Poultry Farming

CHOOSING, BUILDING AND DESIGNING A CHICKEN COOP The chicken coop is an important part of poultry farming. It provides your birds with shelter and keeps them safe from predators and the elements. Poultry coops built for small scale or free range chickens are not the same as the chicken houses built for large scale producers. For anyone who wants to engage in poultry farming … [Read more...] about Successful Poultry Coop Building

KEEPING CHICKENS FREE FROM PEST AND DISEASE The biggest risk when it comes to poultry farming in Africa is that of pests and diseases. The most dangerous are viruses like the Newcastle disease, which is spread by other chickens or by wild birds and even man. Newcastle is capable of wiping out an entire brood within a day and affects poultry of all ages. Usually 70-80% of birds … [Read more...] about Successful Chicken Disease Management

TIPS FOR FEEDING CHICKEN How African poultry farmers feed their hens depends entirely on the scale of their farming projects. Some farmers simply let the birds forage and scavenge for their food all day. The downside of this system is that chickens are very hungry during the dry seasons when grain and worms are hard to come by. More intensive farmers keep their chickens in … [Read more...] about Successful Chicken Feeding

HOW TO EXPERTLY INCUBATE EGGS AND HATCH CHICKS Incubating eggs and hatching chicks is very simple for free range farmers who are very common in most countries in Africa, from Zimbabwe to Nigeria. They only have to prepare a nesting place for the hen to lay her egg. Hens like private and comfortable places. You may want to make the place comfortable by lining the floor with … [Read more...] about Successful Egg Hatching for Baby Chicks

The South African Poultry association guidelines state that a commercial farmer needs to ensure that each hen should be able to produce more than 280 eggs in one production cycle. Note that hens generally reach the end of their production cycle at 100-130 weeks. Here are some tips for ensuring that you get your hens to lay more eggs. Some breeds of chicken lay more eggs … [Read more...] about Successful Chicken Egg Laying Strategies