccine, quarantine as soon as you notice symptoms of the disease in chicken. Antibiotics therapy may reduce mortalities caused by complicating bacterial infections.

To treat Infectious Bronchitis, give your chickens a warm and dry place to recoup.

5. Marek’s Disease Cause: Marek’s disease is caused by a virus belonging to the Herpes virus group. They actually obtain the virus by breathing in pieces of shed skin and feather from an infected chick. This disease is very easy for them to catch.

Symptoms: More common in younger birds that are usually under the age of 20 weeks.

Tumors begin to grow inside or outside of your chick. Their eyes turn cloudy and they no longer respond to light. They become paralysed.

Prevention and treatment: There is no effective treatment for Marek disease. Prevention methods include vaccination, biosecurity, and genetic resistance. Vaccination is the best prevention strategy, along with strict sanitation to reduce or delay exposure.

[The writer is the resident vet, FarmKenya Initiative]

Smart harvest 7

Saturday, November 28, 2020 The Standard

Feeding & Hatching

Smart ways to crack nut of high-cost feed

Chick production

The cost of commercial feeds in the market is not only high, but the quality is also wanting BBy Mercy Kahenda

mkahenda@standardmedia.co.ke

Ask any poultry farmer one of the biggest challenges they face and on top of the list will be the high cost of feeds.

Rightfully so. Feeding accounts for about 50 to 70 per cent of total production costs.

The Smart Harvest and Technology has established that high cost of feeding is challenge many farmers face, with some considering dropping the venture. Dr Brian Gutu, a large scale poultry dealer from Njoro is one of such farmer.

He started rearing chicken in 2017, with 1,000 chicks and with time, increased the number of birds to 2,500 birds both layers and broilers.

But the birds, especially the layers, are feed guzzlers and now the doctor is planning to dispose them of.

“I am spending more money on feeds and the returns are low. Taxation is also too high,” Gutu says.

A bag of layers and growers mash is sold at between Sh2,300 and 2,500, exclusive of transport costs.

Cheap is expensive Kenya Agriculture Livestock and Research Organisation (Kalro) livestock scientist Dr David Miano, agrees that cost of feeds is indeed a big challenge facing poultry keepers.

He says other than the high cost of feeds, farmers also lack knowledge on type of feeds and the right amount to feed their birds.

The major source of energy feeds according to the scientist is maize, but in Kenya, it is expensive and considered as human food.

“Proteins are also key component of poultry feeds whose major source is fish meal, soya, cotton and sunflower in that order.”

However, in the past 10 or 20 years, prices of fish meal have been on a steady rise. To get over the challenge of high feeds, one of the strategies according to the expert is to embrace affordable alternatives to proteins.

They include soya, though production of the legume crop is also low, leading to hike in prices.

He explains that though cotton and sunflower are sources of protein in poultry keeping, they cannot compare to fish meal and soya.

He also points out that supply of protein depends on class of poultry reared, for example, chicks require about 30 per cent of protein while layers need about 15 per cent.

To address the high cost of proteins, Kalro is working on alternative protein sources. Researchers are looking at insect sources of proteins. Already, the organisation is conducting a study on black tsetse fly, as a source of proteins in animal feeds.

Miano notes that quality of feeds in the market is also worrying. He encourages farmers to buy feeds from certified manufacturers.

“Most farmers do not go for quality

Faith Jeptoo chicken farmer at her incubation and hatchery unit in Mosoriot, Nandi County. [Christopher Kipsang,Standard]

Here are my tips for a high rate of hatching T

To help farmers reduce on feeds lost through spillage, KALRO has developed some feeding equipment like Naivasha Long Feeder that cuts down on waste of feeds.

[Mercy Kahenda, Standard]

Policy on feeds targets unscrupulous dealers The Government has imposed stringent measures to animal feed millers to ensure what they produce is quality.

Poultry farmers have been complaining that feeds they were buying from majority of the milling companies was of poor quality.

The State now wants all millers to be taking their finished products (feeds) to a Government owned laboratories for testing to ascertain if the required standards were followed during its formulation.

Evans Makokha, the deputy director in charge of Livestock Production in the State Department of Livestock, said government inspectors have been dispatched across the country to carry out impromptu inspections to all feed millers to ensure they are compliant to the new regulations.

“Majority of the millers are using shortcuts to formulate poultry feeds to maximise on profits. Our investigation has revealed that the nutrients composition stated in their packing bags is inaccurate and even the ingredients used are totally different from what is stated on the packing bags,” said Makokha.

Makokha said to control the vice, a Feeds Policy Bill has been formulated to allow millers to import yellow maize and soya beans that are the main ingredients in feeds formulation.

“Cost of producing poultry products is more than 70 per cent and the cost is passed on to the poultry farmer who ends up counting losses. The policy will help the millers feeds in the market and opt for cheap alternatives that are of low quality,” Miano says.

Farmers are also advised to feed their birds with the right feeds for their ages and stages of growth. For example, chicks should be given chick mash, growers fed on growers mash while layers should be given layers mash.

“Right feeds is key for growth and development. For example, if a chick is fed on layers mash, it will not get enough protein for its growth,” he explains.

He also notes a unique trend in the market where farmers are rushing to buy feeds termed as ‘kienyeji’ poultry feeds meaning they can be fed to birds of all stages.

But he adds that this is a marketing strategy dealers use to lure farmers to

produce feeds cheaply and cushion farmers from being taken for a ride,” said Makokha.

“Uganda has an edge over us (Kenya) when it comes to feeds formulation since a bag of maize in Uganda that is a major component in feeds formulation is a quarter the price of maize in Kenya,” he added.

Other Bills that have also been formulated awaiting enactment by Parliament include the Livestock Policy Bill, the Animal Health Bill, Livestock Welfare Bill and Breeding and Hatching Protocol Bill all aimed at bringing sanity in the poultry sector.

For farmers who are in the hatching business, they will be required to be licensed before they can start a hatchery while those already in operation will undergo a fresh inspection and that do not meet the required standards risk being shut down.

“Hatcheries that could be permanent, semi-permanent or temporary in structure, should be located in a geographically isolated area, away from any other livestock establishments, good drainage and constructed using materials that can be easily and effectively cleaned and disinfected,” said Makokha.

He added that before a hatchery is licensed, it must comply with the Animal Diseases Act (Hatcheries) Rules 1985 and have a veterinarian registered by the Kenya Veterinary Board, to manage the hatchery.

The move is to control the spread of diseases and ensure safety standards in the sector are adhered to.- By Nathan Ochunge

buy their feeds.

“When one says what they are selling is kienyeji, it does not imply that it can be fed to both chicks and layers,” he cautions.

Use proper equipment Many a time, farmers blame manufacturers whenever the feeds are not adequate for their birds, but analysis shows that the birds lack sufficient feeds due to spillage.

To reduce spillage during feeding, farmers should also use proper feeding equipment.

“Regardless of quality, it depends on how much you feed your poultry, and amount you are feeding, if wrong equipment is used, a farmer stands to lose about 20 per cent of feeds,” Miano explains.

hey say experience is the best teacher and Faith Jeptoo, a poultry farmer in Mosoriot, Nandi County can attest to this fact. She faced several challenges when starting her hatching business in January, but she is now a master of sorts.

“At the beginning, I suffered many losses because I was not keen on small details that affect hatching rate. But now I have learnt from my mistakes and business has picked up well,” says Jeptoo a Bachelor of Arts Degree graduate.

She now incubates and hatches 1,000 eggs to meet the high demand for chicks that has risen exponentially since Covid-19 struck. Jeptoo shares with Smart Harvest and Technology the lessons she has picked on incubation and hatching.

Breeding hens The most important consideration in incubation, Jeptoo says, is the quality of hens that lay the eggs for hatching.

“I buy the eggs for incubation in Kitale at Sh25 each from a breeder with a track record. I couldn’t get eggs for incubation in Nandi and Uasin Gishu. When I got the link in Kitale, I went there to confirm the feeding and the rooster to hen ratio and I was satisfied,” Jeptoo explains.

Quality of feeds fed to hens also determines success of the project.

Selection of eggs The 29-year-old poultry farmer says selection of eggs for incubation is a meticulous process that determines hatching rate.

Jeptoo says before incubation size, shape and texture of the egg should be thoroughly examined.

“Eggs for incubation should be medium size. From experience, small chicks can be hatched from small sized eggs while the large sized one may not hatch at all. Eggs that have dots are also not fit for incubation because it is an indication they have large pores. Avoid eggs with thick lines because this indicates a hard shell which may not easily hatch,” Jeptoo advises.

She continues: “Eggs should be candled (placed before a bright light) one by one before incubation to get rid of cracks.”

Jeptoo urges farmers to wipe soiled eggs with dry materials and avoid washing them, noting that use of water softens the shells.

She says eggs that have stayed for more than a week after laying are also not

good for incubation because the longer they stay the lower the hatching rate.

“Eggs should not be incubated immediately after transport. They should be kept for 24 hours to allow the yolks to settle,” the farmer says.

After selection, the eggs are put in the incubation trays where they will be closely monitored between one to 18 days, she says.

During incubation, the incubator should be set at 38 degrees celsius and humidity maintained at 60 per cent.

To maintain humidity, she says, water is continuously added to a trough within the incubator either manually or through an automatic system.

“I have installed an automatic water system, with a ball bulb regulating the release of water to my incubators to avoid frequently opening the machine to add water.”

Hatching Between day 18 to 21, the eggs are moved from the incubator to hatcher where they will hatch on a tray basket.

This time, the eggs are not turned, Jeptoo explains.

Visitors are discouraged from touring the hatchery since a high standard of hygiene is recommended to minimise diseases.

“Some eggs will hatch on day 19 but a majority hatch on the 21st day. Others delay up to 24 days. You shouldn’t feel worried when the hatching delays by one or two days,” says Jeptoo.

One of the biggest challenges in hatching is the high cost of power, she notes. She spends between Sh16,000 to Sh20,000 on power per month.

“The first time I was slapped with a Sh16,000 monthly bill, I though it was an error. I went to Kenya Power offices to complain but I was told it was my actual bill. I asked a farmer doing incubation and she told me that she spends a similar amount,” Jeptoo recalls.

Marketing A standby generator is a must for any incubation project because of frequent power outages in most regions, she says.

Jeptoo says online marketing - Facebook and Whatsapp- has seen buyers locate her remote location in Mosoriot.

“I am also in online peer groups which connect us to market and technical services,” she adds.

[Stephen Ruto]

8 Smart harvest

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2020 The Standard

Poultry Breeding

Brought to you by

The

GET IT RIGHT

Eight chicken breeds that will lay you cash Breeding companies stock elite birds, very expensive and have great genetic potential for high egg production

By Dr Watson Messo

1. Parent- stock Breeding stock lines Big breeding companies globally are Cobb-Vantress, Hendrix and Aviagen. These companies stock pedigree lines and sell Parent-stock. In Kenya, top breeding companies stock Parent-stock breeders. These are elite birds, very expensive and have great genetic potential for high egg production, fast meat conversion, high egg quality, good fertility and hatchability.

Their population is about 500,000. The major broiler breeders in Kenya are Cobb500, Arbo Acres, Hubbard and Ross 308 while the layer breeder stocks are ISA Brown, Hy-line, Lohmann and Shaver.

Although these types of birds are great, they require intensive management system because they are prone to extreme weather changes, diseases, poor bio-security and variable feed quality. They require to be reared in isolated sites away from local poultry, slaughter houses, high traffic, water pans and urban centres.

2. White Commercial Broiler meat chicken These types of birds are reared as broilers by our farmers and sold as fresh or frozen capons, bone-in, boneless and cut-ups.

The main breeds are Cobb-500, ArborAcre, Ross 308 and Hubbard sold by the main hatcheries in Kenya. These birds are reared in open sided units with some degree of

Where buyers meet sellers Farmer:Font Korie used: Maru Produce: Boma Rhodes Contact: 0722774306 Location: Eldoret

Aa

Aura Regular

Farmer: Elder Martin Produce: Yams Contact: 0711303668 Location: Embu

Colors used:

Pantone #045304 C - 96%

M - 28%

Pantone #619E1B

Pantone #000000

C - 61% M - 11%

C - 0% M -

Y - 100% K - 15%

Y - 96% K - 2%

Y - 0% K -

R - 4%

R - 97%

R - 0%

G - 83%

G - 158%

G - 0%

B - 4%

B - 27%

B - 0%

Farmer: Kiruri Frankie Produce: Dry maize Contact: 0708689513 Location: Busia Farmer: Kiruthi Senior Produce: Grafted apple seedlings Contact: 0790509684 Location: Murang’a

messo@kenchic.com

Commercial poultry production in Kenya dates back to 1970s. It is estimated that the poultry population stands at 80 million, with 70 per cent being indigenous backyard flock. The driving factors for this industry have been linked to rapid urbanisation, growth of the middle-class citizens, rise in quick service restaurants like KFC, Nando’s and Chicken-Inn, and the demand for affordable source of proteins. Here are the most common breeds of chickens, their strengths and weaknesses and how they are reared.

Marketplace

Farmer: Kennedy Ondiek Produce: Tilapia Contact: 0728878688 Location: Homa Bay

Herine Omenda, a poulltry farmer in Rabuor village, Kisumu County. She rears improved kienyeji chicken because they are resistant to diseases. [Denish Ochieng, Standard] bio-security imposed on them.

Most farmers keep between 500 and 1,000 birds. The current population is about 6 million chicks. The flock have livability of 93 per cent, slaughtered at 33-37 days and weighing on average 1.75kg live. The main challenge is poor biosecurity, high feed cost and limited market opportunity.

3. Commercial Layer breed These birds are reared typically for table egg production.

The most common breeds here include ISA Brown, Hy-line, Lohmann and Shavers. They are brown shell egg producers.

The main advantage of these breeds is the high peak egg production, prolonged production period, good egg quality, high livability and efficient feed conversion. They are however prone to infectious respiratory diseases, cannibalism, worm infestation and highly irritable and will drop egg production at slightest change in environment. We have a population of eight million birds.

4. Kenbro This is a red feathered bird with broiler and layer characteristics. This bird is robust, disease resistant and possesses a very rounded conformation w h i c h results in a presentable, well finished chicken w i t h excellent taste. When managed as a

meat bird with high quality feed, it can achieve a live weight of 1.5kg in seven weeks.

This bird is ideal for live market sale and easily replaces indigenous chickens. As a layer with regulated body weights, this bird will come into point of lay at 22-24 weeks and produce 200 eggs/hen per annum.

5. Sasso slow growing exotic lines This is a dual-purpose slow growing breed that comes from Hubbard in France and produced here by Western seed company. It can produce 150-200 eggs/hen per year depending on management system. It is mostly sold for meat. It is disease resistant and can be released into the field to scavenge with minimal supplementation. The advantages and challenges is similar to Kenbros.

6. Kuroiler The Kuroiler chicken is a dual-purpose hybrid breed developed in India. The Kuroiler chickens are dual purpose breed suitable for meat and egg production. They are economical breed and can live eating the kitchen and agricultural waste. Native Indian hens lay only about 40 eggs/hen per year.

Whereas the Kuroiler hens c a n produce around 150 eggs per

Farmer: Ephantus Kuria Produce: Onions Contact: 0729878778 Location: Mweiga, Nyeri

year by consuming agricultural and kitchen waste, Kuroiler chickens need to feed continuously and they are fast growing chicken breed. The hens are not broody.

Farmer: Precious Charles Produce: Shangi potatoes Contact: 0728962769 Location: Nairobi

7. Rainbow rooster Rainbow rooster is a fastgrowing Indian chicken breed.

It is bred by Indbro Research a n d breeding farms in India. It is multicolored cross breed, suitable for backyard rearing and organic chicken production. It lays more eggs than the indigenous chicken.

Farmer: Marcy Muya Produce: Eggs Contact: 0790127733 Location: Nairobi

8. Kari Breed Developed by the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (Kalro).

Naivasha Poultry Development Institute, the new breed known as kienyeji chicken, achieves a weight of 1.5 kg in five months. According to Kalro, the new breed is resistant to diseases and parasites and is better suited for local climatic conditions.

[The writer is Head Vet at Kenchic]

Compiled by: Nanjinia Wamuswa

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SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2020 The Standard

Poultry Value Chain For more information visit website www.kenchic.com or Call 0703 056 000 /020 3560101. Write to info@kenchic.com. P.O. Box 20052 – 00200 Nairobi Kenya.

How Kenchic has placed high priority on birds it farms

K

enchic Ltd is a fully integrated poultry company that has been in operation in Kenya since 1983. The business supplies farmers with day old chicks (broilers, layers and Kenbro- Improved Kienyeji) as well as the processed chicken and further processed chicken products.

KENCHIC’S DAY-OLD CHICKS

We are the leading producer of Kenya’s premium quality day old chicks. Our chicks are famed for their quality which is characterized by high livability, high growth rates and vaccinations that are done at the hatchery against common poultry diseases like Gumboro, Newcastle, infectious bronchitis and an additionally Marek’s disease for layers and Kenbro. These diseases are viral, and the biggest threat to poultry rearing. The vaccination done at our hatchery is so far the best in East Africa as it has automated and leave no injury to the chicks. The vaccination is done on all the Kenchic day-old chick’s products categorized as; commercial broilers, layers and Kenbro (Improved Kienyeji).

Commercial Broilers.

Kenchic Limited is the only company in the country that offers the highest quality of chicks, which come vaccinated. The chicks are vaccinated against the Newcastle disease (NCD), Gumboro (IBD) and Infectious bronchitis (IB) - the biggest viral disease challenge to chicken rearing.

COMMERCIAL LAYERS

Commercial layers are birds reared for egg production.

Kenchic commercial layers are supplied after beak trimming done by Infrared beak treatment technology that eliminates the need to trim the bird’s beak during growing or production stages of a layer.

Kenchic’s commercial layers come vaccinated not only against Marek’s disease but also Newcastle, Gumboro and Infectious bronchitis, all done at their state-of-the-art hatchery.

The layers reach point of lay at 18 weeks and have a production period of 60 weeks, registering 95% peak production rates and producing an average of 330 eggs per bird. The birds have a livability of 93.2%, they consume an average of 135gm of feed per day during production and a feed conversion rate of 2.14kg feed per kg of eggs produced. The birds body weight at 80 weeks is 2kg thus fetching a good selling price as ex-layers.

The layers provide a stable source of income as they will lay for over a year and as such, are a good long-term investment plan.

KENBRO (IMPROVED KIENYEJI)

Kenchic has also introduced a low maintenance breed of chicks’ ideal for free range rearing called the Kenbro. The chicks come in a mix of varieties that include the red bro, black bro, tricolor and naked neck which give this breed the look and feel of a truly improved kienyeji bird.

KENCHIC SALES OFFICE CONTACTS 0724 255 197 MOMBASA: 0703 056 152 KISUMU: 0703 056 161 NAKURU: 0703 056 159 MT KENYA: 0703 056 160

POULTRY FARMING KEY IN REALIZATION OF FOOD SECURITY The poultry sector contributes to the quality of life through selfemployment of small, medium and largescale poultry farmers.

Kenchic, through the sale of dayold chicks, has enabled many farmers in the semi-urban and rural areas to make a living, through the poultry business. “We sell over 15-Million-day-old broiler chicks directly or through agents to farmers each year, we also employ over 800 people who work in the farms, hatchery, processing plant, sales and central support” Jim Tozer, Kenchic’s Managing Director.

Chicken is white meat, and a good alternative to plant protein.

The broiler chicken matures faster and is ready for market within 35-37 days, therefore a good source of mainstream monthly income or a supplement to farmers who do not engage in full time poultry farming. Kenya has the capacity to produce enough chicken for local consumption. Poultry as an arm of agriculture, is a great contributor

to “food security and nutrition” as part of the governments Big Four Agenda.

My poultry farming has paid off I am Lucy Wangui Kamau,a poultry farmer based in Maragwa, Murang’a, I ventured into the agribusiness a decade ago having resigned from my civil service position. I started off with 300-day-old chicks, and gradually increased to 500 then 1000. Today I have25,000 broilers in 1 cycle and 8000 layers.

Through the business I have managed to educate my children through, purchase land and I own a business car (DMAX) and a luxury car.

Kenchic is my partner, I have always bought chicks from them, because they are of good quality, and this makes my work easier, as I don’t have to worry about diseases, and growth and weight issues, besides with the Kenchic technical team, I can proudly say that “ I am a well taken care of farmer.”

Kenchic’s agent business model offers good fortune –says Dr Njoroge I have been an agent with Kenchic, since 2003 distributing day-old layer chicks. Initially when I stared off I was given a target of 5000 chicks per month, which I thought was meant to discourage me but through the guidance of Kenchic team I succeded supplying it to relevant customers.

Being a veterinarian by profession has helped me in supporting farmers in disease management in close partnership with Kenchic, whose laboratory services are unique and a great contribution to the poultry sector. No one else offers this service in Kenya.

I supply chicks in Kikuyu, Thika, Muranga, Kamulu and parts of Ukambani. Due the trust in the products from Kenchic, farmers always insist on Kenchic because these chicks might cost a few shillings more, but they are fully vaccinated, making them of high quality.

21 Advertisement Saturday, November 28, 2020 Sponsored Content

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Saturday, November 28, 2020 The Standard

The Standard

Why poultry farming is key in realising food security in Kenya Farming. Kenchic sells over 15 million-day-old broiler chicks directly or through agents to farmers each year BBy Kenchic Team

classifiedads@standardmedia.co.ke

The poultry sector is one of the biggest contributors to our national wellbeing.

The sector contributes to the quality of life through selfemployment of small, medium and largescale poultry farmers.

Kenchic, through the sale of day-old chicks, has enabled many farmers in the semiurban and rural areas to make a living through the poultry business.

“We sell over 15 million-dayold broiler chicks directly or through agents to farmers each year, we also employ over 800

people who work in the farms, hatchery, processing plant, sales and central support,” Jim Tozer, Kenchic’s Managing Director said.

Chicken is white meat, and a good alternative to plant protein. The broiler chicken matures faster and is ready for market within 35-37 days, therefore a good source of mainstream monthly income.

Kenya has the capacity to produce enough chicken for local consumption. Poultry, as an arm of agriculture, is a great contributor to food security and nutrition as part of the governments Big Four Agenda.

This assertion can be proved through interviews with a number of poultry farmers. Lucy Wangui, who is based in Maragwa, Murang’a, is one such farmer.

“I ventured into agribusiness a decade ago having resigned

from my civil service job. I started off with 300-day-old chicks, and gradually increased to 500 then 1000. Today I have 25,000 broilers in one cycle and 8000 layers,”said Ms Wangui.

“Through the business I have managed to educate my children, purchase land and I also own a business car (DMAX) and a luxury car.”

She continued: “Kenchic is my partner. I don’t have to worry about diseases, and growth and weight issues, besides with the Kenchic technical team, I can proudly say that “ I am a well taken care of farmer.”

Dr Njoroge, a Kenchic agent, has also a lot to say about the Kenchic business model.

“I have been an agent with Kenchic since 2003. day-old

Continued on next page

Upholding Veterinary Standards Establishment Kenya Veterinary Board (KVB) is a Semi-autonomous Government Agency established under Section 3 of the Veterinary Surgeons and Veterinary Paraprofessionals (VSVP) Act, No. 29 of 2011.

Core Functions

Vision A Premier agency for regulating and advancing quality veterinary services and practice in Kenya

b) Prescribe courses of training for veterinary surgeons and veterinary paraprofessionals;

Mission To protect and promote animal health and welfare and public health through enforcement of the Veterinary Surgeons and Veterinary Paraprofessionals Act, 2011. To promote access to quality veterinary services for the growth of the animal resource industry.

d) Register, license, control and regulate veterinary practice, veterinary laboratories, clinics; animal hospitals and animal welfare institutions;

Mandate The mandate of the Board is to exercise general supervision and control over veterinary training, business, practices and employment of veterinary surgeons and veterinary paraprofessionals in Kenya and advice the government in relation to all aspects thereof.

f)

The goal of regulation is to bolster animal production and productivity, promote livelihoods and trade in livestock and safeguard animal and public health.

a) Advise the Government on matters relating to veterinary training, research, practice and employment; use of veterinary medicines, poisons and pesticides; and other issues relating to animal welfare; c)

Approve institutions for training of veterinary surgeons and various categories of veterinary paraprofessionals;

e) Regulate the professional conduct of registered of registered persons and take such disciplinary measures as may be appropriate to maintain proper professional and ethical standards Assess human resource and necessary training programs to guarantee sound and efficient veterinary service delivery and advise the relevant Ministries accordingly;

g) Create an inspectorate to work in collaboration with law enforcement agencies to locate, inspect, and close down premises or ambulatory clinics operated contrary to the practices prescribed in the Act, and take legal action against the offenders;

Contact us: Head Office, The Chief Executive Officer, Kenya Veterinary Board, Vet. Research Lab. Upper Kabete P.O. Box 513 – 00605, Nairobi, Kenya Tel +254 0722 305 253/0701581718 Email info@kenyavetboard.or.ke Website www.kenyavetboard.or.ke

22 Advertisement Sponsored Content ...from previous page layer chicks. Initially when I stared off, I was given a target of 5000 chicks per month which I thought was meant to discourage me but through the guidance of the Kenchic team I succeed in supplying to relevant customers. “Being a veterinarian by profession has helped me in supporting farmers in disease management in close partnership with Kenchic, whose laboratory services are unique and a great contribution to the poultry sector. No one else offers this service in Kenya.”

He continued: “I supply chicks in Kikuyu, Thika, Muranga, Kamulu and parts of Ukambani. Due the trust in the products from Kenchic, farmers always insist on Kenchic because these chicks might cost a few shillings more, but they are fully vaccinated, making them of high quality.”

About Kenchic Kenchic Ltd is a fully integrated poultry company that has been in operation in Kenya since 1983. The business supplies farmers with day old chicks (broilers, layers and Kenbro- Improved Kienyeji) as well as the processed chicken and further processed chicken products.

Kenchic’s day-old Chicks We are the leading producer of Kenya’s premium quality day

Saturday, November 28, 2020 The Standard

done on all the Kenchic day-old chick’s products categorized as; commercial broilers, layers and Kenbro (Improved Kienyeji).

“Initially when I stared off, I was given a target of 5000 chicks per month which I thought was meant to discourage me but through the guidance of the Kenchic team I succeed in supplying to relevant customers”

Commercial Broilers.

Kenchic Limited is the only company in the country that offers the highest quality of chicks, which come vaccinated.

The chicks are vaccinated against the Newcastle disease (NCD), Gumboro (IBD) and Infectious bronchitis (IB) - the biggest viral disease challenge to chicken rear-

ing.

Commercial Layers.

Commercial layers are birds reared for egg production.

Kenchic commercial layers are supplied after beak trimming done by Infrared beak treatment technology that eliminates the need to trim the bird’s beak during growing or production stages of a layer.

Kenchic’s commercial layers come vaccinated not only against Marek’s disease but also Newcas-

tle, Gumboro and Infectious bronchitis, all done at their state-ofthe-art hatchery.

The layers reach point of lay at 18 weeks and have a production period of 60 weeks, registering 95% peak production rates and producing an average of 330 eggs per bird. The birds have a livability of 93.2%, they consume an average of 135gm of feed per day during production and a feed conversion rate of 2.14kg feed per kg of eggs produced.

The birds body weight at 80

weeks is 2kg thus fetching a good selling price as ex-layers. The layers provide a stable source of income as they will lay for over a year and as such, are a good longterm investment plan.

Kenbro (Improved Kienyeji) Kenchic has also introduced a low maintenance breed of chicks’ ideal for free range rearing called the Kenbro. The chicks come in a mix of varieties that include the red bro, black bro, tricolor and naked neck

Dr Njoroge, a Kenchic agent.

old chicks. Our chicks are famed for their quality which is characterized by high livability, high growth rates and vaccinations that are done at the hatchery against common poultry diseases like Gumboro, Newcastle, infectious bronchitis and an additionally Marek’s disease for layers and Kenbro.

These diseases are viral, and the biggest threat to poultry rearing. The vaccination done at our hatchery is so far the best in East Africa as it has automated and leave no injury to the chicks. The vaccination is

FEEDS | CHICKS | POULTRY EQUIPMENTS COMPaNY BaCKGROUND Isinya feeds limited formerly known as Sigma Supplies Ltd was established in 1984. With a very humble beginning of a production capacity of 2000 day old chicks, it has grown to become one of the country’s largest fully integrated poultry company.

PRODUCTS aND SERVICES Our main products include day old chicks (broilers and layers), poultry equipment and animal feed.

Our production capacity is 310,000-day old chicks (broilers and layers) per week. Additionally, Isinya Feeds Ltd is currently producing 150 tons of animal feed in a day The company is managed by a highly competent team comprising of people with enormous experience in the agriculture specifically the poultry sector. All our customers have access to our specialists who will help in any way they can. The company has invested heavily in technology which has enabled it to increase its productivity

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