The quality of products that end up on people’s tables depends on compliance with the statutory requirements to poultry farms. Violation of hygienic and veterinary rules not only threatens significant financial losses, but also poses a danger to human health.
Before starting a poultry farming business, familiarize yourself with the main rules of care, nutrition, and treatment of birds.
Basic household rules for farm poultry
Poultry farmers should follow the following recommendations:
Keep the poultry farm clean
- buy quality feed. For homemade mixtures, use fresh ingredients
- collect eggs daily
- ensure 24/7 access to clean water. Wash drinking bowls every day
- organize an optimal daily routine and conditions for free range
Chickens, ducks and geese need to be regularly inspected. If you find the slightest problem, immediately contact a veterinarian and follow the prescribed course of treatment.
Keeping farm poultry
The poultry house should be located on a hill to prevent possible flooding by melt, flood, and rainwater. In regions with a cold climate, a vestibule is required to maintain a stable temperature (not lower than 3-5 ℃) in the chicken coop.
The area is calculated depending on the number of poultry. For comfortable conditions, do not exceed 3-4 adult chickens, ducks or turkeys per m².
It is better to use for the floor covering a material that does not absorb moisture. It should be easy to disinfect. The wood will have to be treated with impregnations and painted in several layers. It is advisable to use natural materials for bedding (for example, straw or sawdust). As it gets dirty, it needs to be changed and the floor under it washed with disinfectants.
The poultry coop must be provided with good ventilation, heaters, and humidifiers. In winter, it is advisable to use artificial lighting as close to natural as possible. Extending daylight hours to 13-14 hours per day increases the egg production by chickens and ducks.
Attention: turkeys and geese under six months old with low body weight should not be given additional lighting.
The range for poultry must be protected from loud noise, direct sunlight, and rain. The fence should not cast a thick shadow. At the same time, the fence must be high enough to prevent birds from escaping, as well as cats, dogs, and wild predators from entering the space. Drainage ditches should be provided to drain water.
Sippy cups and feeders should be placed around the yard. Provide swimming containers for geese and ducks. Place containers with sand for the chickens. Laying hens use them to clean their feathers of dirt and parasites.
Feeding farm poultry
There are three types of feed for farm poultry:
- dry (compound feed)
- wet - a mash of grain, cake, bran, vegetables and other water-based products or dairy products
- combined - combines both types of feed
The first option is convenient for farmers. It does not require time-consuming food preparation, comes with all the necessary vitamins and microelements in the optimal proportions. A properly formulated mash is no less useful, but in most cases it requires the use of special additives.
With a combined type of feeding, the feed is left available to the birds all day, while controlling the consumption of the product. Wet feed is given out twice a day, according to a schedule.
Attention: feed supplies must be stored outside the poultry coop. This will help avoid contamination of the entire batch in case of infectious diseases in birds.
All food must be fresh and within the expiry date. Feeders should be cleared of debris after each feeding. Keep wet feed separate from dry feed.
Prevention of diseases in farm birds
Diseases of birds are dangerous because they spread rapidly and quickly lead to the death of livestock. To prevent disease:
- carefully follow the animal health rules for poultry farms
- purchase quality feed
- provide access to clean drinking water
Keep newly acquired individuals separately from the main herd (in quarantine) for the first 14 days. If signs of bacterial infection or infestation appear, carry out appropriate treatment. It is important to treat the livestock for parasites by following the schedule recommended by the veterinarian.
The poultry coop should be disinfected regularly. For disinfection, several products by Apicenna are available:
- Agifly is a water-soluble powder that provides protection against all types of insects for up to 8 weeks
- Solfisan is an emulsion for treating farm spaces.
- Altecid eliminates blood-sucking ticks within 15 minutes after treatment. It maintains effectiveness for 60 days.
- Redeza is a multi-component solution, completely ready for use, and does not result in resistance in parasites. It is suitable not only for treating surfaces, but also hands after handling birds. It does not cause inflammation or irritation. It has antibacterial and antiviral properties and does not leave a sticky film.
- Disinfexan is effective for the treatment and prevention of viral, fungal, bacterial diseases, as well as against protozoa. Compatible with insecticides.
All drugs are easy to use. They are absolutely safe for birds and people and have a wide spectrum of action.
Proper poultry management is the key to successful farming and stable cash flow. To eliminate expenses for treating livestock, it is worth using modern means for treating the birds and the spaces where they are kept to prevent the development of epidemics and bird mortality.
