Common causes of low egg production in hens.

The age and breed of hens are the first factor to consider as some breeds come into layer earlier than others.The average age of coming into lay is between 22/24 weeks but some breeds come into lay as early as 17 /18 weeks. The lighter breeds usually do come in lay earlier than the much heavier breeds. The method of rearing also comes to play,if adequate nutrition and management is lacking then definitely the birds will not grow,and optimal production is hinged on growth rate,physical development and management practices. The health status of the flock is very essential,thus seek healthy starting stock,from proven hatcheries and with proper vaccination regimen.Hens are sensitive to day length, and particularly to the direction in which day length is changing, when it comes to laying eggs. Declining day lengths discourage egg production,thus it is not unusual for a flock owner to have hens go out of production when the day length diminishes.In commercial production,this problem is resolved and egg production is maintained all year round by using artificial lighting to give hens a long day length. Hens need a balanced and adequate diet to maintain egg production. Each egg contains significant amounts of protein and energy, which must first be consumed by the hen as part of its daily food intake. When there is too little dietary energy or an imbalance of amino acids in feed ,it causes decreased egg production. The role of calcium in egg production is very important,as the shell of each egg contains roughly 2 grams of calcium while the skeleton of a typical egg-laying breed of hen only contains about 20 grams of calcium. This means that each egg represents 10% of the hen’s total bodily calcium,this they get from feed . The hen’s skeleton is a calcium store that supply the demands for egg production, this reserve is rapidly depleted in the absence of an abundant calcium source in the feed and in such a situation the hen will stop laying eggs. The task of steady egg production and maintenance of egg production depends on farmer and ability to feed only a prepared layer ration balanced to meet the hen’s nutritional requirements, or at least provide a e source of calcium, such as ground limestone or oyster shell, that the birds can eat selectively. Salt is another factor,when salt level is low in the feed this will depress egg production. Sodium plays a role in egg production as derived from dietary component however, the hen's sensitivity to sodium levels is important as well--water having too much dissolved sodium will also depress egg production,hence water analysis is vital. The production/management technique also plays a role, with cage-free birds broodiness is a major challenge. Brooding is common in some breeds than others where the hen's want to hatch laid eggs. This broodiness can also be a management vice,where eggs are not picked on time,leaving them to accumulate in a clutch. Daily egg gathering is a very important practice to preserve the eggs in terms of quality ,as increase in number of cracks have been linked to late egg picking and careless handling. Hens after producing eggs for several months ,the production steadily decreases as the birds will begin molting phase. Molting and egg production dont occur side by side so when molting occurs, egg production ceases. The break from egg laying allows the hen to restore its plumage condition by shedding old feathers and growing new ones and the eggs laid now are bigger but fewer and not economically viable to recycle after molting.

Kenyan Millionaire Invests $4 Million In Macadamia Plant.

Kenyan Millionaire Naushad Merali Invests $4 Million In Macadamia Plant. Sasini Limited, an agricultural company controlled by Kenyan tycoon Naushad Merali, is investing $4 million to establish a macadamia processing facility in Kiambu, outside Nairobi. According to a report by The Star newspaper, Merali’s new processing plant will be set up on a 20-acre farm next to some coffee mills it owns in Kiambu county. The location is proposed for a Special Economic Zone, a protectionist area where manufacturers benefit from incentives such as tax holidays, and which is close to Sasini’s coffee mill in Kiambu. Merali says that Sasini, which is listed on the Nairobi Stock Exchange, will inter-plant macadamia with its coffee bushes at calculated spacing so that the two can thrive together without needing additional land. “This is being planted at desirable spacing which will not compromise on coffee production. We anticipate to generate a further Sh300,000 ($3,000) per hectare from this venture within the coming six years when we shall be at optimal production of macadamia nuts,” Merali said in a press statement. continue

Irish agri-tech firm generates €13m in UK sales from its manure-to-energy units.

Irish agri-tech firm generates €13m in UK sales from its manure-to-energy units.Irish agri-tech business BHSL has agreed to sell eight of its manure-to-energy units to UK-based poultry farms. In a statement, the company said that the move has generated €13 million in sales. The firm manufactures manure-to-energy technology which is aimed at transforming the environmental impact of the global poultry industry. The eight new BHSL Energy Centre units will all be installed by March 2017. The patented technology will be shipped from BHSL’s plant in Ballagh, County Limerick, and represents the first fruits of an expansion strategy announced by the company’s chairman Denis Brosnan upon his appointment in October. BHSL’s technology converts poultry manure into energy, which is then used to provide heating for future batches of chicks. BHSL’s system is the only one available that meets both US and EU environmental regulations, and allows farmers to use manure for power and heat rather than the traditional practice of transporting and spreading it on land as a fertiliser which is increasingly restricted by law due to pollution concerns. The company said it also celebrated a world industry first, with technology it has installed in Maryland in the US and Norfolk in the UK producing electricity for the first time. The ability to generate electricity in addition to heat allows farmers use the power generated for other purposes on farm when there is less demand for heat in the poultry houses. Combined Heat and Power (CHP) solutions which generate electricity will also help farmers play their part in meeting the EU’s 2020 renewable energy targets The company estimates that farms may be able to meet all their energy needs by using their manure as a fuel, thereby reducing costs and improving the sustainability of intensive poultry production. Poultry farms have big electricity bills and there is enough manure created to provide both heat and electricity. In fact by generating electricity all the manure on a site can be utilised, completely removing the need to land spread manure which is increasingly considered a pollutant and restricted by law.more

Asia digs deep to upgrade its agriculture.

Asia digs deep to upgrade its agriculture as a perfect storm of population growth and climate change spurs farming innovation. Asian crops were devastated by a severe drought this year, highlighting the urgent need to stabilise farm output and brace for the consequences of climate change. And with the region's population projected to continue growing over the long term, this is no easy task. The good news is that answers are starting to emerge. Agribusinesses are harnessing information technology. Organic farms and so-called plant factories are becoming hothouses for innovation. International investors are keen to water the seeds. These are some cutting-edge facilities to show a glimpse into the future of Asian farming.Spread is a company, which is taking a different approach in innovative farming. It wants to win in the mass market such as in supermarkets — and that means competing against veggies grown in the field. The secret of the company is volume,yes more production in a small enclosure. The company packs a lot of lettuce into its 3,000 sq m factory in western Kyoto, Japan's ancient capital. The heads grow on rows upon rows of shelves under fluorescent lights. The factory has the capacity to ship 21,000 of them per day — enough to make the lettuce profitable even if it sells for Y198 ($1.79). The average price in Tokyo as of November was Y251, according to Numbeo, which tracks the cost of living in big cities. Whether by growing crops indoors or other means, Asia needs to boost yields and mitigate extreme weather. Consumption in big markets like China and India is likely to continue growing steadily. “Asia cannot produce enough to support itself,” the Netherlands' Rabobank wrote in its Asia-Pacific: Agricultural Perspectives report. The bank noted that “limited arable land, inadequate water and poor resource management” are constraining production. That is at the best of times. This year, vast swaths of Asia were hit by drought linked to the El Niño weather phenomenon, resulting in massive crop failures. To feed itself, Asia needs solutions, and Singapore's Temasek Life Sciences Laboratory aims to provide some.The non-profit research institute is funded by Temasek Trust — the philanthropic arm of sovereign wealth fund Temasek Holdings. TLL, as the lab is known, spent eight years developing Temasek Rice, a resilient breed capable of withstanding extreme weather conditions and producing higher yields. Temasek Rice was created using a modern technique known as marker-assisted selection. This allows scientists to zero in on desired traits and breed new, improved crops. Yin Zhongchao, TLL's senior principal investigator, said this type of breeding can enhance food security by increasing production “in a more efficient and sustainable manner”.Since land is limited in Singapore, TLL’s rice is being grown in Indonesia, and the lab wants to partner with more companies to boost production. The spread of mobile communications gives farmers quite a lot of knowledge at their fingertips. Even without souped-up seeds, detailed weather data and other information can help them to cope with climate change, and other threats that come their way. The Vietnamese state telecom company VinaPhone started a service called Nong Thon Xanh, or Green Country. Basically, it turns mobile phones into farm assistants. Through a social network, farmers can subscribe to three packages. For 10,000 dong ($0.45) per month, they get access to an agricultural warning package that includes a range of information: weather forecasts, prices, plant disease alerts, guidelines on relevant state policies, advisories on abnormal conditions affecting agriculture and so on. Coffee and rice packages, available for 31 cents and 22 cents a week, respectively, offer tailored guidance to help farmers prevent diseases from wiping out their crops.more

Squid delicacy more common in UK as seas are warmer.

Climate changes and actions changing food preferences in the UK. The seas are getting warmer so more of squids are are now being caught at 60% of survey stations in the North Sea, compared with 20% in the 1980s. Squid and fish that thrive in warmer waters, such as sardines and anchovies, are flourishing around the North Sea, according to fisheries data while the likes of cod are heading north, away from British waters. Dr John Pinnegar, of the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas), which has been monitoring North Sea fish populations for more than 100 years, said models for 2025 and beyond suggested that seawater temperatures off the UK may continue to rise. Fishing boats are now catching species that have not been caught in the area before. Dr Pinnegar, programme director for marine climate change at Cefas, said summer squid fisheries had expanded around the Moray Firth in north-east Scotland, as part of efforts to reduce over-fishing of more traditional species such as haddock and cod. "A lot of the things we see increasing in abundance around the UK are marine animals that would probably originally [be] thought of as being Mediterranean or characteristic of the Bay of Biscay, or around Portugal or Spain," he added. "They're now increasing in UK waters because the waters are getting more conducive for those sorts of species, whereas other species are shifting the center of their distribution towards the north of the UK." A recent research found that squid appeared to be benefiting from climate change, at the expense of finned fish, and they have been identified as a valuable alternative fishing target particularly in the North Sea. Worldwide catches of squid, octopus and cuttlefish (cephalopods) have increased considerably over the last two decades.more

Arctic reindeer shrinking in size.

A new research has shown that arctic reindeer's are shrinking in size due to climate action on food supplies.Scientists say Arctic reindeer are shrinking in size due to the impact of climate change on food supplies. Scottish researchers, working with colleagues from Norway, have been studying the animals in a group of islands near the North Pole.The weight of the reindeer over a 16-year period has gone down by around 12%, from 55 kilogrammes to just over 48. Professor Steve Albon, from the James Hutton Institute in Aberdeen, told the BBC the difference climate change makes to the animals.watch

Terminally ill boy dies in Santa's arms.

A US man who dresses up as Santa Claus fulfilled a dying boy's Christmas wish by visiting him at his bedside, before the youngster passed away in his arms. Eric Schmitt-Matzen rushed to a local in Tennessee hospital after receiving a call about a terminally ill five-year-old boy who wanted to see Santa Claus. The 60-year-old impersonator said he gave the child a present and a big hug before holding him as he died.The boy's family watched on from the hallway as they cried, he told the BBC."When I felt the life go from him, I looked up, tears running down my face, and looked over at the window and that's when mom started screaming," he said.continue