Artib Farm

Chicks are newly hatched chickens. Chicks must be kept in a warm and safe environment. A child’s wading pool is a good choice for brooding Turkeys , Broilers , Layers , Cockerels , Noilers and even Ducks as such a place can be easily cleaned and have no corner that can cause chicks pile up and stampede of one another. Brooding is a crucial point in the bird's growth and development, it also helps in boosting bird's immunity against diseases. Failed brooding promotes stunted growth and spread of poultry infections. Before the chicks arrival, you need to need to determine the space requirement. The feed and space requirements is based on the type of the bird, be it Broiler , Noiler , Layer , Cockerel or Turkey . The next step is to clean and disinfect the space, other facilities like drinkers, feeders, buckets thoroughly with detergent and disinfectant. You need to evenly fill the brooder with few inches of wood shavings or cob litter but never use saw dust, it cont...

Just like Broilers , turkeys are meant for commercial meat production but they are bigger than broiler; they therefore demand more space and feed requirement. Added advantage is that turkeys cannot only lay eggs but also hatch the eggs on their own. Farmer just need to move away the Poults from the turkey for Proper Brooding Of The Poults . Good feeding program helps rapid growth while accurate spacing prevents overcrowding which can cause pecking and cannibalism. In the presence of other factors like good Biosecurity, quality air flow and perfect turkey breed, proper feeding and spacing program enhance commercial turkey farming. Feed Requirement The types of feed required by turkey are just classified based on their protein content. The quantity of feed required depends on the breed and age. Small White do not consume much feed like Large White or Large Breasted Bronze. Based on feed protein content, a poult of day old to 8 weeks feed on turkey starter feed with 28% protein. 22...

Turkey chicks (younger turkeys) are referred to as POULTS, from day old till the first four to six weeks of their life depending on the turkey breed. The THREE major breeds of turkey are Large White, Broad Breasted Bronze and Small White. Large White and Broad Breasted Bronze are large birds, they can reach 11 kg in 24 weeks. Small White can only reach 6.5 kg in 16 weeks. In brooding the Poults, the procedures can be divided into two categories i.e Before The Poults Arrival and After The Poults Arrival. Below are the steps to be taken in both categories: Fig 1: A poult (Day Old turkey) A.) Before Arrival Of The Poults 1. You need to decide early on the breed of turkey you want; large or small breed, foreign or local breed? 2. Clean and disinfect housing facilities using detergent and disinfectant. The walls, ceiling, floor and all equipment should be thoroughly washed and dried. Equipment like feeders, feeding tray, waterers, bowls and buckets may be soaked in a solution of ap...

Spices are useful in our day to day activities especially for cooking of food. Only few people know that these spices can also be used to cure certain ailments in the poultry flock. It simply means that you cannot only cook your chicken with spices but also use the same spices to treat certain poultry infections. Ginger, pepper, salt, garlic, aloe vera, turmeric and sour milk are just among the food and spices that are medicinal in nature. They are therefore essentially required by farmers practising organic farming. Below are some medicinal spices and their ethno-veterinary importance: 1.) Garlic Garlic is a family of onions. It boosts birds' immunity, fights respiratory diseases and also produces sulphur in the body. It can therefore kill external parasites because the sulphur in the chicken's blood will overpower the parasites. Just add 3 cloves of garlic to 5 litres of water or a pinch or two of powdered garlic in dry feeds everyday. 2.) Ginger Ginger has antiviral...

Noilers are basically raised for meat production although they can also lay eggs. In short, The Noiler birds are dual purpose breed of chicken developed in Nigeria by a famous hatchery; Amo Farm Sieberer Hatchery. They are similar to the chicken breed known as “Kuroiler” said to have been developed in India and already introduced to Ugandan poultry farmers. Their meat is tougher than that of broiler but not up to that of local chicken. They are multi coloured birds unlike broilers which are mainly white. Noilers are perfect for rural communities and urban. They are specially suitable for rural communities; small backyard farmers and can address the challenges of animal food insecurity. The economic importance is in their ability to solve  financial problems because they are profitable when the farmers involve in commercial noiler farming. Below are the additional features of noiler birds: 1. Appearance : They are birds of various colours; black, white, yellow with black stripe...