Zambia Agribusiness Society

Vaccination and drug administration is part of poultry medications. Vaccines are applied to chickens to build their immune system against an impending disease. One of the best ways to control poultry diseases is through vaccination. In poultry production, either; broiler production, turkey or layers production; vaccination program should be included in the medicine chart. Vaccines are different from drugs; vaccines are used for prevention while drugs are used for treatment. Vaccination is periodic; drugs can be administered at any particular time, provided the chicken is unhealthy. Vaccines are commonly administered when the chickens are healthy; it is to complement and build resistance against any deleterious diseases that may want to distort the healthy living of the bird in future. Once your chicken shows symptoms of diseases; apply drugs and not vaccines. Poultry medications are timely operation. Various materials or substances to improve the health status of your chicken must be i...

Agriculture is a goldmine and economists have declared it as a panacea to the crashing of Africa’s economy. As a result of the revolution in Agriculture and especially the desire for people to tap into its goldmine, many people have and are investing in farming. Agribusiness which is a word coined for commercial farming has been booming. Many has also seen the importance of farming as a serious business and many are venturing into it. There is no doubt that agriculture is vital for the sustainability of most countries as it supports the basic need to get back to the farm and feed ourselves, communities and even the world. Despite that, we seem to be making some fundamental mistakes when venturing into agribusiness. Do you want to avoid making these mistakes? If you are, you’ve come to the right place! Mistake 1: Producing without having buyers Most people start up an agribusiness venture without having buyers. They just hear about a farming venture and delve into it without e...

This is the type of muscular disease that mainly affect the poultry limbs (wings and legs) and disallow free movement of chicken from one place to another. It is sometimes referred to as locomotor disease. Signs in Sick Chickens Signs may vary, but usually chickens lie down because they cannot stand erect. They are reluctant to move or limping when movement is compulsory. Nervous signs may include staring into the sky for not knowing where they are, pulling the head and neck over their backs, paralysis and sores on the breast muscles from lying down. Other signs are crooked toes, swollen hocks, hyper-extended or rubbery legs. Causes There are many different types of organisms that can cause nervous signs and lameness. These include: Bacteria (Salmonella, Botulism). Viruses (Newcastle disease, Marek’s disease, avian encephalo-myelitis). Fungi (Aspergillus) . Treatment A complete hygiene and disinfection programme should be planned together with the animal health technici...

Bumblefoot (ulcerative pododermatitis) is a bacterial infection and inflammatory reaction on the feet of birds, rodents, and rabbits. Pododermatitis is referred to as "sore hocks" when it affects a rabbit and "bumblefoot" when it affects a bird. We centralise our discussion on birds as it majorly affect male, heavy birds. Bumblefoot is a common infection for domesticated poultry and waterfowl such as chickens, ducks and quails. Causes Injury to the lower surface of the foot due to walking on rough perches, splinters, wired floors, and poor litter of bedding quality; then infected with staphylococcus bacteria. In other words, constant walking on hard, rough, or sharp surfaces, birds can develop small wounds on the bottom of their feet. These wounds are very susceptible to infection by opportunistic bacterial pathogens, chiefly Staphylococcus aureus. Signs Some of the major signs are lameness, swelling of the foot pad and hard, pus filled abscess on the foo...

As a small business owner, it’s very unlikely you got into business specifically because you love to do marketing. Marketing professionals love to do marketing. But you’re a business owner and your passions lie within what your business does. However, marketing—and specifically, having a PLAN for your marketing—is important for the success of your business both now and over time. Here are ten reasons why you need a plan. Why You Need a Marketing Plan As much as you want to keep procrastinating, a marketing plan is a must for your business. Here are ten truths that will motivate you to put some structure around your business growth asap. 1. It forces you to think. The act of physically composing a marketing plan forces you to formulate and articulate your thinking about your customers, your product, and how you bring those two things together. Explicitly thinking about these things is important. Talking about them with the other members of your team, particularly the te...

The fragile nature of chickens has made their production a meticulous one. Chickens need adequate care and attention to enhance their productivity. Irrespective of the type or nature of production, a poultry farm must have medication schedule that shows different drugs to be administered in certain period. Part of this schedule is the use of antibiotics and other immune-boosting poultry drugs. The use of antibiotics for chickens is part of poultry production medications. An antibiotic is a drug that inhibits or kills the growth of pathogenic bacteria within the chicken. It is used to treat diseases and respiratory infections that may be caused by bacteria. The use of antibiotics in poultry production has been regulated to conform to the healthy living of human consumers and also to reduce toxicity in the chicken. There are different types of antibiotics used in poultry; some have been observed to have detrimental effects on human’s health owing to their residual effects but under co...

All you need to know about feeding, cages and care. Raising rabbits for meat and fur is a good way to make money but only if you do it on a large scale, and it should be done as supplementary income only. The initial costs in setting-up is small, rabbits breed quickly and frequently, they have large litters and grow to a good marketable size in a very short time. However, it is a full time job with daily rabbit care and good feeding needed. Rabbit Raising: Determining a Market Like any business, if you want to make a profit with rabbits you really need to assess the market. Do your homework first, before making an investment to see if there is a market and where the market is. Is there a market for rabbit meat, rabbit fur or both? Once you have established whether there is a market or not, find out where you will be able to slaughter the animals. Some slaughter houses will expect you to transport the live animals to them. And sometimes you can find a local butcher who will be ...