Feeds take about 70% of a poultry farm expenditure. Therefore, farmers have been advised to take keen interest about the quality of the feeds and the feeding practices.
“The less you spend the higher the profits. Therefore, farmers must know how to spend less on feeds but at the same time maximizing profits,” says Yohan Verhoek a nutritionist and Koudijs representative in East Africa.
This was during the second day of the fifth session of master classes on livestock. The classes are organized by Vision group with support from the Embassy of the Netherlands, KLM airlines, Koudjis Nutrition BV and dfcu Bank. During the training, Koudjis provides experts from Netherlands to facilitate the classes.
This year master class is focusing on poultry rearing, is televised live on Bukedde TV1 from 10:00am to 11:00am, with a repeat on Bukedde TV2 at 10:00pm, started yesterday Tuesday 02, 2023 to Friday 05, 2023.
Feed management
The training looked at feed management and how to get more from out of the feed. One of the areas of focus was what good feed is. “Good feed is different from each animal/bird depending on the size and the type,” explains Yohan.
Feeds should have the right composition to match the requirements of the birds to grow well. It should be adjusted to the requirements which is changing with development. It should have the right balance to optimize growth and efficiency to give predictable results.
“To have this, buy the right raw materials, store them correctly, protect them from rains, excessive temperatures, molds, deterioration, rodents, insects and wild birds,” he adds.
Feeders and placement
Farmers were advised to make sure that the number of feeders is sufficient for uniform growth. A chicken should not move more than two meters to find feed. Chick feeders should be 1:40-50 according to size and you must increase the number of feeders as your birds grow. For example, in broilers; at day 14, each eat 60gms of feed a day and by day 36 eats 196gms. Therefore, more numbers of feeders will help to get uniform growth and feed efficiency.
Feeding times
Farmers should make sure that birds have sufficient feed and water all the time. “Don’t fill the feeders because rodents will be attracted by the feed. On early days, provide feeding plates and adjust the feeder heights regularly as they grow and make sure feeders are empty at least for an hour a day,” Johan said.
Layer feeds
Unlike with broilers where the main aim of the feed is to get higher growth, for layers it is to maintain production of eggs. So, the feed is not only for daily production but also for fertility.
According to Johan, to get the best feed intake you need water. Put feeds into feeders when the lights are off such that by the time the lights are switched back, the feeds are already there. Layers feed three times a day (40%, 20% 40%) and you should always check the feed intake of your birds. Your feeders should be empty one a day but they should not be empty for more than an hour.
Feed first and collect the eggs regularly because when birds see more than five eggs they will think of hatching. Reduced feed intake will be evidenced with smaller and less eggs, reduced feed quality will result into less eggs and more mortality and not enough feeders will result into bigger variation in egg sizes and less eggs.
Koudijs Poultry coach App
Dr. Geoffrey Mukama a vet doctor with Kafiika, says that the Koudijs poultry coach app, was designed in Uganda. “This is a free-to-use personal farm assistant that will help poultry farmers make key management decisions that affect the performance of their farms,” he explains.
He adds that this app provides the best feed solutions to optimize the performance of birds. Using, this app, a farmer will be able to be reminded of what they must do on a daily like, vaccination, weighing, placement of feeders and drinkers among others.
“When you fill in your farm records like the age of the birds, weight, eggs laid, feeds served among others, the app will help you with how much ingredients to buy, the mixing ratios with Koudijs concentrates, the conversion rates of the feeds, general performance of your chicken among others,” he says.
This app can be downloaded and installed by all those with smart phones and can be used anywhere to help a farmer get technical poultry farming advise without calling anyone. Also, there is a conner for WhatsApp where you can ask any question and inquire directly with Koudijs experts.
