You don’t lose chicks because the “batch was bad.” You lose them because the first seven days are unforgiving, and the smallest mistake snowballs fast. That’s the real reason chicks die young. They don’t have the strength to survive sloppy hygiene, confused temperatures, or late feeding. Their bodies are racing to build organs, immune systems, and bones - all at the same time. Anything that stresses them in those first hours knocks the whole system off balance. Here’s what matters. Hygiene is the quiet killer in most farms. A brooder that looks clean to your eyes might still carry bacteria your chicks can’t fight. Wet litter, reused bags, dirty drinkers, dusty corners - everything adds up. A chick touches the floor, pecks the floor, drinks from the floor, and swallows whatever lives there. If your brooding area isn’t cleaner than your kitchen counter, you’re giving pathogens a head start. Then there’s temperature. Chicks aren’t born with a thermostat. They borrow yours. Too hot, and ...

Some additives on the market promise miracles. Most don’t deliver. But a few — the quiet, science-backed ones — actually save you money because they help the bird use feed better, stay healthier, and waste less energy. That’s the real win. Not magic powders. Not “secret boosters.” Just biology doing its job. Modern poultry feed isn’t cheap, so anything that helps a bird digest more of what you’ve already paid for is an investment, not an expense. Three categories consistently stand out: probiotics, enzymes, and toxin binders. Each one solves a different problem, and when used right, they pay for themselves. Start with probiotics. Think of them as helpful bacteria that keep the gut calm and efficient. Birds with a balanced gut digest feed faster, absorb nutrients better, and fight off bad microbes before they get a chance to cause trouble. This reduces diarrhea, improves weight gain, and cuts down on drug use. It’s not magic — it’s simply supporting the engine where all growth actually ...

You can almost feel it when your birds aren’t performing the way they should. They’re eating, but something is missing. Growth feels slow. Immunity feels shaky. Stress creeps in quietly. And here’s the twist most farmers never see coming: the answer might already be in your kitchen. Herbs that many people ignore - cloves, garlic, ginger, cinnamon can flip the entire energy of a flock. Not superstition, not trial and error but real plant power with real results. Cloves Cloves act like tiny guardians in your birds’ gut. The eugenol inside them fights off harmful microbes and steadies digestion. Birds start converting feed better, and you can literally see the difference in their body weight. Use 0.5 to 1 gram per kilo of feed for chicks, up to 2 grams for older birds, or boil a clove or two per liter of water a few times a week. Garlic Garlic brings that bold hit of allicin—strong enough to lift immunity and help birds hold their ground during disease pressure. Crush one clove per lite...

Many farmers swear by bitter leaf and neem as natural health boosters for poultry. They’re right, both plants are packed with compounds that fight disease and support immunity. But here’s where most people go wrong: mixing them together like a herbal cocktail. That combination might do more harm than good. Let’s quickly unpack it. Bitter Leaf (Vernonia amygdalina) This plant is a natural detoxifier. It flushes out toxins, improves appetite, and supports liver function which are all crucial for growth and feed conversion. Its bitter compounds also help control coccidiosis and intestinal worms when used moderately. Think of it as a gentle cleanser that helps your birds stay sharp and eat well. Neem (Azadirachta indica) Neem is tougher medicine. It’s antiviral, antibacterial, antifungal, and antiparasitic. Farmers use neem tea or soaked leaves to control infections like Newcastle or bacterial diarrhea. It strengthens the immune system and repels insects naturally. But it’s also very poten...

There are several diseases that can be symptomatic in poultry farming as we have human. In fact, a sign may indicate different poultry diseases. Not everytime green poops will interpret Gumboro, it could be as a result feed the birds consumed. What we call cough in poultry is actually Chronic Respiratory Disease (CRD). CRD is a form of poultry disease that interferes the respiratory tract of the birds, it may cause labour breathing, chirping and slight cough. It is a common disease affecting broilers follows by Coccidiosis . We have talked about Causes, Symptoms and Inorganic Treatment of CRD in one of our previous articles.  In this article, we focus on organic treatment of cough in broilers. The required recipes are ginger, cayenne pepper, scent leaf and garlic which can be prepared as follows: 1.) 750gram each of ginger, garlic and cayenne pepper.  2.) 50gram of scent leaf.  3.) Blend all in 1 litre of water. You may also like to read more about: • The Use...

In the course of raising broilers, the first thing that cross farmer's mind is how to make the birds have highest weight in the shortest possible time. This is easily achievable provided that the farmer can understand all it takes. There are different factors that contribute to the bird's weight gain. Broiler strain, health status, air, feed and water quality are some of the factors to be considered. The use of antibiotic growth booster by some farmers has been banned by NAFDAC because it causes antibiotic resistance in animals which make them unsafe for consumption.  There are organic or natural recipes that can be used as growth boosters either being added to feed, water or consumed directly. They are not only cheaper and safer but also enhance  general health of broilers. Some of the organic boosters are: 1. Bitter Kola Bitter Kola is not only full of antimicrobial effects but also an important natural growth booster for broilers to gain unexpected weight within short peri...

Molasses is the thick dark brown syrup of a texture inbetween the real maple syrup and golden syrup. Molasses is a byproduct originated from crushed sugar cane, sugar beets or refined sugar making process.  It is the left over after boiling down the cane juice. People majorly use it as a sweetener in baking and cooking processes. Aside being a sweeter, molasses has been an important part of livestock feeds for long period of time. It can be used as binder for feed components and to increase palatability. Since molasses is sweet, it is added to water during cold weather to encourage drinking. Beyond taste and binding abilities, it also offers health benefits to the heart and enables the muscle building. Blackstrap molasses Blackstrap molasses happens to be the proper choice for chickens as it is high in iron, magnesium, potassium and calcium which are important to chicken's health. Though it can be replaced with other related types of molasses. Besides, molasses based feed...

Bitter leaf (Vernonia amygdalina) is a shrub or small tree that grows throughout tropical Africa. It is a very important protective food and useful for the maintenance of health and treatment of various human and poultry infections. Coccidiosis spread faster in intensive system of rearing, it rarely affect extensive rearing system because of the birds' access to some herbs which bitter leaf is one of them. Adding bitter leaf extract to chicken's drinking water prevent and cure coccidiosis. How To Prepare Bitter Leaf  Extract Just like any other leaves, there are two major ways of extracting bitter leaf juice depending on the quantity required. Bitter leaf can be extracted by hand squeezing or by the use of kitchen blender. The juice is expected to be as thick as wine. To use manual method, gather some bitter leaves. Remove the leaves from the stem and rinse them in a bowl. Rinse properly but do not squeeze too hard. The quantity depends on the volume of juice require...

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...

Health management is not about giving many drugs. It is about preventing disease first, then treating only when necessary. Vaccination is planned. Medication is based on need, not habit. Core Vaccines for Cockerels In most regions, cockerels are vaccinated mainly against: • Gumboro (Infectious Bursal Disease) • Newcastle Disease (LaSota or Komarov strains) • Fowl Pox The exact schedule depends on local disease pressure and the advice of your veterinarian. Always follow vaccine instructions carefully. Use clean, chlorine-free water when administering vaccines through drinking water. A common structure may look like this: ☑ Day 7 to 10: First Gumboro vaccine. ☑ Day 14 to 21: Newcastle Disease (LaSota). ☑ Day 21 to 28: Second Gumboro. Around 4 weeks: Fowl Pox. ☑ Later booster: Newcastle Disease (Komarov strain, depending on program). Timing can shift slightly depending on your area and the source of chicks. What About Antibiotics? Antibiotics are not routine supplements. They are tre...

As earlier discussed in our previous Article - Noiler Feed And Space Requirements , noilers are hybrid of cockerel and broiler which are capable of reaching table size (mature) within four months. Noiler birds can also mature before four (4) months depending on certain factors like biosecurity, stock density, air quality, feed quantity and quality. In this article, we are to discuss noiler health management in the aspect of medication and vaccination program. Below is the health management schedule for noiler: Day 1: Multivitamins (to ease transportation stress) Day 2-4: Antibiotics, Multivitamins in the afternoon Day 5-8: Anticoccidiosis, clean water in the afternoon Day 9: Multivitamins Day 10: LaSota vaccine (plus skimmed milk) Day 11: Multivitamins, clean water in the afternoon Day 12-15: Antibiotics, clean water or multivitamins depending on the weather condition Day 16: Multivitamins Day 17: Gumboro vaccine (plus skimmed milk) Day 18: Multivitamins Day 28: L...

Just like any other business, poultry farming needs certain requirements for optimum business operation. There are several ways of classifying amenities for poultry farming depending on the type of farming, nature/cost of requirement and farmer's point of view. It can be classified based on importance as BASIC and ADDITIONAL facility or based on cost as FIXED and VARIABLE cost. However it is being classified, certain inputs are more important than others. Classification Of Poultry Facility a) Based On Nature/Cost i.) Fixed cost: These are the inputs that once they are obtained, they can be used for a long period of time without replacement but only need to be maintained. Typical example of such requirements are land, poultry house, feeders, drinkers, cages, electrical wiring and gadgets etc.  ii.) Variable cost: They are the farm inputs that are recurrent i.e they cannot be used for very long period of time but need to be purchase at the beginning of every stocking op...

There are many factors like selection of good chicks, location of farm and labour in the eggs production, but where most farmers get it wrong is in the aspect of poultry health management which is the major function of proper medication and vaccination schedule. We have discussed  How To Vaccinate Birds in previous articles. Below is the schedule you can follow as guide based on your experience in poultry farming: Day 1 -- Multivitamins/glucose Day 2-5 -- Antibiotics and multivitamins Day 6 -- Multivitamins Day 7 -- LaSota vaccine Day 8 -- Multivitamins Day 9-12 -- Anticoccidial drug Day 13 -- Multivitamins Day 14 -- Gumboro vaccine Day 15 -- Multivitamins Day 16-20 -- Antibiotics + Vitamins Day 21 -- Gumboro (booster) vaccine Day 28 -- LaSota (booster) vaccine Week 5 -- Tyloxine based drug (as antiviral) Week 6 -- 1st deworming Week 8 -- Antibiotics drugs Week 9 -- 1st coryza Week 12 -- Lasota Week 13 -- 2nd coryza Week 14 -- 2nd deworming ...

One of the discouraging factors in poultry business is early mortality in birds or chickens. One gets confused to lose 3 of 10 acquired birds within a day or two. One will be imagining what could happen in the next four to five days. What is early mortality? What are its effects and preventive measures? There are about eight causes and preventive measures of early mortality in birds as discussed below: #1. Antibiotic Injection Early chick mortality is resulted from e-coli and staphylococcal infections. This can be prevented by given Gentamicin at day old. Most hatcheries give vaccination against Marek disease to their chicks at day old. #2. Temperature Management Temperature regulation is essential for chicks, specifically in their first 3 weeks. Chicks will need warmth till about 4 weeks. Heat may be required or not after 4 weeks depending on the environmental conditions.    High brooding temperature can cause dehydration when about 10% out of the 70% of water i...

Vaccination is one of the most important program in poultry health management. It contributes immensely to the growth, development and production efficiency of poultry. So, farmers have to pay special attention to the vaccination programme of their birds. Below are the simple steps of vaccinating your birds effectively. #1. You have to be sure that your birds are at least 7-10 days old before administering the first vaccine. #2. The first vaccine is Gumboro. But, some farmers give Lasota first in some cases. #3. It is advisable to withdraw all water from your birds over the night, if it is of cold weather or early in the morning of vaccination and leave them to only feed for about 2 hours if the weather is hot. This is to make them thirsty for them to quickly finish the vaccinated water you will be giving next. #4. Mix a small quantity, like a teaspoon, of Cowbell powder milk or any skimmed in 4 litres of drinking water if your birds are within the range of 50 to 100. 8 litres if t...

Electrolyte is a form of drink which replenishes essential salts lose after hard exercise, illness or infection, profuse sweating or lost liquid through vomiting. Chickens do not have sweat gland, they do not vomit as humans but do lose salts due to infection, disturbance and heat stress or overheating. Electrolytes help body rehydration by replacing salts like sodium, bicarbonate and potassium which promote healthy functioning of body cells and organs.  When to use electrolyte for chickens ? * For weak chicks which could have had a long struggle to hatch. * Pasty butt i.e when to vent of chicken is wet and clogged. * Chicks or adult birds suffering from wry neck require a mixture of vitamins and electrolyte. * Overheating of brooder or coop can lead to the need of electrolytes. *  When the birds are suffering from frostbite. * Overcrowding in the coop. * Transportation of birds, no matter how small it is. * Illness in the poultry. * Infestation. * Too much handling...

In poultry health management, drugs and vaccine are very essential. Proper care must be taken to avoid excess mortality in the poultry business. Below is the time table for medication and vaccine programme for Broilers. Day 1: Marek vaccine which is usually giving to the chicks at hatchery. On getting to your brooding pen, the chicks just need glucose or multivitamin to ease transportation stress, don't mix the two together to avoid contraindication. Then serve them the broiler starter feed. Day 2-4: Multivitamins in the morning, antibiotics in the afternoon. Day 5-7: Anti-coccidiosis in the morning and multivitamin in the afternoon. Day 8: Gumboro vaccine. Day 9: Multivitamins Day 10-12: Anti-coccidiosis and vitamins. Day 13: Lasota vaccine mix with milk: a tablespoon full of Cow Bell or any other powder milk in 5 litres of drinking water. Day 14-19: Multivitamins. Day 20: 2nd Gumboro vaccine. Day 21-23: Multivitamins. Day 24-26: Anti-coccidiosis. Day 27: 2nd Lasota. ...