Question: We are doing everything by the book, but half our chickens aren’t laying eggs. What could the reason be? I assume you’re referring to commercial layers. If so, you need to check the following: The age of the hens. Egg production starts dropping after about 45 weeks, and by…
Question: I use batteries for my layer chickens – they’re in a shed that has doors on both sides. The doors are kept open during the day, but closed at night. For the last while it sounds as if my hens have a “cold”. Could this be due to a…
The South African government and poultry industry have set up a protocol for the import of fertilised broiler chicken hatching eggs, which will now be negotiated with trade partners. The import of the eggs can alleviate the supply shortage caused by the highly contagious H5N8 bird flu virus. The Department…
Question: I farm my favourite breed, Buff Orpington chickens. Lately, however, they’ve started eating their eggs. They are fed every morning and afternoon and they also get a lot of greens and snails from the garden… and also a lot of love. Can you suggest a cure? Hens generally eat…
About 15% of South Africa’s laying hens have already been culled due to an outbreak of bird flu. The disease is causing havoc in the poultry industry. Dr Charlotte Nkuna, acting executive officer for the South African Poultry Association, earlier said due to the number of chickens culled, egg shortages…
Poultry farmers’ production loss due to the outbreak of H5N8 poultry virus in the Western Cape in South Africa amounts to more than R800 million. More than two million chickens were culled and eggs had to be destroyed to try and stop the virus from spreading. There were 36 outbreaks…
David Chifuna (40), a Lusaka-based insurance underwriter, is successfully farming quail as a sideline business. It is not unusual for Zambians to run a part-time business while they work a full-time job. When David decided to farm quail as a second income stream he had no experience. His savings of…
It remains a mystery why more African farmers are not breeding the native African Guinea fowl. They are hardy, low on cost, and in demand. Farmer Humphrey Milanzi makes best use of these bords. Guinea fowl are Gallinaceous birds like chickens and turkeys. Members of the order Numididae, they are…
Producers often ask why some flocks perform exceptionally well, while others do not, under the same conditions. A well-known quotation goes: “You are the master of your own destiny”. If applied to broiler farmers, this implies that, with correct management and a suitable vaccination programme, broiler performance will be as…
Ugandan farmer Erias Kasumba knows his way around chickens since he's breeding for many years. Unlike some other farmers, he believes in local breeds since they are less susceptible to disease and easier to manage. Check out this video. * We are sharing the video made for the On the Farm-programme…
Zambian’s egg and chicken production has seen a huge decline due to tough economic times, says the Poultry Association of Zambia (PAZ). And responding to the development, the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock Minister Michael Katambo said government was working on managing the industry’s high cost of production. The minister…
It’s futile trying to get farming out of your blood when your family has been dyed-in-the-wool cattle farmers in the Vryburg area in the North West province of South Africa for many years. Hinner and Heino Koster, brothers and animal scientists, decided to establish an intensive farming enterprise on a…
By producing organic vegetables, fruits, chickens, eggs and pork in Zambia's Kafue district with holistic management methods, Sebastian Scott earns a substantial premium for his products from retailers and families in the country's capital, Lusaka. So much so that he could grow from a micro farmer whose products were transported…
Alex Lwatula (46) a former banker, who worked in the sector for 22 years, has changed track and chosen a new career in agriculture. Married to Bernadette and the father of two girls, Kasuba (11) and Mwenge (10), Alex has learnt that farming comes with a different set of problems…
In one year, Corlette Grobler’s hobby of keeping a few quails grew into a multifaceted quail egg and meat enterprise that today is a top South African producer. When you mention quail, most people think of the Old Testament story of how the Israelite nation was saved from starvation in…
Ramp up your chicken operation with a system that can you expand one chicken house at a time, or faster if you wish. It’s an African solution from African farmer; Mike Bosch, born and raised in Zimbabwe, now based in Limpopo Province, South Africa. Charl van Rooyen spoke to him.…
Another power outage affecting seven provinces has piled more woes on farmers. Poultry, dairy farmers and irrigation farmers, households and agro processing plants were particularly hard hit. The country has suffered a similar experience two weeks ago. ZESCO's public relations manager - Bessie Banda - confirmed that a system disturbance…
Poultry farmers in parts of Zambia are reeling from colossal losses following a power outage in at least five provinces that lasted more than 48-hours. "I lost more than 800 eggs for guinea fowls. It is 48 hours already and there is still no sign of power,” lamented Humphrey Milanzi,…
Zambians were ‘egged on’ to make eggs a bigger part of their daily diet during World Egg Day celebrations (14 October). Vice-chairperson of the Poultry Association of Zambia (PAZ), Veronica Machungwa, asked that government include eggs in school feeding programmes. She said the low consumption of eggs in the country…
