Routine Activities for better Poultry Production Performance

Poultry routine activities are those activities which are carries out on daily, weekly and even on monthly basis. This is where some farmers or farm managers do mix a lot of things together just because they don’t know what to do either on daily, weekly and even on monthly basis. But dear readers, don’t panic you are at the right place at this time.

In this article I will explain in details the activities you will need to carry out on your poultry farm that will make your birds thrives well, that is, what will support you to get maximum production from your farm. These activities are called ROUTINE.

What does the word Routine means? Routine simply means ways of doing things in a regular manner or common place, tasks, chores, or duties as it must be done regularly or at specified intervals; typical on everyday activity.

Therefore these routine or activities will be grouped into three, they will be arranged according to way they are being carries out.

Daily activities or routine which enhances your poultry production performance

What do you think this will be? Well this are the activities you carry out in the farm on daily basis, no matter little or how small they are they must be carry out.

Failure in doing this may result to negative effect in the lives of animals in the farm. These routine include Water, Feeding and Eggs collection.

Follow these Day to Day Routine guidelines to keep your birds healthy and growing:

A: Daily Routine Activities

1. Water improves poultry production performance: Serve them clean water in the right containers daily

Water containers for chickens are cheap and can be bought at the local co-op. 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 day many poultry diseases are carried by dirty water.

We all know that water must be given to poultry birds every day. Mind you, not ordinary water but fresh water from reliable source. Clean water containers with a small hand brush before refilling them with fresh water is very good.

2. Quality feeding enhances poultry production performance

Feeding is another routine that are very important and must be carry out every day, do not over feed and as well under feed them. Feed the ad libitum (Constantly)

If you do, you will run into shortage and this is not good for business farming system. Pelleted feeds can stay fresh for a week inside a hopper so that they are dispensed and  lib as the hens require food, however it will soon go moldy and cause disease if it is not kept dry.

Place food containers under cover or purchase a rain hat to keep the rain off.

3. Eggs collection improves poultry production performance

Collection of eggs is another activity we do carry out every day in the poultry, in some farm, eggs are main purpose of setting up such farm.

So it is very important to collect eggs every time since production of fowl is our target, some time up to three times a day. Collect eggs and keep an eye out for broody hens over the spring and summer months.

4. Washing drinkers and feeders will help your poultry production performance a lot

Remember, one of the rules in keeping poultry system is hygiene, hygiene play important role in poultry farm.

So, washing drinkers and feeders are important to keep poultry birds in good condition and healthy. Dirty drinkers and feeder housed agent of disease, they help in spreading diseases in the poultry so to avoid this they must be kept clean at all time.

5. Supervise your chickens daily: Close Observation affects the poultry production performance of your farm

Probably the best way of keeping your chickens healthy is by keeping an eye on them and reacting quickly if something goes wrong.

I know most poultry farmers have other businesses or jobs they do to support themselves thereby leaving their birds in the hands of their attendants. Despite this fact, I will strongly encourage you to try and make out some time to ensure you visit your farm from time to time to ascertain that things are not going wrong with your investment.

This is the most important routine under this category, which I observed diligently. Spent quality time with the birds ever day so as to identify any condition from and among them.

In my own situation I spent between 30 minutes and one hour every day to observe them very well.

Mainly when you feed them, they must all rush toward food and do eat, so any one that do not run towards feed is sick, so isolate and give genuine treatment.

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B: Weekly Routine Activities

These are the activities carry out in the farm on weekly basis, as highlighted above that daily activities are essentials, as well weekly routine cannot be underrated.

Here are some of the weekly activities you need to carry out in your farm:

1. Cleaning droppings improves poultry production performance

This is another thing to do every week, to some farmers this is a dirty work. Generally, this is done manually and must be remove every week irrespective of caging system you are using.

Accumulated dropping produces ammonia gas which may result to the springing up of any related diseases in the farm, therefore to avoid this they should be removing weekly.

2. Chicken houses affect production performance of your birds

The house should be cleaned out at least weekly to prevent a buildup of organic matter, which puts your birds at more risk from respiratory problems and disease

2a) Provide a safe enclosure for your birds

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 bushes and long grass around the hutch also protects poultry from rats and snakes.

As you have to put the chickens in the hutch at night and let them out in the morning, you will be checking twice a day that they are healthy.

They are very common and the sooner you find them, the easier it is to get rid of them.

2b) Provide them with Hygienic surroundings

Chicken manure can be composted for use in vegetable or flower gardens, but can be a source of disease if it is allowed to build up.

Flies breed rapidly where chickens roost; keep the area as clean as possible to keep your birds healthy. Always remove and bury dead birds.

C. Monthly Routine Activities

These are the activities which are carry out once in a month, though they are to carry out one time in a full month, yet they are very important.

1. Medication affects poultry production

Vaccinate and Prevent Disease
Newcastle disease is a virus that is deadly to non-vaccinated chickens. It can kill your entire flock in a very short time.

Aside from Newcastle disease, there are also other diseases that can kill your birds in their numbers. Therefore your best option is to ensure that you always vaccinate your birds when due.

I don’t fail to do this since I started poultry business, I make a routines and is working for me and my birds. What do I mean? Every month I do administer some drugs to my birds depending on the type of birds at hand at a particular time

Be it cockerels, broilers and layers, I don’t joke with it and I will never joke with it. From first to third day of every month I do administer antibiotic, at time up to day five of the month depending on the direction of the drugs. Then between 12th and 14th day of every month I do administer multivitamins to complement their feed.

In the case of the layers in the farm, certain vaccine is administer once every month, this vaccine is called LASOTA, this is mainly to improve their immune system and to keep them in good condition and healthy.

Aside these, to every birds in my farm, I de-worm them once in every month. I lay my hands on any dewormer from the veterinarians shop.

These are the collection of routines I do carry out in my poultry farm, either daily, weekly and even monthly basis, if you do the same you will enjoy and keep doing the same thing, thanks for reading.

Do you have any routine jobs I have missed from this list? Please leave me a comment below.

Running a successful poultry operation, even one aimed at feeding you and your family, can be quite difficult even when things run smoothly.

But it can become very tough indeed if you have to deal with sickly chickens.

Read more about Poultry Farming by clicking Here

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