PUERTO RICO REPORTS FIRST CASE OF ZIKA VIRUS.

The mosquito-transmitted disease has been confirmed in countries including Brazil, Panama, Venezuela, El Salvador, Mexico, Suriname, the Dominican Republic, Colombia, Guatemala and Paraguay, according to public health officials. Brazilian authorities in November linked Zika to a surge in babies born with microcephaly, a birth defect that seriously limits a child’s mental and physical abilities. Brazil has reported nearly 2,000 cases of babies born with microcephaly, or unusually small brains, the World Health Organization (WHO) said this month. The WHO said the cause of the outbreak in Brazil had yet to be determined. Between three and 12 days after being bitten by a mosquito carrying the virus, three out of four people come down with symptoms including mild fever, rash, conjunctivitis, headaches and joint pain. Puerto Rico has reported its first case of Zika, a mosquito-borne virus that has been spreading across South America and the Caribbean and has been linked by Brazilian authorities to a serious birth defect. Pedro Pierluisi, Puerto Rico’s representative in Congress, said in a statement his office had been in touch with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which had confirmed the single case of Zika on the island. Read more here;http://newsdaily.com/2015/12/puerto-rico-reports-first-case-of-zika-virus-spread-by-mosquitoes/#yTtRkcB7Hp3vTkif.15

HOW TO FEED CHICKENS WITH WATERMELON .

 HOW TO FEED CHICKENS WITH WATERMELON.  . Fruits and vegetables have increasingly found usefulness in raising birds ,these has been incorporated as extracts or whole plants to tap into the benefits. The use of natural supplement in animal production is very necessary not only for financial implication but also on health grounds.

More and more people are showing preference for birds raised naturally, without antibiotics and other chemical supplements. This has resulted in a new dimension of the poultry value chain where plant extracts, vegetables are incorporated to poultry feed.

The benefits of water melon as discussed here; can be harnessed as follows; 1) wash and dice watermelon.
 2)remove seeds and cube.

 3) crush/blend the water melon.

 4) mix with water using this ratio; 1 litre of water melon mix into 2 litres of water.

The birds will be refreshed without any adverse reactions to stressful conditions, give your birds a boost # water melon smoothie.

AGRO-VETERINARY : THE BENEFIT OF WATERMELON ON POULTRY HEALTH.

AGRO-VETERINARY : THE BENEFIT OF WATERMELON ON POULTRY HEALTH. AGRO-VETERINARY : THE BENEFIT OF WATERMELON ON POULTRY HEALTH. Watermelon has proven to be a very nutritious fruit both to man and animals and the benefits derived are so valuable to growth and development.The fruit is 92% water making it very useful in cases of dehydration. Water melon can be processed and added to drinking water of birds especially in hot weather conditions,this not only cools the birds down but also gives a boost because of the vitamin C it contains. AGRO-VETERINARY : THE BENEFIT OF WATERMELON ON POULTRY HEALTH. Watermelon contains vitamin C, A and B; the occasional addition of watermelon juice to water of birds makes these vitamins readily available thus preventing deficiencies associated with lack of this nutrients. Chickens undergo severe stress not only when weather is hot, but also during time of vaccination and transportation and at periods like this the inclusion of the juice in the water days before scheduled programme will be of immense benefits. Water melon acts as an antioxidant, a fiber source and also carotenoids ,flavonoids, . Read more about benefits of water melon here

AGRIBUSINESS: STARTING AN EGG POWDER PROCESSING PLANT.

AGRIBUSINESS: STARTING AN EGG POWDER PROCESSING PLANT.

 The egg powder magic,  Are you thinking of investing in the poultry value chain? here is a niche that is viable but relatively new.

      How to set up a mini powdered egg plant. see

AGRIBUSINESS :EGG POWDER.

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  The importance of eggs in the poultry value chain can not be ignored,both the health benefits and financial implication show that eggs are very important in the value chain.

 Eggs can be sold in crates ,and the distribution can be quite cumbersome at peak of traffic, but the worst aspect in the distribution is the period of egg glut.

 The period where farmers have more eggs that out ways demand,leading to severe losses to the farmers.This singular reason is why producers are looking for ways to protect their investments and also ensure the health benefits of eggs are not ignored.

EGG POWDER. EGG POWDER !!!! is the way out. Powdered eggs are replacements for fresh eggs:this could be powdered egg white or powdered whole eggs .

The advantages of powdered eggs are 1) easy storage 2) longer shelf-life 3) easy transportation 4) non perishable. Powdered eggs are very useful in the food industry, camping arena,school feeding programmes, and catering institutes.

The extension of the poultry value chain to accommodate egg powder production is a viable project that need more players. The attachment of the egg powder production plant to the poultry can be a small scale or large scale production.

The small scale will require minimal investment and it can be sited within a local government to cater for the farmers within and also generate revenue from this venture.

 The large scale will be capital intensive,but will cater for a large number of farmers and the revenue from this venture will be very high and will cater for a wide variety of farmers, local and international.

LOBSTER FACTS !!!

1. They keep growing forever Or so research suggests. But scientists won’t be able to tell how long lobsters really live because traps aren’t designed to catch the largest lobsters, reports Time.com. “When we catch one that is 20-30 pounds, it’s because a claw got caught in the entrance of the trap, not inside,” says Robert C. Bayer, executive director of The Lobster Institute at the University of Maine. 2. They eat each other “They’re looking for fresh food and what’s around, and if that happens to be another lobster, then it’s dinner,” says Bayer. “One of the reasons lobster culture is not profitable is because they are cannibalistic, and there are lot of expenses that go along with that.” - 3. Females are players—and they make the first move Not much courtship precedes lobster love-making. Females that have just shed their shells send out a pheromone to let the males know they’re in the mood. Usually, lobsters that shed their shells are vulnerable and could be eaten by other lobsters, but when a female says she’s ready to get it on, the male lobster will usually opt to have sex with her over killing her. How do they do it? “I would describe it as the missionary position,” Bayer says. Six to nine months later, eggs appear on her tail, and after another six to 9 months, they hatch. A one-pound-and-a-half female lobster can have between 8,000 to 12,000 eggs, each about the size of a raspberry segment. And they could be from multiple fathers. Females are not monogamous. - 4.They taste with their legs Chemosensory leg and feet hairs identify food. Small antennae in front of their eyes are used for tracking down food that’s farther away. “If you watch a lobster in a tank in a market, you’ll see they’re flipping, looking for food, dissolved substances in the water,” says Bayer. - 5. They chew with their stomachs The grinding structure for breaking up food is called the gastric mill, kind of like a set of teeth on their stomachs, which are right behind the eyes and the size of a walnut in a one-pound lobster. - 6.. They can regenerate limbs “It’s going to take probably a good five years for a one-pound lobster to regenerate a claw that’s about the same size of one that was lost,” says Bayer. But they can do it. - 7.Their shells were once used to make golf balls Shells left over after lobster processing are usually tossed into landfills. So in an effort to make them worth something and keep the money in the lobster industry, a University of Maine professor created golf balls with a core made out of lobster shells. They’re also biodegradable, designed for golfing on cruise ships or courses near oceans and lakes. The problem is they only go about 70 percent of the distance of a regular golf ball. Story source Time.com

HOUSING PIGS IN STYLE!!!

Pigs housed in beautiful and conducive environment,grow faster, better and are less prone to diseases. The role of housing in production can not be over emphasized,look at how pigs are housed for better productivity; look at the Cavite pig city; Read more here;http://www.pigprogress.net/Growing-Finishing/General/2015/9/Cavite-Pig-City-A-city-within-a-city-2673896W/