Zambia Agribusiness Society

Solid Facts about Great Farm Workers Working with great farm workers is the way to go if farmers really want to get the best experience out of poultry farming business. Let me tell you about the characteristics of great poultry farm workers. 1. Great poultry farm workers are goal setters They are always telling the farm owners about the goals they want to achieve. At one farm, a poultry attendant never feels okay if his birds do not lay up to 95% in deep litter, and will do his best to achieve it! Do your farm workers set goals at your farm? 2. Great poultry farm workers are very honest They will never compromise their integrity. They will rather resign than steal. A good poultry man never takes away even a damaged egg for eating before asking for it! Any worker who sells manure without the knowledge of the farm owner should be fired. How dare he sells a tray of eggs when you have not told him to do so! 3. Great poultry farm workers are always productivity conscious ...

As every  chicken  producer can attest,  keeping the birds  in optimal  health  is  a  finicky task, and failure can lead to serious losses. 1. Put clean water in the right containers/drinkers You can also use a large flat bowl or container, but put some rocks in it so that the young chicks don’t drown. Remember to change the water every after 6 hours to keep fresh water running – many poultry diseases are carried by dirty water. 2. A safe enclosure Although chickens can wander about the farmyard during the daytime, they should have a safe place to sleep at night. You can easily make a chicken hutch out of wooden poles and chicken wire, with a corrugated iron or thatch roof. Build it on slightly sloping ground and dig a drain around it so that it does not get flooded when it rains. Put perches or branches inside for the chickens to roost on, as they often get sick if forced to sleep on the ground. Providing perches and cleaning away ...

Goats are inquisitive feeders and will walk long distances in search of food. Herbage is, therefore, an important part of their diet. This is a difficult requirement to meet in the case of zero grazing. Goats are browsers and eat variety of plants/feeds when left to find their own food. This ensures a balanced diet according to their individual needs. Goats are able to distinguish between bitter, sweet and sour tastes and show a higher tolerance for bitter tasting food than, say, cattle. They relish variety and will not thrive when kept to a single type of feed for any length of time, which is often the case when goats are kept in zero grazing situations. They need plants. They tend to prefer to nibble at the shoots and leave the stems. Palatability appears not to be their main consideration. They look mainly for a variety of feeds. The mobile upper lip enables the goat to browse a variety of plants to meet its nutrient requirements and up to 80% of their total intake may be taken as...

Horticulture can be fully practiced on a small land and the best practices being fully implemented. For health reasons all these can be grown within a year with very good crops being grown. Let me group the vegetables as follows: Group 1     Leaf vegetables (covo, rape, spinach, tsunga, amaranthus and lettuce), plus cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli and lettuce. Group 2 Root vegetables (carrots, onions, garlic, leeks, and beetroot) Group 3 Fruit vegetables (tomatoes, eggplant, green peppers, pumpkins, cucumber, squash, okra and melons) and potatoes. Group 4 Legumes (green beans and peas) Crop Rotation When growing horticultural crops it is important not to plant the same crop in the same beds time after time as this will cause soil fertility depletion and pest and disease build-up. A good crop rotation for horticultural crops is: Group 1 followed by Group 2 followed by Group 3 followed by Group 4 . Timing of Planting Climatic conditions ...

I had an exciting Saturday morning this past weekend at my friend’s farm in Sentlhane, where he was administrating AI on his cattle. Advanced farming practices like AI is used to improve herd genetics - this method can also be effective for communal farmers especially when facing bull-related issues such as sexually transmitted diseases, as well as many others. In addition, if a proper breeding season is followed, a bull is used for only about two months of the year, so using AI saves money and grazing. When choosing genetics to select from a bull catalogue in order to purchase your semen, it's vital to know which characteristics you are looking for e.g. ease of calving, good feed conversion, and adaptability to the tough environment. Especially in areas where it can be dry and hot, so this should be a priority. Artificial insemination (AI) is one of the most effective tools available to cattle producers to improve productivity and profitability of their cattle operation. ...

Ticks are bloodsuckers that also transmit serious diseases. Ticks can cause anaemia and loss of production. They thrive in tall grasses and brush filled areas, which is why most areas are experiencing  heartwater   at the moment. Ticks are picked as animals walk through pastures. Common ticks 1. Bont tick - Amblyomma - heartwater transmitting ticks, may also cause tick paralysis 2. Blue tick – Boophilus - Anaplasmosis transmitting ticks. This disease is characterized by weight loss, difficulty in breathing, abortion and death. Prevention 1. Cutting vegetation short around shelter areas. 2. Dipping all animals 3. Treating herd dogs for ticks and fleas. 4. Quarantine new addition of your herd for 3 weeks or more. 5. Physically inspect all animals on regular basis. How to inspect animals for tick infestation 1. Inspect ticks around eyes, ears, and head around horns, udder and other areas particularly exposed ones. 2. Run fingers through the animal, espe...

Manure is decomposed organic matter from both plants and animals. It contributes to the fertility of the soil by adding organic matter and nutrients such as nitrogen. Manure contains valuable plant nutrients for crop production e.g. nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. It provides valuable macro and micronutrients like sulphur and boron to the soil. Manure supplies organic matter to improve soil tilth, improves infiltration of water and retention of nutrients, and promotes growth of beneficial organisms. Sources of Animal Manure Sources of animal manure include cattle, goats, poultry, sheep, pigs, etc. In general, manure from pigs and poultry is of better quality and should be applied in smaller amounts (e.g. one handful per hole). The amount of usable manure that can be obtained from cattle depends on factors like: The amount of feed. The method of feeding (pen rearing, kraaling the animals at night, or free-range) and The efficiency of collection of the manure. Th...