Poultry farmers in Bungoma Township Ward, Bungoma County received a major boost after their Member of County Assembly (MCA), Jeremiah Kuloba, distributed 20 egg incubators to 20 community groups in the area.
Addressing the farmers at the Ward Administrator’s office today Kuloba emphasised that the incubators were allocated fairly across the ward and that each would serve between 300 to 500 farmers.
He said that each incubator had a capacity of 528 eggs and a high hatching success rate of between 500 to 520 chicks per cycle.
The initiative, which was as a result of public participation, was widely embraced by the community.
Farmers expressed their support, acknowledging that it was their idea, and Kuloba’s office was facilitating its implementation.
To help farmers get started, each incubator was stocked with 200 eggs.
Technical experts advised farmers to use freshly laid eggs, not older than five days for maximum hatching.
For sustainability of the machines non-members wishing to use the incubators would be required to contribute Sh10 per egg, which would help cover costs such as electricity and fuel for a standby generator in case of power outages.
Besides chicken eggs, the incubators can also hatch turkey and guinea fowl bird eggs.
The community welcomed the initiative with enthusiasm, pledging to work closely with the technical team to enhance their skills and improve their livelihoods through poultry farming.
By Zilpha Kanda and Catherine Nyongesa
