Isma'il agro Poultry farms

24/10/2022

TOP 6 FARMING MANAGEMENT SECRETS

How you manage your farm is very important if you really want to proper through farming. If you can manage your farm well, you can make a success of farming.

By virtue of my assighnment, I move around a lot and I have spoken with so many farmers – both the successful and the struggling ones. The difference most of the time is the management patterns.
Below are the time tested, often neglected top management secrets that I uncovered for you to get it right in farming and probably keep smiling to the bank:

1. ALWAYS ENSURE A CLEAN SOURCE OF WATER.
Water is life for your livestock and poultry. As a matter of fact, no water, no farming! Your farm animals must drink water on daily basis. Most of the time, the troubles of farm animals come from unclean water source. You must get the water issue right by all means. Do nothing else in farming until you get this right! Water should be tested for its PH and existence of bacteria, atleast twice a year.
The water you can't drink don't give it to your birds

2. NEVER TOLERATE DIRTY FARM WORKERS
A smart farmer will always seek to bloc any avenue of troubles for his or her flock. Most of the time the problems are form the working hands. Some of them are very dirty! Check this out. A dirty farm assistant will be a real reservoir of germs and other disease agents. Tell them to change and if they refuse, fire them. It's the farmer's responsibility to provide atleast 2 pairs of overall and gumboots to every worker. The worker will ensure the attire is kept clean.
You do not have to go to school to learn this! One worker the health of the flock starts with the attendants person cleanliness

3. BE A RECORD KEEPING FANATIC.
Do all you can to keep accurate records on a constant basis. By doing this, you will know the state of things and adjust accordingly. Get good records keeping formats from established farmers and start using it. Refuse to do things in haphazard manners. I knew I was weak at this,
You can't evaluate what you didn't record 👌

4. BIOSECURITY
Many farms take biosecurity very light and yet if not handled well it can increase input costs by 70%
Proper biosecurity reduces chance of disease out brake and increase the health state of your flock hence perfect production
Ensure protective wares like overalls and gumboots to both farm workers and visitors
Spray allover the body and vehicle to prevent any entry of disease causing organisms

Foot bath should all be at the entrances and remember to select a good disinfectant that has a long contact time which can spend more time after being mixed

5. DIAGNOSE AND TREAT DISEASE CASES PROMPTLY
Whether you like it or not, trouble times will come during farming operations. Some of your flock or animals may start showing signs of sickness. Do not panic but face reality. Do whatever you can to solve the problem fast. A stitch in time save nine. Get your vet and cooperate together to nip the problems in the birds. Remember, it is always cheaper and better to prevent than to cure. Has your vet helped you to teach your workers the farm dos and don'ts? Or has he helped to set biosecurity standards for your farm?

6. AVOID ANY FORM OF WASTE AND DO AWAY WITH THIEVES.
Waste in any form can cripple your farming business. Spend time to look critically at your present operations. See if there is a particular area where you tend to waste money or other resources and block it fast. Thieves are great menace to your success in farming. Learn to deal with them ruthlessly. People come people go, don’t be sentimental about this. If a farm worker is an unrepentant thief, sack him or her and move on!
One cage farm in entebbe collects all spoilt feed from the cage lines and weights it, then deducts the money from the worker's salary who is responsible for pouring that feed.

7. BE A GOAL SETTER.
You can’t arrive at a destination you don’t plan for. A wise farmer is a goal setter. Goal setting is a great management secret.
Set goals for your operations.
Set profit goals.
Set production goals.
We are all goal striving beings. When you set goals and you are determined, unseen forces will surround you to make it a reality. Write your goals down at least 2 times every week.
Put your goals in a 3x5 cards and carry it about in your pocket. Review your goals every night and every morning. Think about your goals all the time. Pray about your goals! You will be surprised at the results you get.
These are the six top farm management secrets.

02/08/2022

16 REASONS WHY I THINK YOU SHOULD BECOME A POULTRY FARMER.

1)Because You have a passion for poultry farming.

2)To have another stream of income.

3)To Become rich faster than others doing 9-5 jobs.

4)Poultry Farming Can Be Your Main Source Of Income After Retirement.

5)To be able to take care of my family more and have the freedom to do more things.

6)To be self-reliant and independent.

7)To build generational wealth.

8)To become your own boss.

9)To clear off any possible debt.

10)To create more jobs for the society

11) To Reduce And End hunger.

12)To feed your family

13)To produce fresh eggs and meat for healthy living..
14) To keep busy

15)To send Your children to school.

Because of how things are now expensive in Nigeria, do you know you can now make at least #17500 per day and make #525,000 per month if you have only 1,000 laying birds in your farm.

And you can also make a profit of at least #100,000 every 6weeks from rearing 100 broilers.

When Do You Want to Start Poultry Farming?

This question is basically up to you to decide, and it depends on the kind of farming
route you are taking, your time, and your pocket. There is no point delaying it if you
are ready financially, demand for eggs and meat is on the rise and will continue
for a very long time.

Thanks to the ban on frozen chicken importation and the
indomie generation that cannot do without egg in their noodles meals. However,
Most people only raise chickens to sell in festive periods while for some people, they
raise chickens continuously to produce eggs or meat for their target customers. So
the ball is in your court.

31/07/2022

WHY ARE SOME FARMERS NOT BREAKING EVEN?

You can get rich through any business including Poultry farming. I have seen many rich farmers and very poor farmers. This is common in every business.

Below are the real reasons why some people never make real money in poultry farming business.

1. *DISORGANIZATION* - Oh yes. Some farmers are so disorganized. The real truth is that disorganized people don't make money. Order, they say is the first law in heaven. Money is usually magnetic to order. How would you know that you are making profit yet you do not have records for your expenses?

2. *CRUELTY* - Some farmers are cruel to their workers. Always shouting. Always threatening workers. And of course, workers will keep sabotaging their plans and efforts. I know of a farm where a worker refused to give water and feed for the first half of the day, because he was annoyed with the farm owner over some issues! But of course I do not say that you babysit the workers!

3. *CHOP ALONE MENTALITY* - Some farmers have continually found it difficult to make real good money in poultry farming because they are always very selfish in good times. Good times should favour everybody in the business. Those who don't share the good times in business with their workers rarely get rich. Why do you pay peanuts to farm workers yet they offload feed, mix feed, bagging feed, look after chicken, some sell for you, remove manure from cages.....in some farms, the work is surely too much for less payments.

4. *PRODUCTION JUNKIES* - It's good to be good in production, but your ignorance of marketing farm products will radically limit your exploits in any business including farming.
Do not just sit back and wait for a middleman to dictate for you prices of broilers, feed, medicine etc. Get involved.

5. *POOR MARKETING SENSE* - Be good in production and be super good in marketing if you really want to make it in business including poultry farming. Marketing and innovation is really the work we do as business owners. The more we know this, the better our business become. How many egg markets do you know? Other than selling eggs, which other product do you sell from your farm? Do you just give away manure?

6. *LACK OF VISION* - Where there is no vision, poverty reigns. Vision is what attracts provision to any venture including poultry farming business.

7. *EXTRAVAGANT LIVING* - Some poultry farmers get too impatient for the business to grow before they start living big. There is nothing wrong with living big, but doing this too early in a poultry farming business can bring poverty fast.
*Dear Our mothers, please use money from profit for farm growth* but not for baby showers, kyanjula showers, first tooth cerebrations and other stuff.

*DISCLAIMER*😀

The above are simply my opinion coming from experience in the poultry farming industry. If you find yourself guilty of any point above, quickly correct yourself and move on. Believe me, things will start changing positively. I was also guilty in some of them but I have learnt the worst way.

27/07/2022

DISEASE PREVENTION IN POULTRY

This aspect of poultry management must receive constant, close attention. Failure to maintain a high standard of disease prevention will usually result into unhealthy flock.

The basis of poultry health management is:

1. The isolation of the flock from disease causing organisms – quarantine , including fencing, restricting movement in and out, avoiding any attractants of wild birds, avoiding domesticated local and ornamental birds etc.

2. The destruction of as many harmful organisms as possible – *hygiene*. Including use of tyre baths that have a strong disinfectant, foot baths with a strong disinfectant, misting the poultry house, portioning the farm into a buffer and clean area, etc

3. The use of an appropriate vaccination program – *trigger the birds’ immune system*.
And after vaccination,

4. The use of appropriate preventive medication programs – *for diseases for which there are no vaccines*. Avoid dusty litter, create enough ventilation, avoid spilage of feed and water, avoid caked litter, avoid ammonia smell in the house, remove cage litter every after 3-5 days.

5. The use of a suitable monitoring program – to monitor for the presence of disease organisms and the success or failure of the hygiene program or the vaccination program. This should include a weekly farm visit by a good veterinarian, farm visit reports showing key areas where to improve, and treatment plans if there's disease.

*Quarantine*
The principle need is to maintain control over the means of entry by disease causing organisms. These may enter by several routes:

Poultry - introducing stock as day old chickens is considered to be the lowest risk method of restocking a poultry farm. Older birds are more likely to be diseased, at least carriers if not showing signs. Be careful when buying old birds on the road side, from other farms, or buying from a farmer who has failed to keep them!

Wild birds/other animals - these often carry the causes of disease and are likely to fly or move from one poultry farm to another if the farms are close enough. The best way to prevent this is to ensure a suitable distance between farms and a minimum of 5 km is recommended. A security fence 2 metres high and with a controlled entry gate should surround the poultry farm and all sheds should be protected from entry by wild birds and all other animals by secure "small eyed wire netting"

Wind - insects and dust carried on the wind from infected to clean farms may also carry the causal organisms of infectious disease. The best method to prevent this is to ensure that adequate distance i.e. a minimum of 5 km separating one farm or section from another. This distance is influenced by the direction of the prevailing wind – insects and dust travel further with the wind than against it, and the presence or absence of barriers in the form of Hill.

26/07/2022

STOP WET LITTER IN BROILER HOUSES

To obtain maximum broiler production potential, management of the poultry house environment is essential. An important measure of a suitable environment is proper maintenance of poultry litter.

Litter is defined as excreted manure mixed with bedding material.

Both heating and ventilation systems must be continually monitored to ensure that the moisture content of the litter is controlled and the litter remains friable. If the moisture content becomes elevated and the litter is allowed to become "sealed," then the birds are being grown on a continually damp, slippery and sticky surface. This sealed litter is often referred to as being "caked." In this condition, the litter is simply saturated with water and the water is unable to escape. A severe litter moisture problem can result if large areas of the house floor surface are caked. It is more common, however, to find localized areas of caking near leaky watering cups, ni***es, troughs or roofs. The litter in these house locations must be continually stirred, raked or replaced to prevent the problem from becoming worse.

If litter is not kept at an acceptable level, very high bacterial loads and unsanitary growing conditions may result producing odors (including ammonia), insect problems (particularly flies), soiled feathers, footpad lesions and breast bruises or blisters.

Expect carcass downgrading at the slaughter house when birds are reared under such poor conditions. In a well-managed broiler house, litter moisture normally averages between 25 to 35 percent.

Litter that is managed correctly with the moisture content kept within the acceptable range can save a farmer from disease problems and antibiotics burden.

caked litter must be removed between flocks and replaced with new litter.

There are several causes of wet litter. A number of control measures can help prevent wet litter problems.

WATERY DROPPINGS:
Diarrhea can be caused by nutrition and/or infectious agents. High intake of the minerals potassium, sodium, magnesium, sulfate or chloride can lead to excessive water consumption and wet droppings. If a wet litter problem occurs, feed levels of sodium and chloride (salt) should be determined. It is possible that a feed mixing error has occurred, resulting in an excess of salt in the diet. The water should be checked periodically for mineral concentrations, especially for sulfate and magnesium. Acidification of water plays an important role in keeping bacteria at bay !
Poor quality dietary fat or rancid fat can lead to wet f***l droppings. Likewise, using poor quality feed ingredients such as poorly dried maize, caked bran, rotten silver fish etc....will often result in excessively wet droppings.

To control wet droppings associated with some feed ingredients, it is usually necessary to use litter material that is good at absorption of water from litter for example coffee husks or rice husks.

Moldy Feed:
If broilers are provided moldy feed ingredients, consumption of mycotoxins may cause the droppings to be excessively wet. Mycotoxins are known to irritate the digestive tract and to cause marked pathological changes in the kidneys. Ochratoxin, Oosporin and Citrinin are mycotoxins known to cause these changes. Such changes can lead to increased water consumption and wet droppings. To prevent mycotoxins from becoming a problem, good quality feed ingredients must be used in both layer and broiler diets. Add sangromix active D in feed always because it has an ability to stop mycotoxins effect in the intestines.

Feed handling equipment must be cleaned and disinfected periodically. Caked and moldy feed lodged in equipment like feeders, serving plates, silos can contaminate feed as it passes through the equipment; thus any caked feed must be routinely removed.

Disease:
Numerous diseases cause poultry to excrete wet droppings. This effect may be primary where an infectious agent directly damages the alimentary canal resulting in diarrhea. Secondary effects may occur where birds go off feed but maintain water consumption, resulting in a higher moisture content of the droppings.

Coccidia infections result in direct damage to the gut and will result in wet droppings. Control of coccidiosis through improving litter hygiene, maintaining the litter dry, stopping feed spillage, and avoid pouring water on the floor as well as improving water quality.

if not controlled, coccidial infection may lead to necrotic enteritis and wet litter.

Bacterial infections caused by Escherichia coli, will also result in wet litter. In addition, several viruses phave been implicated as causative agents of diarrhea. Viruses associated with malabsorption of nutrients have an adverse effect on the consistency of the bird's droppings.
We should know that water quality is only determined is we know the bacteria load and virus load in the water together with PH of water.
Adding an acidifier to the water helps to reduce bacteria burden.

Climate Control and Equipment Failure:
Farmers have little or no control over the ambient temperature and humidity outside the poultry house. Nevertheless, temperature and humidity largely influence water consumption and impact litter quality. For example, high temperatures within a broiler house lead to increased water consumption and wet litter. When high humidity accompanies high temperatures the problem can become so severe that it becomes very difficult to properly maintain the litter in a dry and friable condition.

Leaking watering systems, when not maintained in good working order, can cause wet litter problems. The in-line water pressure must be just enough to stop water leaking.
Roofs should be leak-free and ventilation systems should move an adequate amount of air to keep litter moisture levels in the proper range.

Cleaning water pipes and drinkers. Flushing in broiler houses should be done every after 2 weeks to avoid bacteria build up in the pipes which may eventually cause disease and diarrhea.

Bedding Type
There are a limited number of bedding materials that can be used in broiler houses. Any material that is in contact with the birds must be nontoxic, and able to absorb water and subsequently release the moisture to the atmosphere. The material must be readily available in sufficient quantities. Most importantly, it must be economical. You can chose coffee husks or rice husks

Quality soft wood shavings are also used as bedding material but you should avoid saw dust as it causes irritation and respiratory problems.

*Conclusion*
Maintaining moisture levels of poultry house litter in the proper range is essential if the production potential of the flock is to be realized. To accomplish this, management practices must ensure that high quality feed is provided to the flock, disease organisms are not permitted to enter the premises, and adequate ventilation systems and quality bedding material are used.
Do not allow caked litter in a poultry house at all as this is the number 1 cause of coccidiosis, cough and flu and re****ed growth.

24/09/2021

It is a well-established fact that no matter the type of farming you are into, managing environmental conditions reduces the total cost of production

Birds most efficiently convert feed to meat when they are given consistently optimum environmental conditions, with the temperature being the most critical factor. Small temperature differences can have a significant effect on returns to the owner

Very young chicks have little ability to regulate their internal temperatures, and they need warmth - air temperature of 30°C, litter temperature of 28-30°C, and RH of 60-70%

This means that early in a grow-out (when the chick produces feathers), our main concern usually is making sure the birds are warm enough. As the birds grow, too much warmth is a common problem, our goal in ventilation is to maintain in-house temperatures within the birds' comfort zone-not too warm, not too cold at all times during the grow-out. To do this we need to understand how birds, heat, and humidity interact

Birds convert feed and water into energy they use for body maintenance (operating their organs and muscles and keeping themselves warm) and for growth to produce weight gain. However, they are not 100% efficient so they generate quite a bit of excess heat along with quite a bit of moisture (in f***l matter and by breathing), so temperature and humidity tend to rise as grow out progresses

Temperature and humidity work together to determine bird comfort, birds are air-cooled. That is, air moving over the birds picks up their body heat and transfers it to the environment. Birds do not sweat, they do get some evaporative cooling effect through breathing and panting. However, they rely mainly on direct body-to-air heat transfer for cooling. If you see birds lifting their wings, they are feeling hot and exposing more of their bodies to the air to get rid of excess heat

Under most conditions as birds give off heat, the house temperature can be kept from rising too high by exhausting warm air and replacing it with much cooler outside air

There are two basic ventilation types: Natural ventilation and fan-powered ventilation.

Natural ventilation: relies on opening the house to the right extent to allow outside breezes and inside convection currents to flow air into and through the house
On warm to hot days with little wind, circulation fans may be used to provide some wind chill cooling effect. Foggers or misters can be used with circulation fans to add a second level of cooling

Fan powered ventilation: uses fans to bring air into and through the house, this generally allows more control over both air exchange rate and air flow-through pattern, depending on the configuration of the fans, air inlets, and type of control used

23/09/2021

29/08/2021