Chickens

From Tribewanted

You need to determine the number of poultry you plan on keeping and whether you plan on raising pullets for replacements and/or meat. If you're doing this mainly for egg production, 12-15 with one rooster. A hen will lay one egg every 24 hours under optimum conditions (ie. not moulting, daylight hours, feed, water, temperature, etc.)

The housing needs to have one nest per 4 layers composed of some type of straw, or grass. They need to be 24" above the litter. There should also be a roost in the house which needs to provide 8" per bird and the poles 14in. apart; 18-36in. above the litter.

Below is some information you may find useful also. Poultry can carry many diseases and just one bird from a neighboring flock (other island)or another species can kill the whole flock if you don't keep up on vaccinations and cleanliness. I'm not sure what feed you're using but production will be minimal if they're expected to forage on they're own. Clean water must be in supply daily.

Once again, Ken Cokanasiga is the Animal Health and Production Advisor for the SPC(Secretariat of the Pacific Community). I'm sure he knows more about poultry production in the islands and would help in that area. We would also be following the guidlines that they are trying to put in place for animal production in the Pacific islands. Even the smallest farms and populations have an affect on the whole and I believe if we are trying to be eco-friendly we should be trying to work with the local agriculture groups.

Don't forget, although we haven't seen bird flu over here there have been many cases in Asia and Eastern Europe. Cleanliness is very important! This is a daily project of cleaning and care of a group of animals that you have taken on.

Tips for disease prevention

Things to do and the rationale for doing them

• Regular sanitation, thorough cleaning, scrubbing, and disinfection of the poultry house, is very important. This keeps bacteria, viruses, and parasites from building up and also deters unwanted rodents.
• Properly dispose of old litter before introducing new chicks into your poultry house. Exposing birds to old litter is not recommended as the litter may have a build up of disease agents that the new flock has not been exposed to. This can result in a disease outbreak.
• Quarantine new birds from outside flocks for 14 days. A two-week quarantine is necessary to monitor for any diseases, and a longer period may be necessary to treat for diseases.
• Do not permit visitors in your poultry houses if they have had contact or visited other poultry farms. Moreover, if there are any visitors, they should be wearing clothes and shoes (I.e. items that have not come into contact with other birds) Visitors can transfer diseases through their clothing, shoes, and unwashed hands.
• Keep wild birds (e.g. sparrows, pigeons) out of contact with your birds. These free living birds can carry diseases and parasites to your flock.
• Purchase feed from a reliable source, and do not feed moldy feed. For health and productivity, birds require a nutritionally balanced feed.
• Vaccinate against common diseases. Chicks and pullets should be vaccinated as they develop antibodies against common poultry diseases.
• Provide a well-ventilated but draft-free building with appropriate space available for the number of chickens housed. This reduces ammonia build-up, stress, and pen-mate fighting.
• Properly dispose of dead birds. This reduces potential transmission of diseases. Flies can be carriers of disease from infected birds. Improperly disposed birds can be a source of odor and attract flies.
• Separate sick chicken from the rest of the flock. Diseases can be spread through direct contact with infected birds.
• In the event of a disease outbreak in your flock, get an accurate diagnosis as soon as possible. Some diseases show similar clinical signs, although the proper treatment may differ.
• Extreme care must be exercised when doing routines between different species of birds. Pet birds, like parrots, can pose a serious threat to chickens because they can harbor diseases that can be very devastating to a chicken flock

Vaccinations

Vaccination is an important biosecurity measure. Newly hatched chicks have a certain amount of natural immunity, and they continue to acquire new immunities as they mature. Your flock may require help to develop additional immunities against diseases found in its environment. Table 1 is a guide. For specific help in developing a vaccination program based on diseases occurring in your area, contact your local veterinarian or extension poultry specialist and your local Cooperative Extension office.

Table 1: Vaccination of chicks.

(Disease Vaccination, Age)

• Marek's Disease, 1 day old
• Newcastle Disease/ Infectious Bronchitis, 10 days and 35 days old
• Infectious Laryngotracheitis, 6 weeks old
• Avian Encephalomyelitis, 8 weeks
• Fowl Pox, 10 weeks old
• Fowl Cholera, 12 weeks old
• Newcastle Disease/Infectious Bronchitis, 12 weeks, (6, 9, 12, and 15 months) old