All posts by Farhan sheikh

My name is Farhan Ahsan,I am web enthusiast, writer and blogger. I always strive to be passionate about my work. I started my work at the beginning of 2007 by engaging myself with detail reading and exchanging information with others. Since then things and times have changed, but one thing remains the same and that is my passion for helping and educating people, building a successful blog and delivering quality content to the readers. The particular interests that brought me in the world of blogging are gardening, wildlife, nature, farming and livestock.

Feed And Nutrition

Homemade chicken feed-The ingredients to add in your Diy poultry feed

January 14, 2023 Farhan sheikh 4 Comments

The fact is beyond any question that poultry or chicken farming in particular is a lucrative business. However, if the owner or the keeper lacks diligence than the entire business can turn itself upside down. There are lots of risks associated with poultry and each has to be either overcome or minimized to some extent. The cute little fellows just like infants ask for attention, care and love. This in particular; burdens the responsibility of the farmer to take care of the chicken feed. The health of the poultry must be the utmost concern because chickens are usually prone to lots of diseases and parasitic infections.

What do chicken likes to eat?

Just like you make sure infants get the right type of food, you have to make sure you treat chickens the same way. A healthy homemade chicken feed must be consistent with the bird’s age, the growth phase and type of bird (such as broiler chicken feed and layer pallets). Based on experiences and experts advice, there are diversified views – many say that they only feed their flocks with kitchen scraps and never think about complete nutrient feed. However, the entire scenario has been changed now – modern farmers and backyard keepers are now more interested in formulated poultry feeds because research has proven that it provides required nutrients and contributes to better health.

This excerpt tells about various kinds of best chicken feed and enlightens you in depth about its benefits. Even many inquire from the experts that whether they should provide the backyard flock the commercial feed or homemade feed, so I have tried to explain that aspect as well. This all based on logic and experience, hope works for you too.

Homemade feed vs commercial feed:

You must have heard older always accentuating on the fact that kids must be given homemade meals. They are complete food, provide energy and are economical as well. You can simply apply this theory here – it is suggested that you must provide your chicken the simple, nutritious and the quality homemade feed. The reasons may include;

Inexpensive
Healthy
No side effects
Nutritional
Homemade food is real – the packet food is at some point created.

What ingredients make a feed essential?

Would you like to eat one kind of meal all the time? What would be your attitude if you are given same rice and meat for lunch, dinner and the next day and so on. You would simply want to switch, this is also the attitude observed in chickens. They look for varieties and want to have something different and tasty. Many say that summer food and winter food for chickens also differ.

Feed green:

If you are raising chickens on pastured; it’s a very healthy option for them. Your chickens need a good amount of fresh and green feed on a daily basis. You really don’t have to spend much on it as you can feed them grass cuttings, cut offs from cabbages, weeds and cauliflowers. I will not really suggest you to provide chickens with lettuce because it lacks proper nutritional value. Never feed chicken with avocado because it may turn out to be poisonous.

Further, chickens can also be served with stale bread and peelings of carrot, cucumber and fruits.

A complete wholesome feed:

One of the recipes that I have learned from my grandparents and experts is given below. It would help you in getting best nutritional value for chicken and help you make your own chicken feed.

You must have:

8 cups of organic soft white wheat
8 cups of organic red wheat
6 cups of organic corns
12 cups of organic oats
4 cups of lentils (organic)
1 cup sesame and 2 cups flax seed (organic)
Quarter cup kelp granules

In a big bucket, mix all the ingredients together in 2-tablespoon olive oil. This would turn out to be an amazing meal for chickens because it contains everything from minerals to vitamins, proteins and carbs as well; it is natural and homemade chicken feed formula.

Why soy or non-organic corns(Genetically Modified Organism) should not add in the feed:

Not all agree with the fact but it is said that soy or corns should not be added to the chicken feed. It is because;

Its incomplete source of protein
Highly processed
It is obtained from unnatural sources

Final Thoughts!

Further, it can lead to severe deficiency of hormones and cause some serious issue with the birds. It is suggested that chickens must have organic feeding so that they can get what is required. Moreover, preference should be given to homemade and natural feeding delights, as it is a much cheaper and healthier option. I am sure by now you would have enough idea about a healthy diy poultry feed – you can now certainly get better eggs and meat from your own flocks.

World Poultry

5 World’s Leading Poultry Producers 2012

January 14, 2023 Farhan sheikh Leave a comment

When it comes to the poultry industry, then there are a few countries that have always been in the lead like United States, Brazil, China and other Asian Countries, but now a shift in this trend is quite visible. In the year 2012, there is an expected 2 % percent expansion which is going to be seen in the domains of meat production. The most significant amount of production was expected to come from the Asian countries like China, Russia and India. According to the views and researchers conducted by the top poultry analysts, the poultry sector is going to increase at a pace of 5 % on an annual basis. This increase is still not enough to meet the growing demands of the world for the poultry meat, eggs and other relevant products. In terms of the overall capital growth, some major changes might also be seen. According to the reports published by poultry international digital, this year is going to be the best for The United States of America. The broiler meat production in the United States alone is more than 40 billion pounds till now.

Top 5 Poultry Producing Countries

On the basis of some reliable sources, the present top poultry producing countries are China, United States, Brazil, Russia and India. Through the course of the past history, now it would be quite visible to you that how the production of the countries have changed over the years, the reasons for which can be numerous and multifaceted. It may not come as much of a surprise to you, that the United States and China are the largest chicken producers in the world. But an important thing to ponder here is the fact that the top 4 largest poultry companies of the world are in the United States and the fifth one in Germany.

Leading Poultry Companies

When it comes to the leading and top poultry producers in the world, then United States seems to be in the lead. Below are some of the leading poultry companies.

1) Tyson Foods Inc.

Located in Springdale, Arkansas and with revenue of US $ 8.89 billion, Tyson Foods Inc. is in the lead. The production rate of the company is nearly 37.4 million birds on a weekly basis. The company now owns 34 slaughter houses. Tyson Foods are also the largest chicken producers in the world. There are nearly 115,000 employees working for the company. The company also boasts of having 36 hatcheries for the purpose of egg production.

2) Pilgrim’s Corp

This company is located in the region of Colorado and is currently on the second number when it comes to the leading poultry producing companies in the United States and in the world. This is because no other companies in the world are even near to the production capacities and profits of the American companies. The company presently makes use of 30 slaughter plants and feeds nearly 41,000 employees. These top 2 companies are the major chicken producers in the world. They have nearly 41 hatcheries producing 48 million eggs weekly.

3) Perdue Farms Inc.

The headquarters of the company is located in Salisbury, Maryland. The current revenues of the company are estimated to cross the US $ 5 billion mark. The chief products of the company are chicken and turkey. On a weekly basis, the production pace of the company is nearly 12.4 million birds. With nearly 20,412 employees working for them in 10 slaughter plants, the company is now all set to increase the production pace as much as possible.

4) Koch Foods Inc.

The company is located in Chicago and is known to be one of the major poultry suppliers of the state and an important contributor in the US poultry. There are nearly 12,500 employees working for the company, thus giving a production rate of 9.5 million birds on a weekly basis. The egg production rate is nearly 12 million eggs on a weekly basis.

5) Gebruder Stolle

The specialty of the company is in the domain of chicken and turkey production. By making use of more than 23,000 employees the company’s production rate is more than 160 million birds on an annual basis. More than 90 % of the products produced by the company are sold in Germany while the remaining is used for various export purposes. The company is now looking to expand the production pace due to the increase in the demands for the poultry all over the world.

Sources used

http://wattagnet.com/worldtoppoultry.html

http://www.poultryinternational-digital.com/poultryinternational/201110?pg=14&search_term=top%20poultry%20companies&doc_id=-1&search_term=top%20poultry%20companies#pg15

Backyard Chicken

15 tips to keeping the predators away from your backyard chicken

January 14, 2023 Farhan sheikh Leave a comment

It is a fact that there are a large number of animals that can be found in the domain of poultry. In fact, the most number of animals are found in the poultry houses all over the world. But there is nothing worse than the predators attacking your animals or birds. The poultry predators like nothing more than having a delicious dinner i.e. the meat of the poultry. This problem of predation has always been around from the very start. In the olden days, people did use to keep the poultry animals in a number of different settings. In order to protect their animals, they did make use of a number of strategies and tips. Things can get more demanding for you if you are new to the business of poultry, as you might not be aware of the fact that what kind of animals might come to attack your poultry chickens.Furthermore, those who have poultry businesses in the cities do not care much about the attacks as they think that the animals might not come to attack the animals. But this over confidence from their side can indeed be misleading. So, for those who are in search of some tips for keeping chickens in the backyard then below are the 15 tips which might come in handy for protecting chicken from predators.

1-Digging a Trench

Try digging a trench around the areas of the entire coop. The Trench should be at least 12 inches in depth, so that the digging chicken predators might also not attack.

2-Train the Birds

Offer some sort of training to the birds and animals to return to the houses every evening. After that you should make sure that all houses are closed, otherwise it would be open chance for the predators for chicken to have a meal of their lifetime. If you have been raising chickens in the coop, then they would naturally come to return to the houses, but for some other animals you would be required to offer some sort of training to them.

3-Raising the Chicken Coop

Keeping the chicken coop raised at all times is one of the best strategies for offering your backyard chickens with some protection. Also try to make sure that the floor is always tight and durable enough to resist the attacks from the underside.

4-Use Welding Wires or Wire Fencing

Offer the chicken run with some covering and also make use of cross wiring in order to turn down the attacks made by hawks and other flying predators.

5-Meshed Fencing

Make the maximum use of meshed fencing materials, as there are some predators that easily cross the normal fences. Examples of these animals include racoons and many other dexterous animals.

6. Use Galvanized Hardware

Burying galvanized pieces of hardware and other clothing materials around the perimeters of the area where the chickens are kept. This strategy is also useful for those animals which have the capacity to dig into the place from underneath.

7. Use Night Lights

Provide the area with some night lights and motion sensors which might come in handy in keeping the predators away and keeping the chickens safe. You can also make use of a solar night guard which is specially designed for the detection of predators in the area.

8. Make use of Friendly Dogs

Offer some protection to your animals by making use of some friendly dogs.

9. Be Ready

Always be prepared for action as soon as you get to know that there are some predators around. This is another important measure in order to protect chickens from predators.

10. Use professional Help

Try and consult with the professionals in this regard. There are a number of companies that provide materials, devices as well as guidance for the protection of the animals at all times.

11. Mark a danger Zone

Always create a danger zone around the area where the animals are kept. The zone would be dedicated as a predator zone.

12. Plant Numerous Bushes around the Zone

Make use of as many bushes as you can, to offer some resistance to the predators that might come to attack the area.

13. Make use of Automated Chicken Coop Doors

This is useful to avoid the possibility of coop door remained open

14. Communication with the care takers

Communicate with the chicken sitters and people responsible for the protection at the night time and offer them all the above mentioned advices.

15. Keep the Trash out

Keep the Garbage and other smelly stuff away from the coop, so that urban predators might not come to smell them.

Backyard Chicken, Chicken Coop, Hen House

6 Considerations Before U Start A Chicken Coop

November 17, 2022 Farhan sheikh Leave a comment

The popularity of growing chickens at one’s own backyard is getting more and more common. The reasons behind such a ploy are plenty but one of the most important reason which I consider is the fact that when you buy an egg from your local market, it reaches there at least after 20 to 30 days and is not fresh. So if you a start a chicken coop at your own house, you will surely get fresh eggs to eat on daily basis and you will really be surprised to find out a completely unique taste which only comes with freshness. Now there are many important factors to consider before you start a homemade chicken coop or when you devise plans for chicken coop and such considerations can be understood under the following headings:

1.       Chicken coop

You will find many chicken coop manufacturers in the market but if you have decided to build a chicken house yourself, then you need to learn some important aspects for this purpose as the growth and productivity of your chickens also depends on how you built their house. The basic thing here is that it should be properly spacious and should be in a safe zone for the chickens. Chicken coop plans cannot prove fruitful unless you have a proper understanding of the requirements and tools that are needed for this purpose. Though purchasing coops is a good ploy but the problem here is that the prices are inflated and still you will have to go through the assembly process. So before you start with the manufacturing process, go through a reasonable book or website that gives you chicken coop plans related to what you need and how to incorporate different things e.g. lighting, ventilation, run , perches and many other components.

2.       Chicken runs

A chicken coop with run is basically the area which is outside of the coop where the chickens or hens can roam around. Now the important thing here is that the area should be sufficiently spacious so that these animals do not feel much crowded and can exercise easily. A set rule for chicken runs and coop in this regard is 6 square feet per chicken.

3.       Chicken coop kits

All the plans for chicken coop will involve the use of a proper chicken coop kit because a proper kit is essential for the egg productivity which is obviously the basic aim of any person or concern. Most of the chicken coops that are availed from the market are 80 percent complete and you will just have to go through the assembly process which can be done with tools that are normally available at home e.g. hammers, saw, screwdriver and measuring tape. If you are to build the coop yourself then you will need proper wood plates along with the aforesaid material.

4.       Chicken coop accessories

Chicken coop accessories involve all the tools that will include the chicken coop itself and the other materials such as shovels, straws or hay for nesting and other materials for lighting and ventilation. The entire accessories should be well integrated with the coop and effectively usable for the purpose regardless of whether you go for a simple chicken coop or you go for a large sophisticated one.

5.       Mobile chicken coop

Now, chicken coop suppliers also provide the feature of mobility which allows you to move the coop from place to place. There are various mobile chicken coop plans which can be used to avail this mobility feature. One of the most common uses of this mobility feature comes where a person has a garden as the coop can be moved there and the waste of the chickens can be used as a fertilizer. This also saves the extra cleaning of the coop which is required on regular basis.

6.       Chicken coop suppliers

After discussing the above factors , one would like to know about the suppliers of chicken houses which can provide feasible and effective chicken coops. The market is filled with many suppliers these days but the top five on my list are as follows:

Top five suppliers of chicken houses

1-Feel Good

2-Hen House World

3-Chicken Coops And Houses

4–Ningbo Two Birds Industry

5-My Pet Chicken

Poultry Drinkers, Poultry Equipments

Ideal poultry Drinking Systems And Top Suppliers

November 17, 2022 Farhan sheikh 1 Comment

Poultry Drinking/waterers System Overview

There are a number of methods of drinking which are used by the domesticated animals in the farm settings. Most of the drinking behaviors of the birds and all other animals occur in close association with the spontaneous meals. In other words, there is a close association between the poultry drinking and feeding systems as asserted by the guide to poultry drinking system. In order to ensure the optimum levels of performances from the side of your birds, it is imperative that you ensure the provision of fresh and clean drinking water. In order to achieve this, a reliable water supply is a necessary pre-requisite. Furthermore, the water and feeding systems should be free from all sorts of contamination and within the easy reach of all the birds. There are several types of poultry drinking systems that are now being used on a large scale. You should have adequate levels of knowledge about the use of these systems and their underlying functions. Let us first take into account the function of nipple drinkers.

Nipple Drinkers

The ideal drinking system in the modern times is the nipple drinker mechanism. These systems have been shown to be the most effective when it comes to clean and hygienic supplies of the drinking water. These systems make use of some prototype and top class equipment. The nipple drinking system consists of a number of parts including pressure control unit, slope regulator, aeration nozzle, swiveling aeration and some effective suspension systems. Furthermore, the medication unit comes to control the amount of water flow that is given and the amount of water that is consumed by all the animals. The amount of water to be forwarded to the animals can be effectively controlled and measured through the use of this unit.

Bell and Round Drinkers

The bell drinkers are also quite useful at times. The size and type of these drinkers to be used depend upon the size and the specific bird type to which the water is to be administered. Furthermore, this drinking system makes use of a narrow water jet that comes to help in maintaining the suspension. In other words, the water in the drinker remains adjusted and does not splash from time to time. In order to ensure the ease of winching for all the cable lines a number of cable winches are utilized. These features make them quite easy and accommodative for being suspended from the top of the ceiling in any farm setting.

One of the most important factors that make these drinking systems as reliable is the even and balanced water distribution which is of crucial importance when it comes to the health of the animals and birds in the farm house setting. Furthermore, these systems have been engineered for the maximum results. There are numerous of drinking systems suppliers and vendors who currently operate in various countries at both national and international levels, but not all of them are known for the delivery best services. The above mentioned systems are of extreme importance, especially when it comes to the element of broiler and layerfeeding.

Now here is the list of the poultry drinker suppliers and vendors. In terms of the manufacturing of the drinking systems, these vendors are indeed in the alpha class.

1) Big Dutchman International United States

http://www.bigdutchmanusa.com/

2) Chore-Time Drinking Systems

http://www.choretimepoultry.com/about.php

3) Cumberland-Complete Poultry Systems

http://www.cumberlandpoultry.com/english/overview.html

Free Range Chicken

Well-Stored Secrets about Raising Organic Poultry

November 14, 2022 Farhan sheikh Leave a comment

Introduce the topic of homesteading and there’s without doubt that individuals will often think about raising chicken first. However, if you are looking at beginning your personal chicken farm, it will likely to be a better option that you should raise organic poultry rather. Yes, the interest in poultry meat is greatest throughout Thanksgiving season, but it doesn’t mean that you’ll simply be costing your time by raising freerange poultry, the entire all year round. For just one, poultry breast enjoy great demand through the years because restaurants usually apply it sandwiches. That’s stable business, immediately! If you’re a chicken player, it will likely be a good idea to begin building the right path for your own poultry farm. Here are a handful of secrets that you ought to know for any effective and thriving business.

More often than not, proprietors of poultry farms join in mind first to their project without giving this essential consideration a concept: where you’ll get their poults. If you wish to raise the opportunity poultry, then it’s needed that you get hold of healthy poults before you begin your poultry farm. You need to options if this involves getting hold of the poultry that you’ll raise inside your homestead. You can order your poults by mail or else you should source them from among the dog breeders in your town. Because of the choice, opt for the second option. The strain the wild birds experience once they travel normally has negative effects in it and, clearly, this won’t be good if you’re planning to boost your poultry organically.

Another factor you need to take proper care of is setting up rugged and durable fences round the area that you are wanting to use as the poultry farm. This is a valuable part of raising organic poultry, since your fences could keep your wild birds inside the perimeter of the house that you simply designed for them. Make certain that you employ materials that the freerange poultry won’t have the ability to peck through. Additionally for this, ensure that you’ll be giving your wild birds enough space to roan around in. Perform a sweep from the area that you are wanting to enclose and make certain that you simply rid it of something that may choke, harm, or hurt your turkeys by any means.

Finally, make certain that you simply install the required provisions that can make your poultry farm comfortable, not only habitable, for the wild birds. Install the required shelter provisions for the turkeys, in order to have them protected against rain, sun, and snow. If you reside within an area that have extreme climate conditions, install heating lights inside these coops too. Ensure a stable way to obtain grain and corn too, in order to make sure that your wild birds won’t starve yourself. As lengthy while you have the ability to set up a proper atmosphere for the poults, you need to have the ability to have great way to obtain organic poultry for the future clients.

Backyard Chicken, Brooding And Rearing guide

10 Tips for Raising Chickens Economically

November 14, 2022 Farhan sheikh Leave a comment

How to start raising chickens? How much do chicken cost? Well, in order to get an answer to these questions, you should ponder the tips which I would be sharing below. Poultry is surely one of the most profitable businesses if it is done using the right sets of tools and techniques. Moreover, raising the chickens in any setting can also be considered as a pastime. So, if you plan to start a chicken flock, then there are some initial costs you would be required to pay in order to get things going. This initial investment includes all the startup as well as maintenance costs. But here it is also a fact that chickens and egg laying are less expensive in comparison to the other domesticated animals. Thus it is clear that chickens can be raised pretty economically, but it all depends on the type of breed you wish to select. In other words, if you plan to have some expensive and rare breeds at your farm, then things might get pretty costly for you. Most of the people can begin by keeping 4 to 20 chickens at the farm, the cost of which would be around US$ 50 or may be less. So, in order to keep the costs to the minimal, below are some useful tips that might come in handy about raising chickens cheaply. The same applies when you plan to raise chickens for eggs or raising backyard chicken.

1. If you plan to get the chicken through the mailing order, but the numbers of chickens you want are less than the minimum limit, then it is best to share your order with some person. So, from the very start you would be able to save some money in cost of keeping chickens.

2. Before you plan to drop some large sums of cash on those cocky and fancy tractors you come to see in newspapers and magazines, you should think about having an inexpensive coop for getting the job done with the minimum levels of investment. When building or purchasing a coop, try to go for the simplest one that would come to fulfill your requirements. In other words, it should be efficient enough in offering some protection and space to the animals, nothing more than that.

3. If you want to have some egg laying hens, try to add an order of a few pullet chicks and after that fill the remaining sections in the box with the meat type chicken in order to have a minimum quantity. Then it is best if you raise all of the birds together in order to free some space.

4. For those who plan to have meat birds, most of them would come to order cockerels, as they grow rapidly and also come to be larger in size in comparison to the other chickens. In some of the breeds, the cockerels are also cheaper in comparison to the pullets.

5. There are some people who love to butcher the chicken one at a time, but in terms of making an economic sense it is better if you go for the butchering process in the form of batches. It is because you would be using quite a lower amount of electricity and you would also not need to buy some more feeding ingredients and nutrients.

6. Day old chicks should be purchases, as they are quite economical in comparison to the eggs. Moreover, you would also need not to pay some extra costs on the purchase of the incubators and on the electricity on which the incubator runs.

7. Try to place an order from the hatchery that is quite near to you, as the farther the hatchery, the more the money they charge for the transport.

8. Try to get the chicks vaccinated at the hatchery as it is quite cheaper from them due to which you would also not need to purchase vaccinations for yourself.

9. Always prefer to buy the adult birds in the fall season, as at this time more and more people are trying to sale their young birds due to their excess. The adult birds would also come to be less expensive in the winter season in comparison to the months of the spring season. In the spring season the demand for the adult birds get very high due to which it is always savvy to go for the adult birds in the winter season.

10. At the time of purchasing egg laying chickens, always be wary of the hens that are older, as some people might try to sale those hens to you all because they have stopped laying eggs.

With all these tips in mind, you are sure to lower down the cost of raising chickens.

Guinea Fowl

Some interesting facts and benefits of raising guinea fowl

November 11, 2022 Farhan sheikh 11 Comments

After experiencing a lot of interesting facts about little guys – guinea fowls, I thought of sharing them with all those who are interested in raising them. I would start the guinea fowl facts with the story through which I got to learn a lot about this beautiful and interesting creature.

My father bought beautifully dressed in grayish suits, proud game birds – since then, I have noticed the guinea fowls scuttling up and down through the driveway. I have always been very observant that is why I was interested in knowing the behavior of these little guys too; as soon as its cockcrow, they start scouring the entire my father planted garden for nasty insects like ticks, locusts, beetles, and spiders etc. in fact, I have seen them running and eating the disgusting roaches and centipedes too. They act like the perfect watchdog, and trust me; they work even better than the stupid insecticides. Recently, I have noticed the guinea fowls in the pursuit for wasps, cutworms, snails, grubs and flies. They patrol the backyard completely and make sure nothing intrudes their adobe. They are truly relentless in their chase (prey).

I remember the time when we are guinea-less; trust me, had to suffer a lot because the most of the crops and the other plants were denuded by the devil beetles and grubs. However, soon the little gray fellows changed our lives because they gave us two important benefits;

Watchdog
Pleasant meal – the guinea fowl meat is really good – tempting indeed
Guinea fowl eggs: they have strong outer covering but taste like chicken eggs, so many keep them for this purpose as well.

Raising the guinea fowls:

One thing that bothers me much – many people haven’t even heard about this beautiful and useful bird. Even today the keeping guinea fowl isn’t much common; the first time visitors inquire instantly, “is this a turkey?” you cannot say it’s a bad judgement because it belongs to the family (genre) which is a chicken look alike. They are Africans – I mean guinea fowl is an African native. To your surprise, there are 7 guinea fowl species; “helmeted Pearl” is the most known one because it has a weird sort of a helmet, with gray sexy dotted body, and has a face without any feathers.

These little fellows are more in plundering all the time. Also, they are sensible enough to catch the prey without damaging the plantation and crops. Interestingly, these fellows are less troublemakers. They require almost no medical treatment, as they are robust enough to stand against the diseases. Also, they adapt the changing weather conditions. Because of the dominant acts and authoritative nature, this fowl is still not really popular like chicken. However, need to shelter arises in order to keep the fowls safe from the dogs, cats and owls.

Endearing habits:

A few habits which make these birds a little less adoring is, the guinea fowl sound – they are the noisiest birds I have seen. If you have high-strung neighbors, you cannot keep them even in your backyard. Specially, the residential areas like proper housing societies cannot afford to keep such a noisy bunch of fellows; it seems as if they are too talkative. Also, guinea fowl (hen) egg can only be acquired seasonally; also, the newly born babies are way sensitive and need lot of attention. Another bad thing about this bird, it won’t ever be loyal to you – they are not pal type of birds; they would eat what you serve, would tolerate you when around, but won’t ever be your pal. This is something that’s in the bird naturally – they are fond of prowling and love the freedom.

Deciphering sound and gender:

Interesting thing to note here – when the fowl is newly born (baby guinea is known as Keets) you won’t be able to figure out the gender until it gets 8 weeks. Later, you will distinguish between the hen and the cock based on their voices (sound);

· Cock cry is something like “chi-chi-chi-“; this sound is followed by a strong “Chrrrr” sound.

· The hen cry is somewhat similar to “comeback”, many even say it’s similar to “good-luck”

It is said that when a guinea hen is angry or upset about something, it may sound like a cock; however, cock never depicts a hen, sounds like too arrogant from the male gender. In a nutshell, the bird is interesting to be with; not only this, it’s an ideal watchdog and does not bother much.

Hatching ability:

Guinea fowl are not excellent broody hens. Often guinea fowl leaves their nest as soon as some eggs are hatched, don’t wait for other eggs to be hatched, so it is better to hatch eggs under some broody chicken hen or using an incubator.

Backyard Chicken, Hatching And Incubation

5 Tricks to Break Up the Hen’s Brooding

November 11, 2022 Farhan sheikh 1 Comment

What is meant by Broodiness and broody hen?

A hen is capable of laying around 1 eggs on a daily basis. Moreover, the hen does not prefer to incubate the eggs until the entire clutch has been laid. Through the use of this strategy, all the chicks hatch right at the same time. The physiological mechanisms and the broody hen symptoms change as soon as the clutch has been laid. She would want to stay above them while spreading out her wings for the purpose of keeping the eggs warm. If disturbed, she would start making muttering as well as growling sounds and may even engage in the protection of the eggs. Furthermore, she only leaves the nest for the purpose of eating and drinking only one time in a day. You would need to ensure that she does the process on a daily basis, otherwise she would be starved or would come to get the dirty eggs through her droppings. So, in lines to this, a hen is termed to be broody at the time she is raising the chicks, giving protection to them and also teaching them the methods to get their own food. Understanding the broodiness in hens is an imperative pre-requisite for the purpose of ensuring that the hens remain healthy.

Breeds of Broody Hens

The breeds of hens which are known to be broody include the Buff Orpingtons, Brahmas, Silkies, Australorp, Dark Cornish, Buff Rocks, Turkens, Cuckoo Marans and Bantams.

Below are the 5 tricks which would come in handy for the purpose of stopping broody hens.

1. Wired Mesh Cage

In terms of breaking the broodiness, you would need to make sure that she does not manage to stay on the eggs. The first trick you can use includes the construction of a cage by using a floor made of wished mesh. Then you would need to place the cage on the bricks in lines to which the floor would remain suspended. At the same time, keeping the bricks towards the outward edges would ensure that she won’t be able to sit on the eggs. So, she won’t be able to sit on the eggs in a comfortable manner and within a matter of a few days the broodiness would be broken.

2. Cold Water

The next trick, which happens to be of a conventional nature, involves the usage of some cold water. You would need to dunk the hen in this cold water, but it should not be too much cold. In lines to this, the broodiness temperature of the hen would go down and she won’t be able to sit on the eggs in a comfortable manner. Removing the eggs as soon as the hen leaves the nest is also a trick which can be used.

3. Caging and Isolation

Caging the hens for 2 to 3 days also comes in handy in breaking the brooding. But here you would need to ensure that the hen’s behavior might not turn impulsive. For this reasons, the cage should be placed pretty close to the eggs so she might be able to see them at all times. If the hen does not stops showing its damaging and irrational behavior, then the above mentioned tricks are to be used instead.

4. The Dog Crate and Golf Balls Method

The golf balls method together with the dog crate is also conducive in terms of breaking the broodiness. The idea here is to replace the eggs with the golf balls. On sitting on these balls for some time, she won’t be able to remain comfortable and would eventually end up leaving the nest for longer time. In a matter of a few days the broodiness would be ended.It also also helps to keep broody hen in her own nest and not to take eggs laid by other hens

5. Keeping with an Active Rooster

Try to put her anywhere near a rooster who is quite active. The rooster would love to keep the hen busy at all times and she won’t be able to return to the nest. You can also put the rooster and the hen in some sort of movable pen in the yard outside. This strategy comes in handy for taking the hen out to the fresh air and sunlight. Furthermore, you can also make use of a wired pen and with no sort of nesting equipment inside, but always ensure that there is plenty of food as well as water inside the pen. It is only a matter of time that her motherly instinct would be gone and as soon as the process of egg laying would start, you would be able to know that the broodiness has gone now.

Drawbacks of Hen’s Brooding

One purpose of raising hens in your backyard is to getting eggs, not all the times u want your eggs to be hatched by the broody hens, broody period vary according to the breeds of hens, it may continue an average of one month, so its mean u lost lots of eggs that might have been put in your fridge. Also broody hen occupies the nesting box space and do not allow other hens to come in the nest box and don’t mind to sit on eggs laid by other hens. Another thing is your hen does not take sufficient food and water and it may result in dehydration in summer season

At the time of caging and isolating the hen, she would try to peck and escape from the cage. In doing so, there is the possibility that she might end up hurting herself. If kept away from the eggs for a long time, the problem of shuddering might also emerge in the hens. Research also suggests that isolation of the hen for a long time might result in lower egg production.

Poultry Farming, World Poultry

Outlook of Family and Rural Poultry Production in Africa

November 11, 2022 Farhan sheikh 1 Comment

A demand for the livestock products in addition to the poultry is now increasing in all regions of Africa. But the region where the demand is much more in comparison to the other areas is West Africa. The reason for this can be linked to the rise in the population of the area and to increase in levels of urbanization. Moreover, the trade liberalization has also effectuated the poultry sector in a dramatic manner. In lines to this pattern, some of the countries have seen a large inflow of imports while others have been subject to some low imports. Most of the imports coming into the continent are from the European countries. The two components of the poultry sector that are of prime focus here are the family and rural sectors.

Family poultry Production in Africa

Now here with the exception in terms of the urban areas in the northern and South African regions, the maximum levels of production in the continent are coming from the extensive family poultry production in rural Africa. Almost every other house in the village and other rural area prefer to keep the chickens and birds in their home based settings. On an average each home makes use of about 5 to 20 chickens. Overall, 80 % of the population of the fowls and birds in Africa used to be in the rural and family based settings till the year 1995.

Problems faced by Family Production

The family production is indeed a major contributor towards the consumption needs of the people, but now it faces a number of constraints and disabilities linked to the diseases and poor farming settings. Moreover, the government is also reluctant in offering the people with some form of compensation for the growth of the sector. Together all these factors combine to mark the low levels of productivity coming from the rural and family settings, which is indeed a major drawback of the poultry production in Africa. It is clear that if some of these constraints might be removed, then an increase in the profits of the families and the country can be expected.

In order to create an increase in the production, a coordinated and well researched system needs to be introduced that is going to make use of the data from other countries in order to make comparison of the input and outputs of the sector. The primary disease in the region that has limited to the overall poultry production in Africa is The New Castle Disease. It can easily eliminate nearly 80 % of the birds in any village poultry in a matter of a few days and those bird that survive come to have various antibodies and harmful germs in their bodies. In short, some serious measures and actions should be taken for the betterment of family and village chicken production in Africa.

Women and the Family Poultry Production in Africa

The principal caretakers in terms of the rural and family production houses in Africa are the women. They spend most of their time in making feeding and safety arrangements for the poultry animals and products. It is all because that the poultry comes to offer them good and efficient source of protein and meat which they cannot afford to buy from the markets. So it is evident from this, that the women are the ones who need to have some benefits. Moreover, the poultry production is what that restrains the people to migrate to the urban regions of the continent. It is important to ponder here that China has taken an efficient strategy for the betterment of the rural people and has also made arrangements for them, so that they might not feel the need of moving to the urban sectors.

Solutions

All of these problems need to be addressed subsequently by making use of the funding and various medications. Moreover, improved housing and the best supplementary feeding protocols are also going to come in handy here. Furthermore, the international organizations and agencies should also look into this issue for the betterment of the people and poultry in Africa, most of which are living below the line of poverty. Although the National Agricultural Research Systems in Africa are offering their services for the solution to this problem, still a lot more needs to be done.

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