Small-scale chicken production - Journey to Forever

Agrodok 4

Small-scale

chicken production

N. van Eekeren

A. Maas

H.W. Saatkamp

M. Verschuur

This publication is sponsored by the World's Poultry Science Association (WPSA)

? Agromisa Foundation and CTA, Wageningen, 2006

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, by print, photocopy,

microfilm or any other means, without written permission from the publisher.

First edition: 1990

Fourth revised edition: 2006

Authors: N. van Eekeren, A. Maas, H.W. Saatkamp, M. Verschuur

Editors: F. W. Aqhdam, J. Boland

Design: J. Boland

Translation: I. Guijt, W.J. Guijt; C. McGregor (editing)

Printed by: Digigrafi, Wageningen, The Netherlands

Revised by: G. W. Bouwman, G. de Lange and I. Puls

ISBN Agromisa: 90-8573-069-4

ISBN CTA: 978-92-9081-347-7

Foreword

This Agrodok provides a wealth of useful information on how to overcome the main constraints in small-scale poultry production and deal

with threats like predation and infectious diseases. It is a practical

booklet with chapters on hatching, housing, nutrition and health. I sincerely hope and believe that the knowledge, tools and experiences offered here will be a valuable resource for poultry keepers. Above all, I

hope that it will inspire readers to generate new ideas through applying the ideas they find here.

Chickens deserve to be treated well ¨C and professionally. You will see

that the birds will show their gratitude by improving their performance! I wish you a healthy flock and a successful enterprise!

Dr. Ren¨¦ P. Kwakkel

Wageningen University - Poultry Nutrition Research

This edition has been revised by Ineke Puls, Gert Wouter Bouwman

and Gert de Lange of PTC+, Barneveld, under the guidance of Farzin

Wafadar Aqhdam. Agromisa kindly acknowledges their contributions

and critical comments. We also acknowledge the financial support of

the World¡¯s Poultry Science Association, which made it possible to

publish this Agrodok in several languages.

A number of illustrations used in this Agrodok derive from the Network for Smallholder Poultry Development (¡®Poultry Network¡¯),

USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and the

Newcastle Disease Field Guide by Alders and Spradbrow (ACIAR).

The nutrition tables were provided by PTC+ and are based on a variety

of sources.

Jeroen Boland

Agromisa

Foreword

3

Contents

1

Introduction

2

2.1

2.2

2.3

Chicken breeds

Commercial and hybrid breeds

Local breeds

Choosing a chicken breed

8

8

10

11

3

3.1

3.2

3.3

Housing

Free-range chickens

Small-scale housing

Some housing options

13

14

17

19

4

4.1

4.2

4.3

4.4

Housing equipment

Feeders

Drinkers

Perches

Laying nests

23

23

26

27

28

5

5.1

5.2

5.3

5.4

5.5

5.6

Nutrition

Water

Energy requirements

Protein requirements

Vitamin requirements

Mineral requirements

Other ingredients in chicken diets

33

34

34

36

37

37

39

6

6.1

6.2

6.3

6.4

Feeding methods

Feeding in various housing systems

Feed intake

Restriction of energy intake

Feed composition

40

40

41

44

45

4

6

Small-scale chicken production

7

7.1

7.2

7.3

7.4

Health care

Infectious diseases and their causes

Hygiene and biosecurity

Vaccination

Parasites and feather pecking

49

49

53

56

58

8

8.1

8.2

8.3

Hatching and raising chicks

Hatching using brooding hens

Artificial hatching

Raising the chicks

60

60

61

62

9

9.1

9.2

Improving local chickens

Cock exchange programmes

Culling

65

65

65

10

Products and by-products

67

11 Farm records

11.1 Important data

11.2 Cost pricing

69

69

71

Appendix 1: Diseases and parasites

73

Appendix 2: Nutrition tables

76

Appendix 3: Common feedstuffs

83

Further reading

87

Internet sites

89

Useful addresses

90

Contents

5

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