Olam Agri has urged poultry farmers to adopt best practices to maintain healthy flocks, maximise profits and ensure quick returns on investment.
Olam Agri Regional Manager, North Central, Patience Nnadozie, made the call at the Olam Agri Farmers’ Forum on Friday in Mararaba.
Speaking in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Nnadozie said the forum was organised to expose farmers to best practices in flock management.
She said the forum also aimed to enlighten farmers on ways to improve productivity and achieve better returns from their poultry businesses.
Nnadozie introduced the organisation’s upgraded Chikun and Ultima Layer feeds, as well as Ultima and Ultima+ Broiler feeds, to the farmers.
She said the upgraded feeds contained higher levels of protein and energy, which were essential for enhancing productivity and improving farmers’ income.
According to her, higher protein and energy content would support peak egg production, superior egg quality and improved profitability.
“The upgrade is intended to maximise farmers’ returns by increasing egg production, either through higher egg yield per bird or by expanding flock size.
“However, with the current low availability of point-of-lay birds, expanding flock size is not viable.
“Therefore, the most viable strategy for farmers to boost egg production is to increase yields from their existing birds,” she said.
On the upgraded Ultima and Ultima+ broiler feeds, Nnadozie said they would promote better nutrition, faster weight gain, lower production costs and higher profits.
She urged farmers to focus on achieving faster weight gain and shorter production cycles to improve profitability.
Also, Ochi Ogbode, Area Sales Manager, said the feed upgrade was aimed at helping farmers produce more birds annually, increase production cycles and maximise profits.
Ogbode urged farmers to keep poultry litter dry to prevent exposure of birds to coccidiosis and other infectious diseases that could result in high mortality.
Dr Daniel Stephen, Veterinary Technical Executive, listed routine testing, equipment maintenance, monitoring of feed and water consumption and staff training among best practices in poultry production.
Stephen urged farmers to regularly monitor their birds’ water consumption to detect potential health challenges early.
He said adequate water consumption was critical to maintaining healthy flocks and preventing potential problems.
“Also, ensure your birds consume quality feed that is high in protein and energy, as such feed helps to reduce diseases in livestock,” he said.
