Lack of sufficient knowledge on poultry farming has led to many farmers failing to recoup their investments’ while others lose their chicks before they mature.
Dr. Peter Mwai the Officer in charge of Training at the Kenchic Company said poultry farming was a science which requires that all requirements, procedures be followed and implemented at the precise time. He was speaking during the training of farmers at a Nakuru hotel.
He said the company has decided to mount countrywide comprehensive training sessions for poultry keepers in order to assist them to make profits and compete constructively with other farmers in the region.
The officer disclosed that the company has ten one-stop poultry centres distributed within the country where farmers could seek advice for start-ups, management and technical services. However, many farmers prefer seeking advice from fellow farmers or people who are not certified by the company.
He said despite the many problems which they face, such as lack of market, the high cost of feeds, diseases and expensive equipment, poultry farming still remains the easiest and cheapest start-up for potential farmers.
Dr. Mwai said all the other challenges were manageable by the company but the high cost of feeds was beyond their scope and he urged the county governments to consider managing feeds manufacturing as a joint venture in order to assist farmers to make profits.
He said feeds alone can gobble up to 70 per cent of the poultry farmers’ input cost and that was rather too high and cannot translate to profits. “ This inevitably makes eggs and meat expensive,” he added.
Mwai urged farmers to follow the precise feeding and watering procedures because any slight variations were bound to lead to reduced weight and in some cases total losses.
The farmers appreciated the training as some narrated their many misconceptions which they gathered from untrained farmers.
Since the beginning of the year, poultry farmers have been complaining about the loss of market for their eggs due to a glut from neighbouring countries.
By Veronica Bosibori
