Six Major Mistakes to avoid to succeed in Poultry farming business
1. Not Noticing a sick bird in time
It is very important to observe your birds everyday so that in case you have a sick or injured bird you will notice it in time to remove it for treatment.
Becoming accustomed to your bird’s normal behavior, and observing them daily is a good idea. Your birds all should be active and have nice bright eyes, healthy red or pink combs, and their feathers should be clean, glossy and well preened.
2- Not Being Financially Prepared
Learn MoreMost new farmers always make a mistake of starting poultry farming without having a cost analysis report and doing feasibility studies. You have to keep the resources on ground to fund your farming venture from start to finish. This will help you from having an abandoned project.
To be successful in poultry farming business you have enough money in order to purchase feeds, drugs and so many other things that may arise in the course of the poultry rearing.
Read also: 12 poultry farm biosecurity principles you should know
3- Keeping Toxic Chemicals Around Or Inside The Poultry House
Most chemicals, pesticides, herbicides, and rat poisons, are deadly to your birds. It is best to avoid using such items around your poultry house, or anywhere that your birds range.
If you spray weeds or grass around your coop, or anywhere that your birds range, they may eat than it, and ingest the chemicals, which can cause illness or death to your birds. It is best to use such chemicals sparingly and with caution around your flock. Anyways this applies to birds that are on free range in the farm.
4- Overcrowding Your Birds in A Small Place
Overcrowding can lead to stress, cannibalism, feather pecking, and other issues.The floor space requirement of broilers varies depending on their body weight at the time of marketing, housing systems, marketing age and ambient(room) temperature.
A broiler chicken of 18 days old needs a space of 450 sq.cm while from 19-42 days old will required1000sq.cm. Multiply it by the number of birds you intend to stock. Remember this is an approximation, it is best to know what is best for your birds. Remember, there is no such thing as a ‘poultry house is too big’. You may plan on getting 50 chickens at first, but you may want to expand your business in the future, so instead of rebuilding a new poultry house when your flock expands, it’s a good idea to build a bigger one from the start.
5- Poor Hygiene in The Poultry House And Poorly Ventilated Coop
This is a common mistake. Keeping birds housed in dirty, poorly ventilated, and dark coops can lead to many health issues such as respiratory problems, mite/lice infestations, decreased egg production, and a host of other health issues and diseases.
Make sure to keep poultry house beddings clean, and change it often. Make sure your coop is well ventilated with plenty of air flow. Light is also important. Don’t keep your birds cooped up in a dark coop without natural light. To do this use dwarf wall system for your poultry house and build the poultry house facing the East-West direction.
Read also: Ten natural tips for healthy poultry growth
6- Not Using Quality Poultry Feeds
When your poultry birds are fed properly with quality(balanced), unadulterated feeds the outcome is a boost in production. This is seen in the fast growth of birds, increase in egg production and general well-being of the bird. That is if the bird is the right breedand is healthy.
Making the mistake of not feeding your birds properly (that is not feeding in time with quality feeds) could lead to a reduction in the growth of birds, egg production which will finally affect profits and income from your birds.
Due to a high cost of producing poultry feeds, some producers have begun adulterating feeds in order to make more profits. When you feed your birds with adulterated feeds, your poultry birds will be affected badly. If you purchase feeds take the time to source from a trustworthy feed producer or company. Most times the best thing to do is to formulate your own feeds with the ingredients, in order to be sure of what you’re feeding your birds.
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