One day old kienyeji or indigenous chicks at Jalyn Poultry Farm in Kitengela. [Wilberforce Okwiri, Standard]
As more farmers get into the commercial poultry farming business, profitable and sustainable farming will require more than just feeding and watering the flocks. The use of technology and automation is now considered a must in any large-scale commercial poultry farming.
The tools used in poultry units to monitor the environment are now helping identify potential health issues before outbreaks occur. By adopting a smart mindset, today's farmers can use tools or gadgets to gather data about the environment and animal welfare which can be used to improve performance. A small batch of large-scale poultry farmers are now investing in these tools and are making farming fun, successful and creating wealth and economic prosperity. Let's look at the gadgets and how they are helping farmers.
1. Using a thermometer to measure barn house temperature.
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The first 14 days of a chick's life sets the precedence for a good performance. Brooding is the provision of artificial heat to help the chicks with temperature regulation. The heat can be provided by gas, electricity, or charcoal. There is a correlation between the brooding temperatures and weight gain and flocks that are reared in cold environments tend to do poorly compared to those in warmer environments.
Poultry units should be pre-heated 24 hours before chick placement, this is done to warm the litter, the floor, and the air around the brooders. During the first week, litter temperature should be kept at 32-35 degrees Celsius and gradually reduced by three degrees every week. The overall aim is to create a chick comfort zone where the chick does not have to make a choice between feed, water, or heat. Air temperature is measured using a digital or minimum and maximum mercury thermometer.
- Airspeed and gas detectors.
Ventilation can be described as the circulation of fresh air through the flock house and the exhaustion of stale air from the flock units. Ventilation of poultry houses serves several functions including, removing excess heat and moisture, providing oxygen while removing harmful gases. Airflow is measured using a speed detector. Airspeed as slow as 0.5m/s can cause a significant wind-chill effect on a day-old chick, resulting into inappetence (loss or lack of appetite) and growth retardation. Toxic gases such as ammonia, carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide should be monitored as high levels can cause instant mortality and reduce body weight gain by as much as 20 per cent.
- Weighing scale
Why is the monitoring of the live weights of birds crucial? With the changing trends in customer requirements and increasing costs of production, it is critical that growth rates are measured regularly, and birds achieve target weights timely to ensure that end-product specifications are met. All birds must be weighed weekly to make sure that proper weights are uniformly attained.
Weekly body weights and feed conversion efficiencies are among the indicators of a successful poultry rearing program. Broiler nutritional performance is monitored using weight platforms placed in the units or a sample of 5 per cent chicks manually weighed on day one, seven, 14 and 21 and after that every day till slaughter and a graph plotted against the expected weight profile. Birds that do not achieve day seven target weights(180-200g) will struggle in later life to perform.
- Water metres
Water is the single most important nutrient in the life of any living thing, poultry included. That means that monitoring water intake or consumption through the use of water metres is vital. I suggest that water readings should be recorded in the morning and evening once per day.
Birds generally will drink twice as much as feed consumed. In a tropical climate like ours, a day-old chick will consume on average 70mls of water per day, this rate will gradually increase as the bird grows normally.
Water consumption rate should be measured by installing a water metre. Drop-in water consumption is the first indicator of a problem in a flock and requires immediate investigation. An extremely hot environment can also result in high water consumption. If you deny water to the birds, there will be a corresponding drop in weight gain.
[ The writer is Head Vet at Kenchic]
