By Umar Nsubuga
Twaha Kakooza, a commercial farmer and expert in birds says indigenous poultry are quite skilled in scavenging.
He says they pick spilt food-stuffs, leaves and insects.
However, scavenging is usually not enough to provide all the food they need. Give them additional feeds, particularly those rich in energy.
“Additional feeds are particularly very important for cross-bred poultry because their food demands are higher, yet they do not have good scavenging skills,” he says.
Kakooza says supplementary feeds could be commercial poultry rations or local foodstuffs such as grains. Indigenous poultry grows faster and healthier when provided with supplementary feeds.
Disease control
There are many poultry diseases but the most devastating for indigenous poultry in Uganda is Newcastle disease, followed by coccidiosis. He explains that Newcastle disease is incurable but can be prevented through the use of vaccines.
He says it is important to vaccinate the birds for Newcastle disease as recommended by your veterinarian.
“Each time a new batch of chicks hatch, vaccinate the entire flock. Coccidiosis is curable and preventable,” he says.
He says it affects mostly chicks, the most notable symptom being diarrhoea. You can prevent the disease by keeping your poultry house clean and separating young birds from the growing ones.
“If the disease strikes, give the medicine. It is usually a powder that you can mix in water and let the birds drink,” he explains adding that the ideal approach would be to seek veterinary assistance whenever a disease strikes, but it is also wise to stock some drugs.
