By Joshua Kato
When you plan to venture into livestock as a business, you must understand that its profitability depends on what you do before and after you stock the animals.
This is why you should not miss a week-long session of livestock master classes, set to start tomorrow (Monday, January 27) on Bukedde TV1.
The Master Classes are organized by Vision Group with the support of the Embassy of the Netherlands, KLM Airlines, Koudjis Nutrition BV and dfcu Bank.
During the training, Koudjis provides experts from the Netherlands.
The focus on poultry rearing, and fish farming which will be televised live on Bukedde TV1 from 10:00am to 11:00am, with a repeat on Bukedde TV2 at 10:00pm, will start on Monday, January 27 and run up to Friday, January 31.
The Master Classes are organized by Vision Group with the support of the Embassy of the Netherlands, KLM Airlines, Koudjis Nutrition BV and dfcu Bank.
The topics that will be tackled include fish farming on Monday, layers with specifics on water, pecking and litter on Tuesday by Geoffrey Mukama, broilers with specifics on brooding on Wednesday by Geoffrey Mukama, pig farming especially nursing piglets by Johan Verhoek and quality of feed materials on Friday by Guido Stevens.
During the classes, Ivan Sabwe, a fisheries specialist with Koudjis will focus on the water quality of the ponds.
“This is one of the biggest challenges affecting fish farmers,” Sabwe says.
Sabwe will also train about fish farming during the 2025 Harvest Money expo. The expo is set for February 14th to 16th at Namboole Stadium.
Preparing the brooding house
According to Dr Sammuel Mukama, before stocking, the house must be swept and washed if it was used before. Also, disinfect it and all the equipment like feeders, and drinkers. In case you are using nipples, they should be disinfected as well such that if there are any germs from the previous stock they are killed.
“People fear brooding saying it’s a risky stage in poultry yet it is easy if one follows the right basics. To get another person brood for you, it becomes expensive yet you can do it yourself and save money. Remember, you need to minimize expenditure to maximize profits,” explains Dr Mukama.
Dr Mukama says that hygiene must be kept at its best during brooding because the chicks are as delicate as a baby.
“The brooder should be weatherproof where the condition inside is controlled. Provide warmth at least 3-4 hours before bringing in the chicks. The roof of the brooder shouldn’t be leaking when it rains. Also, rodents like rats, wild birds and cats should be kept out of the brooder,” he says.
Aeration should be given special consideration.
“Many farmers think brooder must be covered completely which is wrong because it may cause suffocation and death to both the chicks and the farmers due to carbon monoxide gases and also to dry the house,” says Mukama.
Curtains (these can be tarpaulins, leather or black polythene bags used in buildings) must be cleaned. Also, ensure the house is warmed up to 33 degrees on the ground on the first day, he explains.
“Use husks, especially from coffee and rice. This is because husks from timber don’t absorb water and chicks may peck on them and choke on them,” says Dr. Mukama.
First days important
Johan Verhoek says that whatever a chicken will be, starts on day one because if chicks get stunted, there is very little a farmer can do to improve them. On stocking, make sure your chicks weigh not less than 40gms, check for disabilities and also have a record of whatever transpires.
He says that farmers should be observant of their chicks to notice their reactions and changes. For example, when chicks are around the heat source, it means that the heat is not enough and when they are in one corner, the heat might be too much or scared of something.
“Water and feeds should be put in the house feeding troughs before the chicks are introduced. The feed should be of the best quality with proper nutrients according to their size and body,” he explains.
“For instance, in the beginning, broilers would be fed on feeds with more proteins because they need to build the body and after gaining weight, they should be given more energy to enable them to move to feeds and water,” he says.
He says that lights should be left on during brooding because they should eat 24/7, but start reducing slowly after brooding.
“Make sure you have proper temperatures in the houses because if your chicken becomes cold, they will use the feeds to generate warmth for their bodies rather than making meat,” he said.
