By Umar Nsubuga
Aisha Namirembe who deals in poultry feeds says farmers who have invested in poultry need to be cautious and ensure they get their feeds from reputable animal feed manufacturers.
“Suppliers of the day-old chicks should be able to direct you to the right feed stockists. Hundreds of farmers have opted to mix the feeds themselves on their farms after obtaining the formulas from reputable animal feed experts as a measure to cut down on feeding costs,” she advises.
When the feed formulae are not given in the correct ratios, this can lead to retarded growth of the birds and at times makes them susceptible to diseases.
Joseph Lule another chick feeds supplier in Matugga says in the latest developments, it is actual feed ingredients that are either adulterated or substituted for something else.
“Maize bran in Uganda is one of the vital ingredients in the making of all animal feeds, but some unscrupulous traders are reaping large sums from unsuspecting farmers by supplying maize bran mixed with saw-dust, sand or rice bran,” he says.
This is common in many parts of the country; some people search for scarce maize bran. It is common in urban centres, where there is a large concentration of feed mills.
Lule advises farmers not to buy a bag of bran and take it home simply because it is sealed.
“Take the trouble to examine the contents of the bag and inspect the bran by feeling it to ensure that it has sufficient broken up pieces of maize seeds”.
In most cases, the so-called maize bran is just maize husks which do not do much good to your animals.
Lule also says that wet bran should be avoided as it may cause the animal feeds to go bad in a short time. It is also possible that such feeds will make your birds ill.
However, it is not only maize bran that is fake. Several fish meal traders are not genuine as well. They mix sand in the groundfish meal to increase its weight.
According to Lule, this means that the fish will not be getting the correct amount of nutrients. The same precaution should be taken with the other feeds such as cotton seed cake, soybean among others.
Because of the soaring costs of genuine animal feeds, Lule says the wrong elements are making a quick kill at the expense of farmers who have invested large amounts of capital in the poultry industry in particular.
Poor quality feeds ultimately lead to poor output, as the birds become sickly or take too long to grow and are below the recommended weight. This results in colossal losses for the farming enterprises.
