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DEBEAKING IN POULTRY FARMING

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Debeaking is a term in poultry that refers to the act of reducing the length of a bird’s beak, especially layers and turkey. It’s also known as beak trimming. It’s usually done to day old chicks (at hatchery) or between 10-12 weeks of age. Administration of multivitamin in drinking water two days before and two days after debeaking is necessary.

METHODS OF DEBEAKING

  • Infrared: plays the role of treating the chicken’s beak tissue as part of the beak trimming process.
  • The Hot Blade: This machine has an electrically heated blade that cuts off the upper or lower part of the bird’s beak.

READ ALSO: AFLATOXIN IN POULTRY- Symptoms & Control

  • Cold Blade: machine does same work as Hot Blade Machine but without heat.
  • Claw Clippers: which is manually used by Farmers to trim the beak of birds.

TIPS TO NOTE IN DEBEAKING

  1. Experienced individuals who are qualified to debeak should be used.
  2. Be careful with them; ensure that the poultry house is calm, no stressing.
  3. The blade of the machine should be hot enough for a quick process to reduce pain.
  4. Administer multivitamins that are rich in vitamin k to timely clotting/healing 2 days before/after.
  5. Ensure to pull the birds’ tongues backwards by holding their throat to avoid serious damage. nostril. 

READ ALSO: 5 Natural Growth Booster for your Broiler

Advantages of Debeaking

  1. Injury Reduction: Debeaking can help reduce injuries caused by pecking, cannibalism, and aggression among birds, especially in crowded environments.
  2. Mortality Reduction: By minimizing injuries and cannibalism, debeaking can help reduce mortality rates in poultry flocks.
  3. Improved Feed Conversion: Birds that are not pecking each other excessively may have better feed conversion rates, leading to improved efficiency in poultry production.
  4. Disease Prevention: Reduced injuries from pecking can decrease the likelihood of infections and diseases spreading within the flock.
  5. Better Management: Debeaking can make it easier for poultry farmers to manage their flocks, especially in large-scale operations.

READ ALSO: How to manage your poultry farm during the rainy season

Disadvantages of Debeaking

  1. Pain and Stress: Debeaking is a painful procedure for birds, as it involves cutting through sensitive tissue. This can lead to acute pain and stress for the birds.
  2. Behavioral Problems: Debeaking can disrupt natural behaviors in birds, such as preening, feeding, and social interactions, which can affect their welfare and overall well-being.
  3. Reduced Feeding Efficiency: Birds that have been debeaked may have difficulty picking up and consuming feed properly, leading to reduced feed intake and potentially affecting growth rates.
  4. Heat Stress: Debeaking can affect the bird’s ability to regulate body temperature, especially in hot conditions, which may lead to heat stress and decreased performance.
  5. Ethical Concerns: Debeaking is a controversial practice, with some animal welfare advocates arguing that it is inhumane and unnecessary, and alternative management practices should be implemented to address behavioral issues in poultry.

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Poultry Farming

LITTER MANAGEMENT IN POULTRY FARMING (3)

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Qualities of Good Litter Material

The following are the attributes of a good litter material.

1. It must absorb moisture from droppings quickly.

2. It must release moisture and dries up rapidly.

3. It must have least tendency to form cakes.

READ ALSO: LITTER MANAGEMENT IN POULTRY FARMING (2)

4. It must be free from mould growth.

5. It must be free from sharp objects and other objectionable materials.

6. It must be non-toxic, inert and compressible.

READ ALSO: FACTORS TO CONSIDER BEFORE STARTING A POULTRY FARM

7. It should possess good insulating properties and protect chicks from extremes of climate.

8. It must be cheap and locally available.

9. It must be biodegradable, supply some nutrients to the birds and form a good quality manure later.

10. It must have medium particle size, soft and light in weight.

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Poultry Farming

LITTER MANAGEMENT IN POULTRY FARMING (2)

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Important factors to consider in litter management

1. Ventilation
Is an important factor in moisture regulation in poultry houses because it allows for sufficient air circulation, which aids moisture evaporation. Reduced litter moisture will result in lower levels of free NH3 and CO2, which could lead to higher levels of air dust in poultry houses.

READ ALSO: LITTER MANAGEMENT IN POULTRY FARMING (1)

2. Temperature
It has a major impact on the clumping of litter materials into layers, a process known as caking. When a normal litter is squeezed, it can split quickly, but if the moisture content is high, it will stay moulded, and if the temperature is high, it will cause caking.

3. Water spillage
When using manual drinkers in poultry handled on a deep litter scheme, it is difficult, if not impossible, to prevent water spillage. Water lines with nipple drinking points will have some water spillage in semi-automated control systems, while water lines with nipple and cups will have limited water spillage.

READ ALSO: 3 Ways To Increase The Weight Of Pig

4. Quantity of the litter material
If litter content is applied liberally to a desired thickness, the litter can absorb moisture enough, making birds more relaxed and allowing them to display some of their natural behaviors, thus improving bird health, efficiency, climate, and welfare.

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Poultry Farming

LITTER MANAGEMENT IN POULTRY FARMING (1)

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INTRODUCTION

Proper Management is a vital key to a profitable poultry production business and an essential component of these is proper litter management. Every farmer willing to succeed in this business most find a way to master the act of proper liter management because it is the pre-cursor of many diseases on the farm but many farmers in Nigeria do not take it with the seriousness its deserves.

READ ALSO: Water Management in Poultry Production

Poultry litter is a mixture of poultry excreta, spilled feed, feathers, and material used as bedding in poultry operations. This term is also used to refer to unused bedding materials. Poultry litter is used in confinement buildings used for raising broilers, pullets, turkeys, cockerel and other birds. Birds raised on free range do not need to be provided with litter as they can easily roam about and move freely without any form of restriction. Common bedding materials include wood shavings, sawdust, peanut hulls, shredded sugar cane, straw, and other dry, absorbent, low-cost organic materials and processed paper. Sand is also occasionally used as bedding though not a common practice. The commonest ones in Nigeria is wood shavings because of its availability all through the year and the relatively cheap its command – it’s even free in many rural farming communities.

READ ALSO: Perfect Temperature for Brooding Chicks

Litter is an essential component in poultry production, because birds are exposed to the litter and its contents (microbes, moisture, ammonia, dust, odour, and texture) from the first day of life till cull or slaughter. It is instructive to note that Badly managed litter may and will facilitate the spread of certain infectious diseases, and also creates problems which may lead to serious economic losses on the part of the farmer. The “litter problems” have not yet been classified or identified specifically, since they are connected with other management problems as well. In essence, it may be difficult to strictly point to different types of litter problem in terms of classification because it is an all inclusive causality issues ranging from management to others.

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