Category Archives: Knowledge Centre

13 tips to protect your chickens from hot weather

September 22, 2022 Farhan sheikh 3 Comments

Each of the united state regions is now broiling – wonder why the heat wave seems to have adored this place. Humans have ample amount of ways to counter this igneous heat but what about the animals around? I am being specific about our backyards fellows and other feathered creatures because they are absolutely innocent and rely on us for shelter when the temperature is torturing. One of the researches says that birds like turkeys, guinea fowl, ducks, chickens and pea fowls cannot stand against the temperature of 90 degrees – they can even die cause of sun stroke/ heat stroke if exposed to soaring temperature than this.

Don’t worry, there are ample ways through which you can protect your little fellows and keep your flocks happier even if the shiny sun is in the mood to annoy them. This excerpt now highlights simple, affordable and quick ways through which you can keep chicken cool during the hot season. Raising backyard chicken is interesting but caring chicken is responsibility.

Identify the heat stress symptoms:

You must be wondering how to identify symptoms regarding heat stress in poultry? Well, their behavior would depict lots of things;

Hyperventilation or panting: this refers to quick and short breaths by birds
Laziness – they lie down on the ground with fully stretched wings
Eating disorder – appetite shrinks
They stop responding to stimuli

How to keep chicken cool in summer?

Here are the most inquired tips:

1: Choose the bird breed sensibly:

Indeed, you would never want to have a sick or lazy flock in the backyard – a healthy and active flock is something that each rasier would look up to. If that’s your goal, always select the bird breed wisely. What do I mean by this? See, there are a few heat tolerant breeds; similarly, you would come across cold tolerant breeds, and a few which cannot bear any extreme temperature. If you would build your flocks based on factors like beauty, rareness or egg laying ability only, you may face trouble. Before filling your coop clearly make a note of their habitats and abilities.

2: Chicken coop design should be considered:

Always inquire vendor about the coop designs; for example, the slanted roof has a greater tendency to absorb heat as well as the humidity. Similarly, all sides closed coop would also lead to suffocation; you must have a coop which allows fresh air to pass easily while providing enough shade inside the coop for birds.

3: Make sure enough shade is provided:

During summers specially, you must have shades and shelter at different places so that chickens and other birds can seek shelter there. What you can do is grow more shrubs, trees and porches – if you don’t have enough space, you can use man-made options for making shady areas.

4: Make water available:

You must place cold water for birds in their residency – try to change the water after 2 hours during peak summers. If that’s not possible for you, at the base of water containers place ice in plastic bags – this would help water retain coolness.

5: Use small ice air conditioners:

What you can do is, freeze water in small some containers and place them in the resting place of the birds. They would get an idea that while they are near the containers they feel relaxed and cold. It’s a good way to keep them away from heat strokes.

6: Provide dust bathing place:

By doing so you would reduce the chances of getting parasite as well as heat. When the temperature is ferocious, chickens make small holes in the dirt and would sit where they find cooler regions.

7: Use of electrolyte:

All you have to do is buy a powdered electrolyte from the store and mix it in the cold water as per the instruction on the packet.

8: Pay attention to nest Box area:

Smaller chicken coops face this type of a problem widely – as the day passes temperature inside the coop soars. You have to make sure that there is proper ventilation and air circulation where nest boxes are placed. You can use a fan or place freezers (ice air conditioners). In fact you must have nest boxes outside somewhere in shady regions for summers.

9: Change in diet:

Stop giving your chickens scratch and corn – they provide the body with extra heat and require longer time for digestion. Replace them items with fresh fruits and juicy vegetables.

10: Use Frozen foods:

Take out fresh and juicy fruits and vegetables and chop them into smaller pieces. Go to your flocks and let them enjoy this meal twice a day. This would help them retain energy and coolness. You can try;

Watermelon
Cucumber
Oranges
Berries
Apples
Pineapple

11: Water your coop:

If you have plants at the top, that means you have a green roof chicken coop, you must keep on watering it. Also, you can create a cold water pool inside the coop.

12: Decrease the litter in the coop:

You must decrease the deep coop bedding – by doing so you would be able to keep the coop cool and clean. This would increase the air circulation and decrease suffocation.

13: Give birds freedom:

Your goal is to lower the chickens stress so try giving them a place to play and walk around. This would help keep away their stress.

Backyard Chicken

10 tips to train your hen to lay eggs in her nest box

September 22, 2022 Farhan sheikh 1 Comment

Are you pissed at your cute chubby hens because of their annoying habits? Relax, that is normal for the poultry dwellers. My 10 years experience has lead me to conclude, you may not agree with it but my opinion remains the same – hens love laying eggs everywhere except for the place where they should. When I bought hens for the first time, I went mad almost – they use to lay eggs all over the farm but not their next boxes. It was bothering because most of the eggs used to get wasted as I was not able to locate them or other animals used to break eggs.

Are you going through the phase when the hen laid eggs in the garden, trees, hay bales but not their boxes? You cannot do anything about it other than training them. Don’t lose hope because chickens have a very annoying habit of sticking to what I being restricted – I shall share my experience of training my fellows, you can take perks from the foolproof tips through which you can easily obtain fresh and clean eggs;

1: Place nest boxes in quantity:

You must have at least 4 to 5 boxes for a flock of 20 hens – in this way hens would feel comfortable laying eggs in the boxes because of ease. This would also help you in collecting eggs easily.

2: Alluring nest boxes:

The nesting boxes must have something that the hen would not to eat or maybe play with.

3: Placement of the box:

Always keep the boxes in the areas of the coop that are dark – hens adore peaceful and dark places and would happily lay eggs in the boxes.

4: Create a scenario – play with them:

You can use golf ball or ceramic eggs and design a scenario to create an impact on the hen’s mind that the right place for the egg is the next box.

5: Limit their movement:

You must know the time when your hens lay eggs usually – for example, if it is the mid morning time, you can close the coop door. In this way, hens would have no option other than laying eggs in the nest boxes.

6: Make the boxes cozy and comfortable:

You must have a clean and fluffy nest box so that he feels cozy in it – untidy and boxes with depleted shavings (floorings) are disliked so hens lay eggs in other locations.

7: keep the boxes free:

Once the chicken is done with laying eggs in the box, make sure you clean it and leave it for another hen.

8: Notice the hen behavior:

Make sure you guard the hens in the morning, if they are trying to escape from the eyes or searching for darker location, send her to the coop where the clean box is placed.

9: Timings:

You can place food and water bowls near the boxes – the hens would eat and play, and before that lay the egg in the safe secure area, which would be nest only.

10: Keep the nest box a few inches above the ground because hens like it that way – make sure you place fresh flooring each morning so that it motivates the hen to carry on with the behavior.

Backyard Chicken

10 Best and Healthy Treats for Chickens -the treats chickens can eat

September 22, 2022 Farhan sheikh 1 Comment

If you have backyard friends in your house, you must be knowing how carefully they are brought up. From their living to health, habits to the house, everything needs to be perfect, especially if you are dealing with chickens. They are very moody and tend to get irritated if not treated the way they want to be. Other than all the stuff, taking care of chicken’s diet is the utmost priority of the everywhere backyard raiser. However, you can always have some treats for chickens occasionally. The treat for chicken would help in avoiding the boredom of having the same food for the little fluffy fellows.

If you fail to allure the chickens with treats, they might get into the habit of feather pecking, which is certainly dangerous for the bird’s health. However, treat would be only 2 to 4 percent of the actual diet; it only makes around quarter cup feed for one chicken and that even for the week.

You must be thinking what to feed chickens as treat? Health, safety and freshness would be your utmost concern. The excerpt guides you about best 10 treats that your birds would enjoy to the fullest:

1: Lush green veggies:

You can serve the chickens with lettuce, cabbage and other soft leafy green veggies. However, make sure you do not give them anything cold. It is ideal feed to hens.

2: Solid vegetables:

You do not have to shop for special or new vegetables for them – simply serve the leftover dinner’s vegetables in the morning to chickens. They would love it. However, do not over-do any of the items. Cauliflower, Brussels, cabbage and onions should be given in limited quantities.

3: Garden and Lawn weeds:

Weeds have higher nutritional value, but make sure the ones you present to the chickens do not have any elements of pesticides. Wash the weed properly before serving it to the chickens. Make sure you consult the chicken veterinarian before that – never serve such a weed, which is unfamiliar to you. The most common weeds are chickweed, crabgrass, dandelions and thistles.

4: Squash and pumpkins:

Chickens have a special love for the jack-o-lantern from the Halloween – jokes apart, pumpkins have great nutritional value for chickens. Worming chickens with pumpkin is also a great practice.

5: Fruits:

For wormy chickens, fresh fruits are a great treat. Make sure when you serve the chickens with fruits, they are washed and seedless. The fruits with seeds may cause chickens loose motions or other stomachaches. Look for soft fruits and give preference to sweeter ones; citrus fruits may not be liked much.

6: Meat:

If you plan to provide chicken with meat or bone scraps, make sure they are well cooked. It is ideal to have some meat on the bones so that they can pick it and have fun. Do not leave the bones in the coop for more than 24 hours – chickens may develop some infection by having them around.

7: Eggs and shells:

It is time to make the most of cracked and old eggs. Simply give them back to the chickens in cooked form – make sure it is crushed well, so that you do not intrigue the chickens having their own eggs when you are not around.

8: Dairy and milk products:

Who said chickens stay away from the dairy products? They love cheese, sour milk and the simplest milk too. They would even have it if you mix some other liquid mixture in it. However, make sure you consult chicken veterinarian before doing it. It may otherwise cause a decrease in egg production.

9: Starch products

Now you must not be worrying about what chickens can eat – everything is crystal clear. You must serve pasta, rice and spaghetti in properly cooked manner. You can even serve the leftovers of the last night – even some sauce mixed dish would be fine for chickens.

10: Potatoes:

Never ever, feed your chickens with raw potatoes – not even the peels. The roots may be poisonous, so make sure you remove them as well. Simply put the potatoes and the peels into boiling water for 10 minutes and then serve them to the chickens when cool on temperature.

Feed And Nutrition

12 Homemade Feed Recipes-Give Your Chickens An Organic Diet

September 22, 2022 Farhan sheikh Leave a comment

If you have chickens at some point your thoughts should turn to homemade chicken feed. Chickens are healthiest and happiest when allowed to free-range and forage for worms, bugs and greens. You will have to supplement their foraging however, especially in the winter months. You do not have to resort to a bought feed, however. These ‘junk food’ pellets can be substituted with whole grain, organic, non-GMO feeds. Here are 12 homemade chicken feed recipes to give your birds an organic diet that will benefit them and you:

1- Whole Grain 17% Protein Chicken Feed Formula

This chicken feed by gardenbetty will fill a ten pound feeder. In addition, chickens are provided with free choice oyster shells and grit. These are essential to chickens, who need not only the protein but also calcium from the oyster shells and grit to aid digestion. Another healthy recipe for feeding chickens can be found at:

2- Organic Chicken Feed To Source From Health Food Shops Or Order Online

In a feed recipe like this one by home.howstuffworks.com that uses a combination of hard grains and seeds, the aim is to choose so that the overall balance of proteins is correct for your chickens. You can source grains from health food shops or buy them online. Growing chicken feed may be out of your reach but it is often possible to source grains easily.

3- Bulk Bought Organic Grain Mix For Chickens

If you bulk buy grains then you can make a cheap chicken food like this one by theelliotthomestead which really can rival store bought feed on cost and keep your chickens healthy. You will find another recipe here:

4- Chick Starter Feed Recipe

Chicks need plenty of protein to grow. Fish meal in this recipe boosts the protein intake for baby chicks. Chicks will also need grains to be ground at first and will need a balance of nutrients tailored to them. Find one chick starter feed recipe at Whole Fed Homestead.

5- A General Guideline For A Custom Chicken Feed Mix

When creating your own custom chicken feed mix like this one by smallfarm.about, you should first work out a formula or general guideline that covers the basic necessities of a poultry diet and then add in a number of other items to make sure that all the nutritional bases are covered.

6- A Flexible Formula For Chicken Feed

Some grain mix formulas like this one by theprairiehomestead require you to mill your own grains but not all grain mix formulae have to be milled. The mix at the website below is an example of a flexible formula that does not require home milling equipment. If you want an organic, non-GMO mix then you will have to try to source organic corn and wheat in your local area.

7- A Soy and Corn-Free Chicken Feed Formula

Many chicken owners are realizing the importance of moving to a soy and corn free chicken food like this one by wellfedhomestead. Soy contains potent phytoestrogens that are passed to eggs, most soy is also GM, contains damaging chemicals and may cause long term health problems. Corn is like chicken chocolate, with low nutritional benefit and also, much of it is not organic and chemicals can pass into the food chain. To get some of the ingredients cheaper, you could ask around for leftover grains from local mills.

8- Homemade Chicken Feed For Layers

The recipe on the following site is for laying hens and is provided in addition to kitchen scraps and oyster shells. Chicken owners will need to consider whether hens are kept as layers or for meat when choosing a feed recipe. Making your own chicken feed like this one by thefieldandtable allows you to control the process.

9- Another Soy and Corn Free Feed For Healthier Chickens

There are a number of different recipes that conscientious and ethical chicken keepers can use for their homemade feed like this one by peacefulvalleyfarm. Here is another alternative to commercial chicken food, with all its unhealthy and potentially damaging ingredients:

10- Summer and Winter Feed Recipes

One of the great things about concocting your own feed mix like this one by marystilwell.wordpress is that you can alter it depending on the season. Some owners choose to alter the chicken feed throughout the year, changing the balance of ingredients to help chickens cope with warm weather in the summer and cold weather in the winter.

11- Another Homemade Chicken Feed Recipe

The key to creating a successful mix is to educate yourself about the nutritional requirements of your birds and how they can be met. A number of different recipes can be found on forums like backyardchickens.com.

12- Twenty Five Pound Organic and Non-GMO Chicken Feed

It is a good idea to try to bulk buy ingredients and make up a larger mix in one go as this will usually work out cheaper than trying to make up small batches more frequently. You can find one homemade feed mix like this one by gnowfglins for a 25 pound amount here.

Ending Up!

Develop your own, organic, non-GMO chicken feed and you will have healthier chickens and healthier eggs to eat. By taking control of what goes into chicken feed, you will also be making sure that you do not contribute to global environmental problems and will be taking one more step towards a sustainable and ethical future.

Brooding And Rearing guide, Feed And Nutrition, Poultry Management Guide

Nutrition Guide of Broiler for High Quality Meat

September 14, 2022 Farhan sheikh 2 Comments

Introduction

Poultry producers all around the world are now focusing on the production of some high quality meat. The prime reason for this can be linked to the increase in the consumer concerns about the quality of poultry they consume. Due to the rapid growth of the HACCP, it is now vital for them to standardize all the phases of poultry meat production so that the customers can be satisfied in a more effective manner. Moreover, there is also a growing need to maintain the environment, poultry broiler management operations in addition to the broiler chicken feed and production strategies so that all of the products might come to meet the retail requirements in the present times. The consumers are also now widely interested in knowing about the kind of food the birds are fed at the broiler grower settings.

Growth and Development

The challenge here is to provide the domesticated animals with such an environment that would come to encourage their growth and well being. The amount of muscles and the fat ratios seem to be the concern of the poultry consumers nowadays. Moreover, little importance is being paid on the skeletal development of the animals. It happens because of the physiological growth of the animals that lead to the increase of meat in the body of the animals while feeding chickens.

Energy Intake

Birds try to make adjustments among themselves in order to control the amount of energy they consume. But for better control, the poultry Producers are also required to monitor the nutrient requirements of broilers and broiler feed consumption at all times. If the energy intake is less or greater, then an increase in meat deposition might be observed. Moreover, the overall weight of the animal’s body is going to increase, not because of the presence of more proteins, but due to the fat deposition which consumers do not demand presently. Most of these deposited fat goes down to the abdominal section which is indeed the least desired by the consumers. It is evident from this that the producers need to optimize the energy take in a more controlled manner so that some extra fat might not accumulate.

Intake of Minerals, Vitamins and Amino Acids

In the formation of proteins and broiler feed intake, the amino acids do play a vital role. There are some studies that assert than increase in the consumption of amino acids for getting the maximum levels of breast meat, may exceed beyond the amounts that are required for optimal growth. There are a number of variations and synthetic forms of the amino acids that are available in the market which can be brought to some practical use in controlling the amount of energy the birds need for normal performance. These include tryptophan, Lysine and some others, all of which have been proved to be effective in leading to proteins deposition. It is also due to the excessive availability of such synthetic forms that might lead to a more complex formulation of the foods for the animals. In addition to amino acids, various minerals and vitamins are also important for the growth of the animals in the poultry settings. In order to achieve the maximum amount of bone mineralization, some knowledge about the use of macro minerals is also essential. These minerals include calcium and phosphorous which have been used in the poultry houses for quite some time now. But in these times, these minerals should be presented in a more controlled amount to comply with the needs of the poultry birds. Moreover, they are also important for the improvement of the immune systems of the animals which helps them in combating the various diseases and virus attacks that are quite common in the underdeveloped farms and poultry houses.

Creation of Superior Retail Products

Manipulation of the dietary supplements and foods in addition to the increase in the carcass quality, are the two strategies which are crucial for taking the quality of the retail products many notches up. But here in increasing the carcass quality might also lead to the deposition of unsaturated fatty acids which are also the least desirable by the poultry consumers of the present era. Thus it is imperative here that all such foods and supplements are stabilized in order to ensure that the fat deposition remains the minimal in the poultry feed and nutrition.

Summary

Innovation and control, on the poultry products, especially the broiler started feed, is the need of the times for ensuring that all forms of poultry productions come to be higher in quality.

Knowledge Centre, Poultry Housing

Environmentally controlled poultry shed/ House farming

September 9, 2022 Farhan sheikh 1 Comment

So you have decided to have a poultry shed for rearing the farm animals. But the thing you must now is that animal domestication should be taken as a process, as it requires certain measures and strategies all of which are of extreme importance. The prime purpose of having a poultry shed is to help the animals adapt to humans. This adaptation to the captive environment requires the maintenance of certain conditions. The guide to poultry control shed can be brought to practical use only by following all the steps as they are. Here are some of the basic/essential requirements and a basic design for the environmentally controlled shed!

The first thing you need to do is to make a blue print for the shed that you plan to have. You can try to make your own plan, but it is best to make use of the internet for getting an idea about the most conducive and practical plans. A typical poultry shed for chickens makes use of a plan that distributes 21 chickens per square meter. The floor on which the animals are to be reared should be more than 15 cm with variations for more animals. Now you can assume that what would be required for rearing 30,000 to 45,000 birds. The land area required to make a poultry shed for 30,000 broilers should be more than 80000 square feet. It can be more if you are willing to make some good investment in control shed.

Furthermore, a balanced amount of litter is spread all over the floor which primarily consists of wooden shavings and other similar materials. An important thing here is the fact that these sheds are of controlled environmental types, so you need to have an efficient ventilation system for the maintenance of the temperature. The birds and animals require a certain temperature profile for their growth.

The windows should be made in such a way that sunlight and fresh air can easily enter the poultry shed. In times of the windy and cold seasons, you must have some brooders for maintaining some heat in the entire structure. It is all because of the fact that farm and domesticated animals are highly susceptible to weather changes. As the animals start to grow the heat requirement comes a few notches down as the animals are now able to generate some body heat of their own.

In terms of the feeding density, the feeders and drinkers should be sufficient for the accommodation of the 30,000 to 45,000 birds. On an average the feeding consumption for one bird should be more than 3 kg for a period of 5 to 6 weeks. Below is the list of some of the most important variables in bird rearing and infrastructure:

Temperature and humidity maintenance
Supplementary levels of heating and cooling at all times
The amount of nutrient densities consumed by the birds
An increase of the biomass in the shed from time to time
Presence of some heat in the litter and all necessary arrangements for meeting the surface requirement
The floor area should be kept in mind in the times of heat distribution

All of the requirements elucidated above should be dealt with efficacy and extreme care for making the shed a healthy breeding and reading place for the birds.

Ventilation system

http://www.poultryhub.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Ventilated-shed.jpg

Structure of poultry shed

http://www.southperth.wa.gov.au/Images/poultry_shed.JPG

Feeders and drinkers in a poultry shed

http://www.bigdutchman.de/fileadmin/photos/gefluegel/haltung_mast/Broiler2.jpg

Land area

http://www.bluechipwebdesign.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Day-old-chicks-chicken-shed.jpg

Heating and electricity

http://greenearthenergy.co.uk/sites/default/files/images/imce/cs_comm_HJames2.jpg

Ostrich, Types Of Poultry

Ostrich Physical Chracteristics And Marketing

September 9, 2022 Farhan sheikh 1 Comment

Ostrich is the recently domesticated bird. Ostrich is the largest known bird and some scientists believe that the present bird developed from ancestors that were capable to flight. The ostrich of today cannot fly, but does run well and is capable of speeds of 50 miles per hour with strides of 15 feet (for very large bird the stride may be 20 feet or more). The feet of the ostrich have only two toes, the only bird the that does while emus, Rhea and Cassowary has three toes. Ostriches characteristically share with emu, Rhea and Cassowary. The ostrich is well-adoptable bird and that can thrive in different environments.

Physical Appearance

A male ostrich range between 6 and 9 feet, while females between 5.5 and 6.5 feet tall at maturity. The chicks of ostrich grow about 10 inches per month in the first year and weigh about 40 kg at a age of12 months. The Adults ostrich usually have weigh between 60 to 132 kg. Domesticated ostriches gain maturity at 2 to 3 years of age. Females are mature about 6 months earlier than males. Ostriches normally live for 30 to 70 years in captivity.

–Despite the fact that ostriches are flightless birds, their wings are very strong. Ostriches make use of their wings for aggressive display and courtship rituals. Males have contrasting bright black and white plumage. Females plumage is drab and grey. Their lead-blue colour of skin usually becomes scarlet over the beak, on the forehead and around the eyes during the mating season. The normal body temperatures between is 39.4°C to 40°C.

Nutrition

Nutrition practices recommended by some self-professed experts often are sound nutritional principles. Nutrition related mortality problems in chicks juveniles include malnutrition or starvation, intestinal obstruction. It is absolutely essential that ostriches have clean, potable water availability. The feedstuffs of ostrich must provide adequate level of protein and essential amino acids and meet vitamin, energy and mineral requirements If ostriches are allowed to forage on grain or natural grasses , try to balance intake with the amount of commercial feed that is fed. Ostriches should not become overweight. Excess body weight in the form of fat is detrimental to production or breeders and to meat quality of birds that are to be slaughtered.

Marketing

Market for ostriches is currently breeder market with value determined as much by nostalgia as the value of products provided by the ostriches. In the long-term, if the ostrich industry is to thrive, the birds will have to generate sufficient revenue to cover their costs of production. The main products from ostrich are red meat which is lower in fat and cholesterol than turkey. Leather which is extremely durable with unique marketing. Decorative by-products namely, feathers and eggs.

History of Emu

L	Native of emu	:	Australia
2.	Life span	:	25-35 years
3.	Egg weight (Average)	:	400-650 2-,m
4.	Incubation period	:	48-52 days

During laying period (October-March) they can lay 30-50 eggs per annum.
Prominent characteristics of emu is rudimentary wings.
Male have phallus.

Health And Welfare

Heath And Welfare of Poultry in Commercial Industry Production

September 9, 2022 Farhan sheikh 9 Comments

The prime focus of the commercial poultry industry has always been on the making of meat and eggs. Due to the increase in the demands of the chicken and broiler meat all over the world, the modes of production have also been improved. But as they say, increase in the modes of production poses new challenges. The same also holds true for the poultry sector which now faces a number of problems. Although the poultry sector is now more automated and integrated than ever, still it faces a great deal of criticism from the side of the public, especially from the various animal welfare organizations. It is due to this criticism and concern that a great deal of research has been initiated in order to minimize the levels of skepticism and for enhancing the welfare of the animals, which seems to be at stake in most of the third world countries. Poultry welfare involves the following dimensions.

Major Health and Welfare Problems

Chicken welfare deals with the use of caging and all other settings in which animals are brought up. Caging system does provide the producers with a wide range of options including egg collection, efficiency and much more, but one of the major drawbacks of this system is the lack of natural environment. In other words, captivity can come to cause various changes in the animal’s behavior. According to the new rules and regulations imposed by The United Egg Producers, all of the animals should be given the minimal space of about 48 square inches for each bird. In accordance to guidelines suggested the European and other relevant organizations for broiler welfare, one bird should be given at least a space of 12 square inches.

Alternative Production Methods

Not just in America, but also in Europe a large number of production methods and alternative are now being developed and researched. But here it is unclear that whether or not the use of these methods might come to affordable and conducive to be used on a large scale in the commercial egg production. Furthermore, the prices of the eggs and meat also vary depending on the particular production system used for carrying out the production. For example, in Britain, the prices of free range eggs are much higher in comparison to eggs obtained from the use of the caging techniques.

Mortality Issues, Induced Molting, Beak and Toe Trimming

One of the major issues involved in the caging and some other farming practices is the issue of cannibalism which can be linked to mortality. Now here it seems that the cages might be a much safer method for animal growth, as the animals are less prone to be attacked by other predators. The commercial egg production is also effectuated to a much greater extent with the increase in the chances of predation and a higher mortality rate. There are also a number of regulations that have been imposed on the use of beak trimming techniques. In the past, the procedure had been subject to a great deal of criticism, primarily due to the highly invasive trimming measures. Due to these and other similar issues, some alternative methods are now being considered.

The use of beak and toe trimming should only be carried out for the welfare of the animal and for reducing the chances of any disease or abnormality that might occur. The major problem in the use of the beak trimming is because of the element of pain that the animal might experience. Induced molting method is also one of those measures which have been increasingly used in the past few years with the intent of enhancing the production life of the hens. The techniques used include feed restriction, change in the dietary techniques and much more, all of which are to be performed before sexual maturity.

Other health Problems in Commercial Egg Production
 and Industrial Poultry Farming

Although a number of health issues in animals have been resolved through the use of various scientific methods, still there are various other problems which need to be addressed. Here are some of them

Increase Body weight and Broad Breast
Disorders in the pelvic limbs
Skeletal abnormalities
Differential and Varied growth of body Parts
Chances of epidemics
Sudden death syndrome
Crowding and poor slaughtering practices
Poor use of stunners

Surveys and researches carried out in Europe and US suggest that most of the animals are now being slaughtered through the use of stunners in which most of the times animals are not stunned properly.

Recommendations

It is substantiated now that for the growth of commercial chicken and broiler chicken industry, a great deal of effort is still needed from the side of the producers and scientists for the betterment of all.

Poultry Products, Turkeys

Famous Turkey Meat delights – mouth watering dishes

September 9, 2022 Farhan sheikh Leave a comment

The bird Turkey, for many is only known as the festival bird. I would like to share a very interesting fact over here – National Turkey Federation (NTF) has mentioned in their publishing that 95% only prefer turkey meal on Thanksgiving occasion. It is also estimated that during this particular time, 46 million festival birds are consumed. This in other means indicates that about 675 million pounds of the bird are served on hundreds of dining tables. Also, a big, giant turkey means a good amount of bird’s leftover – this helps in cooking some of the mouthwatering dishes including both starters and main course.

This poultry meat is also low fat, it contains a good amount of proteins, so it’s healthy. Not only this, the turkey farming has also gained popularity over the years because it offers excellent nutritional value and tastes superb as well.

Many people fail to cook a good, tasty and appealing turkey meal for many reasons. Many complain that it looks burnt and tastes dry, when on the table, and it gets kind of embarrassing in front of the guests. This is why the culinarians get hundreds of calls from the housewives as well as other cooking experts. They inquire about how to sustain the natural liquidity of the meat and provide it better look. The world renowned chefs have the same comments, ‘it’s really simple and easy to cook a turkey; however, it’s just the game of concentration’. This is a piece of advice for all the turkey lovers and also those who love cooking it.

Simple tips which can help you cook turkey meat products easily include;

Oven temperature must be accurate.
Many keep on checking the oven by opening it again and again; this spoils the meat due to the difference in the temperatures.
In order to obtain best taste, leave the turkey in marination for at least two days. Make sure you keep in the refrigerator.
In order to provide the aroma to the turkey, make sure you follow a good combination of wine, lemon, vinegar and other spices.

By bearing this in mind, now here you go with the most popular food that is made from the turkey meat; indeed, your mouth would get watery because they are a delight for the eye too.

1: Turkey Cordon Bleu Croquettes

You can serve them as starters – tempting turkey meatballs are indeed something to die for; here you go with a quick recipe;

Take a bowl, add turkey breast meat, 1 chopped onion, baked ham (chopped) half plate, half teaspoon thyme, black pepper, salt and paprika; also, add a cube of cheese (shredded); this would help in forming the meatballs.
Once done, in a separate bowl make bread crumbs and coat each meatball in that. Lastly, heat some oil in a pan and fry the meatballs in that for 7-9 minutes. Serve with ketchup or green sauce.

2: Papperdalle with Turkey Ragu

The yummy pasta indeed is one of the finest and tastiest turkey meals – it can be a main course for any good event as well. Here you go with a quick recipe;

Boil one packet of pasta as per instruction on the packet and keep it aside.
Mix 2 chopped carrots, one onion, 2 cloves of garlic, and 2 pounds of grounded turkey meat with all the necessary spices in a bowl. Also add 1 teaspoon of rosemary, lemon juice and 3 tablespoons of white wine.
Now, in a pan pour one jar of marinade sauce and add the mixture of turkey – let it cook for 10 minutes so that everything gets sauté; now add the pasta in the pan and mix the entire dish for 3 minutes. You can serve it with grated Parmesan or any other thing you like.

3: Roast Turkey Cordon Bleu

It is the most adored recipes and thanksgiving days seem incomplete without a tempting roasted turkey on the table. It can easily serve 10 guests at a time.

4: Turkey Empanadas with Salad:

Golden brown Turkey filled empanadas are perfect starters for a fine high-tea. Also, you can serve it with salad to increase the dish’s appeal – this would please the guests too.

5: Turkey- Vegi soup:

With the basic vegetable soup recipe, you can make a delicious turkey soup easily.

Other than the mentioned ones, there are more than thousands of recipes and ways to cook and serve turkey. Usually the adored types are;

Turkey burgers
Turkey stuffed with vegetables
Turkey sandwiches
Turkey stews

Backyard Chicken

Helping out egg bound hen- by identifying causes, symptoms and treatment(some graphic)

September 9, 2022 Farhan sheikh 2 Comments

If readers are not familiar with this word, egg bound hen is a situation when hens can’t pass egg that may be stuck close to cloacae or deep inside the reproductive tract. This problem is mostly common in small birds for example lovebirds, cockatiels, budgies and finches. Egg binding in chickens is an attention gaining problem for all those you either has these birds or for those who are involved in birds in any other way like for poultry farming purposes, trading purposes, personal pets etc. Some of the main causes for this problem are mentioned as follow:

Causes:

The egg stuck in chickens near cloacae can cause some serious damage to the health of the chicken. Causes for this could be few including extra large size of the egg, thin/weak hen due to lack of Calcium or Hypocalcaemia Syndrome level can also result in some serious problems in egg laying chickens. Unusual dryness at the inner part of the hen also includes in the list of reasons for being egg bound. Another important thing to note here egg bound is different from decrease in hen’s egg laying and broodiness in hens which have have their own causes and solutions.

Symptoms:

Symptoms of egg bound chicken could be many. Some common symptoms includes the hen will be trying to produce the egg, could be looking actually sick or drowsy and also may be seen walking fluffed, swelled, large droppings and bleeding are also some of the signs of egg bound hen. These birds are really weak so we have to be very careful in these conditions. Sometimes egg is broken inside, if it happens, the best option is to show the chicken immediately to a veterinarian. It may need a surgery, x-ray, some medical treatments or confirm diagnosis.

Treatments:

In case you have checked for the symptoms and you find out that your hen is egg bound then you must consider these egg bound chicken’s treatments. Try to massage the chicken’s abdomen gently and you might feel an egg shape limb. Keep massaging for 30 minutes approximately. For helping egg bound hen, you have to keep her warm and water should be available all the time for the hen to drink. If you are giving the chicken steam then you must take care of the temperature as it should be controlled and steady between 85 to 90 degrees Fahrenheit. If you find the chicken trying hard for laying egg and failing again and again then in this case, you must massage her egg laying portion with lubricant, it will create ease in laying the egg.

This all seems to be like a common problem that can be easily handled. But you need to be really careful during egg bound chicken treatments as it is a very problematic condition for the chickens. The over sized egg leaves no option but to collapse the egg by pricking it with a large syringe. It is big enough to take out all the stuff of the egg outside the chicken. One possible risk for this method is that the sharp edge of shell may cut the uterus. Although it may not happens all the time as the shell collapse inwards but there is a possibility. It is the case sometimes that the chicken is weak and the treatment for this is to provide her with some extra calcium.

The similar treatment will help the hen to lay the egg in a few hours so if you see an egg and see the hen active, this means that the she is good now but if she is continuously dropping and showing ill behavior, then the hen might need some more treatment. But in case the chicken is active again and you don’t found any egg then you must be wrong about the egg bound situation. The problem might be something else in this case. But you have to keep this in mind that all the time during the treatment you have to keep that hen separate from others as you are never sure about what is actually wrong with her. If there is a virus in any particular hen and you didn’t separate her from others then you might lose all your flock and that is what you’ll never wish to happen. The food of that bird will also be different from others. Provide her with high-calorie, high-calcium food to help strengthen future eggs and to save her from egg binding. If you give the same food to others as well, it will be better as it will help in preventing egg binding for all the birds you have and also will increase in egg production

The Poultry Guide

Category Archives: Knowledge Centre

13 tips to protect your chickens from hot weather

How to keep chicken cool in summer?

10 tips to train your hen to lay eggs in her nest box

10 Best and Healthy Treats for Chickens -the treats chickens can eat

1: Lush green veggies:

2: Solid vegetables:

3: Garden and Lawn weeds:

4: Squash and pumpkins:

5: Fruits:

6: Meat:

7: Eggs and shells:

8: Dairy and milk products:

9: Starch products

10: Potatoes:

12 Homemade Feed Recipes-Give Your Chickens An Organic Diet

1- Whole Grain 17% Protein Chicken Feed Formula

2- Organic Chicken Feed To Source From Health Food Shops Or Order Online

3- Bulk Bought Organic Grain Mix For Chickens

4- Chick Starter Feed Recipe

5- A General Guideline For A Custom Chicken Feed Mix

6- A Flexible Formula For Chicken Feed

7- A Soy and Corn-Free Chicken Feed Formula

8- Homemade Chicken Feed For Layers

9- Another Soy and Corn Free Feed For Healthier Chickens

10- Summer and Winter Feed Recipes

11- Another Homemade Chicken Feed Recipe

12- Twenty Five Pound Organic and Non-GMO Chicken Feed

Ending Up!

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Environmentally controlled poultry shed/ House farming

Ostrich Physical Chracteristics And Marketing

Heath And Welfare of Poultry in Commercial Industry Production

Famous Turkey Meat delights – mouth watering dishes

Helping out egg bound hen- by identifying causes, symptoms and treatment(some graphic)

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