AGRIBUSINESS: COMMON CAUSES OF CHICK MORTALITY .

AGRIBUSINESS: COMMON CAUSES OF CHICK MORTALITY . The brooding phase of production is the determinant of the overall success of the venture.This is definitely hinged on procurement of healthy chicks from renowned hatcheries.The management factor is key to the success of other operations in the cycle hence extra attention must be given to birds for the first few weeks of life. The common causes of chick mortality are; 1) hatchery defects,this is common in birds that were not exposed to proper conditions of temperature and humidity in the incubator.The chicks that were brought out under such conditions,will not thrive at all,they will die off after a few days. AGRIBUSINESS: COMMON CAUSES OF CHICK MORTALITY .Chocking and suffocation;these occurs when brooder lanterns/heating systems are faulty,this coupled with poor ventilation results in build up of smokes/fumes in the house.This results in inhalation of fumes by chicks resulting in chocking/suffocation. Chilling; when the brooder house is cold and the heat source is not adequate,especially on cold nights when its cold.The chicks will huddle towards light source,resulting in death from overcrowding as a result of chilling. AGRIBUSINESS: COMMON CAUSES OF CHICK MORTALITY .Thirst: when inadequate drinkers are provided and also when sufficient water is not made available,this will result in dehydration leading to death of chicks. AGRIBUSINESS: COMMON CAUSES OF CHICK MORTALITY . Starvation, arise when adequate feed is not provided,or when necessary feeders are not provided,the chicks will not have access to enough feed.This will encourage huddling towards feeder,where only few birds have access to feed,causing starvation and eventual death in the birds.Where the birds dont have enough water,they will not take adequate feed as well,because the chicks need twice amount of water for feed consumed. Trauma; can arise from improper handling,wrong placement of brooder equipment,or using equipment with sharp edges resulting in injuries that can result in death or deformation.This results in culling of deformed chicks. There are disease conditions that cause mortalities such as,yolk sac omphalities, aspergillosis,chronic respiratory disease,salmonellosis e.t.c.This will be discussed later.

VETERINARY MEDICINE: THE CHICKEN STORY.

VETERINARY MEDICINE: THE CHICKEN STORY. VETERINARY MEDICINE: THE CHICKEN STORY. What are the conditions? Optimum temperature. Optimum humidity. proper biosecurity protocol. Adequate feed + water. Vaccination + medication. https://veterinarymedicineechbeebolanle-ojuri.blogspot.com/

TURKEYS AND THE POULTRY VALUE CHAIN.

POULTRY VALUE CHAIN; SET C

Quail # quail farming.

Quail birds are small sized birds that lay small sized tinted eggs but are packed with vitamins. The sizes of the birds make it easy to manage, and their life cycle also encourages rearing in-house or out in the barn. The most common species are the Bob white quail and the Japanese quail; Coturnix japonlca. The quails have some advantages over the chicken; 1) the female quail begin to lay at 6 weeks and this continues for a year.2)They require minimal space for raising; the requirement is about 2 birds per square metre. 3) The quails are efficient feed converters; each quail egg is about 8% of the weight, while the chicken gives 3% of her weight. 4) They can also be slaughtered at 6 weeks. QUAIL MANAGEMENT. Males and females are raised to produce fertile eggs, which is a ratio-of 2 females to one male. It’s important to maintain this ratio because more males exposed to caged females will result in one male dominating, and pecking and injuring the other males. The ideal method is to have 1 male +2 females in a cage, and within 24 hours the egg produced is fertile and fertility is maintained for 3 weeks even after the male has been removed.(Woodward et al 73).The quails don’t sit on their eggs, so eggs collected are set in the incubator. The eggs hatch in 16 days.

QUAILS AND THE IMPACT IN THE POULTRY VALUE CHAIN.

Quails are easy to raise as they require little space and are easy to handle. The birds consume less feed but have high feed conversion ratio, with high laying intensity. The quail birds though small are money making machines, every part of them yields money. The birds can be raised for meat, table eggs, fertile eggs, their waste can be processed and sold as fertilizer, and the feathers can also be processed and used as ornaments. Let’s look at the various stages: the females start laying about 6weeks, Let’s assume you keep 300 birds, they will lay 300 eggs a day that is 10 crates a day. This egg laying intensity is to our advantage, as the bird’s consume 25g of feed/day. The birds can be processed at about 8 weeks; they can be smoked and packed for sale. HOUSING. Quails are raised in house or out in the yard.The cages can be wooden or made from iron. The floor is made of wire so that dropping are collected under the cages.The floor is slanted so that eggs are rolled to the front of the cages for easy collection. Feeding. The birds are given good quality feed and water is made available always.vitamins and minerals can be added to the water once a while,but this is of utmost value in hot weather.The birds can be given worms and some green as supplements to the feed.

HOW TO TURN CRACKED EGGS TO MONEY IN THE POULTRY VALUE CHAIN.

 HOW TO TURN  CRACKED EGGS  TO MONEY  IN THE POULTRY VALUE CHAIN.

 :


 Cracked eggs on the farm!, a farmers worst nightmare.The issue of cracked eggs borders on management practices,how the eggs are picked,sorted/graded and stored.

Cracked eggs are results in losses in the poultry industry,and can be a profit blocker if not properly managed.
 Cracked eggs, though a cause of concern,the effect could be managed if underling management issues are addressed.
.Cracked eggs could be turned to a money-spinning venture with some creative stints.


 The following are ways in which wealth could be generated from cracked eggs;

1) sell to caterers who prefer to buy cracked eggs,as it will be used immediately.

 2) food vendors; those that make food at street corners ,usually fry these eggs immediately and get value for the eggs.

 3) These eggs could be powdered, packaged and sold to food processing companies.

 4) The eggs can also be sold as liquid eggs or frozen eggs; which are valuable in the food court,ice cream companies e.t.c


 The waste to wealth initiative could also benefit from cracked eggs; depending on the number of eggs available and poultry houses involved in the scheme,these eggs could be collected and cooked in central kitchen that caters for poor,homeless people. Cracked but still valuable.