Indigenous poultry farming is an important tool in combating the tide of poverty by increasing household income.
However, despite a secure market, poultry farming has not yet been effectively used to combat the poverty faced by many Tanzanians.
It is a tradition for many communities in Tanzania to raise indigenous chickens as part of their traditions and customs. Indigenous chickens have been raised without being provided with essential services such as good housing, supplementary food, medicine, and protection from various diseases.
This summary provides a guide to organic chicken farming so that you can produce and eventually raise chickens in large numbers.
Cleanliness of poultry equipment and environment
Dirt is the mother of disease, so consider this;
1. Food and water containers should be cleaned regularly with clean water and soap.
2. The bran or wet food mixed with chicken droppings should be removed and covered.
3. Burn or bury in a deep pit chickens that have died of disease.
4. Do not keep chickens and other birds, such as ducks, in the same coop.
5. Remove manure regularly from the chicken coop.
6. Use insecticides to clean the shed and apply lime at least once a year.
7. Seal all openings that could allow rodents and wild animals such as squirrels to enter the chicken coop.
Diseases and prevention for all chickens
1. Chicken nuggets
It mainly affects growing chicks and appears in large numbers during prolonged rains. It causes swellings on the face/tail and even other hairless parts.
2. Chest/chest
Mdondo, or by other names, lufuo, or kideri is a dangerous disease among natural poultry diseases. It is a viral disease that affects chickens of all ages, and can destroy the entire chicken population.
3. Vitamin A deficiency
This disease causes swollen eyes and a thick discharge that resembles wet soap. Chickens with these symptoms do not recover and may even die. The disease occurs after a long dry period due to a lack of fresh leaves.
4.Coccidiosis
It affects chickens of all ages but is most deadly to chicks and growing chickens. Chickens become weak, their feathers are ruffled and they look like they are wearing a coat. Chickens pass blood or brown feces and become lethargic and look like they are wearing a coat.
5. Fleas, lice and mites
These are external insects that attack the skin. They can cause disease by sucking blood. Fleas attack the head and stick to it while sucking blood. Fleas kill chicks. Lice and mites infest chickens to the point that they are unable to lay eggs and hatch.
6.Worms
Worms can weaken chickens and make them more susceptible to other diseases. See a vet if you suspect your chickens have worms.
Extra food
1. Provide the chicks with additional protein by mixing them with seafood dust or seafood heads mixed with corn bran.
2. Mix one cup of seaweed powder with five cups of corn bran (use a small teacup).
3. Ants and other insects can be used as a protein supplement.
4. Harvest ants in tunnels or create ants in ant trails.
5. To make termites: mix cow dung with dry leaves, corn stalks or wooden chips in an old pot or bucket.
6. Pour water over it until everything is wet, then place it in a container like a bucket or a pot. Place your container in the anthill, turning it upside down, and wait until the next morning, then take all the contents and pour it out to the chickens where they are.
Hatching of chicks
Choose the best rooster and raise the best chickens.
Characteristics of the best rooster
1. It should have a large shape, be well-shaped and not fall to one side.
2. He likes to have his own kingdom. If you find a rooster with these qualities, put him with ten hens. So if you have twenty hens, two roosters are enough.
Qualities of a good defender
The best hen is one that is large, capable of laying enough eggs, incubating them, and ultimately hatching chicks.
Egg storage
1. Keep eggs in a clean and well-ventilated place.
2. Use a cut-out box and fill it with dry, clean sand or an egg carton.
3. Place the blunt end of the egg on top and the pointed end facing down.
4. Write the number or date on the day it was cast.
5. Once the eggs have been laid, they should be removed and stored, and one should be left in the nest to call the hen to come and lay eggs the next day.
Soaking eggs
1. A hen should be given eggs that she will be able to hatch and lay.
2. 10 to 12 eggs are enough for incubation.
3. Eggs for hatching should not be older than 2 weeks from the time they were laid.
4. The last egg to be laid will be the first to be selected until 10 to 12 eggs are obtained, and a hen will be given to incubate them.
5. Eggs for hatching should be cleaned with a dry, clean cloth or alcohol-based wipe.
Not producing many chicks at the same time
1. If you want more than one hen to lay eggs and not hatch at once, do the following;
2. When the first hen starts laying, place her with eggs without seeds, such as eggs from modern chickens or hens without roosters.
3. Repeat the exercise until you have five chickens, then lay eggs with seeds for all the chickens.
Chick care to prevent mortality
Most chicks die before they reach two months of age due to disease, cold, and predation. To reduce the mortality of chicks between 1 day and two months of age, consider the following;
Protection against hawks and other animals
1. Put the chicks in a cage and cover them so they don’t wander far during the day. Give them water and food. Make sure they don’t get sunburned or exposed to rain. At night, they sleep with their mother.
Diphtheria/pertussis vaccine
If the hen was vaccinated before she started laying, the chicks that hatch will have sufficient immunity against rabies for the first 3 weeks of their life. Vaccinate the chicks against rabies when they are 18 days old.
Chicks whose maternal vaccination history is unknown should be vaccinated with a booster dose three days after hatching, repeated until they are three weeks old, then vaccinated every 3 months.
Protection against coccidiosis
Vaccination against coccidiosis in chicks should be given even if the disease has not yet occurred.
1. Give them amprolium for three consecutive days once they are seven days old as a preventative measure against coccidiosis.
2. The medicine can be given even if they are over that age. Follow the specialist’s instructions on the amount of medicine to be mixed in water or cereal.
3. If young chicks show signs of distress such as wearing a coat, they should be given amprolium in the water according to the following procedure;
Medication for three consecutive days: do not give them for two days; divide again over three days
Conclusion
1. Make sure the chicken coop and food containers are clean to avoid diseases.
2. Do not mix chickens and ducks in the same coop.
3. Feed extra food especially to chicks.
4. Kidney disease, coccidiosis, smallpox and vitamin A deficiency are the main causes of death in your chickens. Remember to protect your chickens against these diseases.
5. Remember to select eggs for hatching as directed to avoid getting rotten eggs.
6. Young chicks up to eight weeks old require good care, follow the instructions to prevent deaths.
7. Remember that if you sell many chickens at once, you will increase your income. Try to produce lots of chicks so that you can have many chickens later.
8. See a veterinarian near you for further advice.
