THE REALITIES ABOUT POULTRY The Modern Farm - The Realities About Poultry_Seco | Page 90

The unrestricted free-ranging of poultry is often a problem. They trespass onto neighboring fields
and gardens, and are constantly at risk from predators. Confinement is often not practical because of
the cost of feed and fencing, while surveillance is only feasible where the very old or very young of
the household have time to help. Fencing of vegetable plots is in many cases the best option. Placing
more cocks in the village might reduce the movements of the chickens, as the cocks and hens of
each flock would keep more to their own territory. Cocks move within an eight-to-ten-house
territory, and hens within two or three houses.
Under the free-range system, the difference between the amounts of food gathered through
scavenging and the total food requirement for maximum production should be balanced with
nutrients supplied from supplementary feed. To make up a properly balanced supplement, it is
necessary to know the scavenger feed resource base and the composition of the crop contents. If
this is not known, it is recommended that the fowls have access (using a free-choice cafeteria
system) to three containers (or three compartments of a bamboo stem feeder of ingredients
comprising a protein concentrate, a carbohydrate source (for energy) and a mineral source (mainly
for calcium carbonate for egg shell formation for the hen).
Poultry should have free access to this cafeteria system for two to three hours in the evening to
supplement the day’s scavenging.
Poultry Pests and Diseases
What is a Disease?
A disease is any abnormal condition that impairs bodily functions in an organism.
Diseases can be characterized by specific symptoms and signs.
What is a Pest?
A pest is an organism with characteristics that people see as damaging or unwanted, as it harms
agriculture through feeding on crops or parasitizing livestock. An animal can also be a pest when it
causes damage to a wild ecosystem or carries germs. The term pest is used to refer specifically to
harmful animals but it also relates to all other harmful organisms, including fungi and viruses. It is
possible for an animal to be a pest in one setting but beneficial or domesticated in another.
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