DAY OLD CHICKS AND FOOD SECURITY.

The process of of enhancing the performance of birds is aimed at producing more eggs,bigger chicken , reducing time of rearing and also extending laying periods.The seed for the poultry is the day old chicks,these must be sourced from proven hatcheries to ensure the goals of optimum growth and production is accomplished.Day old chicks must be clean,alert and vaccinated before they are ready for sales.There are a lot of technicalities that goes into hatching these chicks, the most important factor is that the parent stock must be proven,with desired traits before the breeding and incubation phase.The proper setting in incubators with stipulated temperature and humidity will ensure that the purpose of careful selection and breeding are not futile. The selection and breeding are carried out basically to increase productivity.This can be further harnessed by breeding exotic strains with local strains to ensure proper adaptability to environment . Many countries are implementing this practice at Nairobi International Trade Fair once again proved to be the hub of new innovations and technologies in agribusiness. A rooster weighing eight kilos worth Sh2,000 drew crowds at the trade fair.This is almost the weight of a dik-dik antelope and twice the size of a normal rooster. Kukuchic company sales person Nathan Koech said the 11-month rainbow rooster is a dual-purpose breed.The breed is originally from India. Koech said such weight is not ideal for natural fertilization as the rooster might hurt the hen.He said they do artificial insemination.“At five months the rooster is ready for the market,” Koech said.He said they have 20,000 roosters at the Eldoret-based company and sell day-old chicks at Sh100 each. Unfertilized egg costs Sh15. (The star). Call today to order day-old chicks.

Incubators.

Incubators are handy machines in breeding farms whether commercial or small scale production. The incubators are of various types such as manual and electric, and in various sizes ranging from small to big sizes.The effectiveness of the incubator is hinged on proper temperature and humidity control,this determines the success rate of hatching the eggs. Incubation is not restricted to only chicken but other birds raised for commercial purposes such as quail,ostrich and turkey.The key to choosing an effective incubator depends on size of eggs and number of eggs and reliability of regulation of temperature and humidity.Many farmers have added incubation of eggs as part of their production to earn extra income.Raising birds starts from a proven parent stock but the handling of eggs in incubators and first few days after hatching determines the overall success of the production. Thinking of hatching birds for a living? choose the right incubator!