GOOD MANAGEMENT PRACTICES FOR BACKYARD POULTRY FARMING
Dr. Amit Ranjan,
Technical Sales Manager – East India, AB Vista South Asia
Poultry rearing in backyard system is an age old practice adopted by resource poor farmers. It not only serves as an additional source of income but also provides the nutritive food to the family members. Often farmers are unable to get the desired profits and some time they have to suffer the loss. Farmers have to face the following problems:
- Heavy mortality during rearing
- No adequate growth and egg production
- Excessive mortality due to infectious diseases
- Lack of suitable breed for backyard system of farming and irregularity in the supply of chicks
- Lack of supply of technical inputs
- Lack of technical knowledge due to shortage of technical expert.
Following steps and measures are necessary to promote the backyard system of farming:
- Identify the key local farmer or poultry farmer as key communicator. Trained the key communicator in backyard system of farming so that he may be able to advise the farmers regarding rearing of chicks. Develop appropriate information centre for technical know-how necessary for backyard farming.
- Promote backyard farming in groups so that vaccination and other disease control measures can be adopted easily. Technical help will be easy to avail.
- Choose the appropriate breed which has the capacity to adjust in local environment and also able to protect from the predators.
- Use of local resources and indigenous techniques for rearing may help in reducing the mortality and other problems.
- It is very difficult to keep the birds in open areas as they may cause the destruction in the kitchen garden of neighbors. Hence these birds are to be confined in open areas also. Additional feed is required in the early part of rearing the chicks to bring down the mortality.
- Vaccination against infectious diseases, deworming and treatment of diseases with indigenous or cheaper medicines.
- Proper facility of marketing of poultry and poultry produce.
How to start backyard poultry?
Farmers must have a training first before starting backyard poultry farming. If training is not possible, collect the relevant information from the poultry expert in the area and make a complete plan which should be answerable to the following questions:
- Identify the breed to be reared.
- System and type of feed to be used.
- Facilities of chicks rearing and how to rear these chicks locally.
- Availability of technical inputs such as chick, vaccines, medicines and other infrastructure facilities
- Technical guidance
How to rear chicks in backyard system of farming?
After selecting the suitable breed, select the appropriate time (most favorable environment) i.e. September to November or March to June.
Separate arrangements are needed to rear the chicks in day and night time because chicks are kept in open during day time. A wooden box of 3x3x3 ft is sufficient for rearing 20-25 chicks for a period of 2-3 weeks. Open portion of the box should be on the top and should be covered with wire mesh or mosquito net. If electric supply is there, hang one bulb inside the box. Spread 2.5-5.0 cm layer of litter i.e. rice husk, saw dust or any other such material. Pen and jar made from plate and available plastic container of 2 liter capacity should be used as drinker. Locally wooden made feeder, 2-3 feet long, should be used. Litter can be covered with 3-4 layers of paper if possible. As first feed, give them rice kani, ground maize or wheat and if possible some quantity of poultry feed. In drinking water some sugar @ 8 percent. Leave the chicks in this box. Keep this box inside the house during night.
During day time keep the chicks in open area properly enclosed with wire mesh, or any enclosure made up of locally available material such as bamboo or wood etc. Some farmers use the cot covered with mosquito net for keeping their chick in open during day time. After one week, feed them kitchen waste, grains, rice polish and green vegetables. Vaccinate the chicks with Ranikhet disease vaccine at day old and 6 weeks of age and fowl pox vaccine at 8-10 weeks. With some scientific application, the chicks can be reared successfully. If birds are to be reared for egg production, sale all the male birds except 1 or 2 males after they achieve body weight of 1.5 kg or more. Wooden box should be used as nest box. Regular deworming should be done during egg production. Consult the poultry expert in case of any problems faced by the farmers.
Disease control & its checking:
Disease control in poultry:
Safeguarding a flock’s health and productivity requires a great deal of effort. Careful planning and management are necessary at all times, and a rigorous standard of sanitation must be constantly maintained. Even so, it is far easier and more profitable to prevent stress and disease than it is to treat them once they occur. Some important disease control practices that should be followed regularly on poultry farms.
Isolation: All units of the farm, including the hatchery, feed mill, poultry houses and slaughter house should be isolated from one another. Use of the all-in, all-out system (single-age flock) is recommended. Where this is not possible, the farm should be divided into functional but quarantinable units. Proper distance between farms is essential to reduce the risk of diseases transmission.
Housing and equipments:
Houses should be properly ventilated so that heat, dust and ammonia fumes do not build up. They should be rodents-proof and screened to exclude wild bird species. Walls and floors should be easy to wash and disinfect.
Feeders and watererers should also be easy todisinfect and their design should allow medication to be added to their contents so that birds may be quickly treated when need be
Lime stone powder at the entry:
Water bath at entry point
Personnel practices:
Personnel should be made aware of their potential role as disease transmitters. Such diseases as Marek’s disease, Newcastle disease, fowl cholera, fowl typhoid, infectious bronchitis and parasitism caused by lice, some worms, coccidian and mites may be spread by contaminated hands, shoes and clothing. Therefore, at the very least, caretakers should shower and change to clean clothing before beginning their shifts.
Ideally, all who enter poultry houses and hatcheries, including visitors, should wear protective coveralls, footwear and caps. Separate protective gear should be worm for each flock and hands should be disinfected before entering there.
It flocks of different ages have to be handled by the same caretaker; the youngest birds should be handled first.
Outdoor Sanitation and indoor sanitation:
The ground around all poultry buildings should be kept in sanitary condition through regular and frequent cleaning. It is especially important to eliminate debris that attracts insects and rodents. Spray of disinfectant inside and out side of the poultry house often helps in disease control programme
Proper Carcass Disposal:
Dead birds should be burnt or buried deep to avoid contamination of the environment and dissemination of disease.
Cleaning of house:
When a house is depopulated, litter should be removed and the house thoroughly cleaned. Walls, floors and equipment must be as free as possible of organic matter before a disinfectant is used. Disinfectants applied to soil encrusted surfaces are ineffective and wasted, for they are inactivated by the organic matter and never reach the infection.
Water sanitation: Water gastrointestinal problems may be traced to water supplies that have been contaminated by fecal and nasal discharges or other sources of pathogens. Shallow water supplies are especially susceptible to contamination. To control potentially harmful levels of bacteria, Chlorine and other sanitizers may be added to the drinking water. There are several automatic chlorinators available whose use maintains a satisfactory level of chlorinators available whose use maintains a satisfactory level of chlorine in the water 1-2 ppm is adequate Remember, however, that the sanitizer must be neutralized whenever a live virus vaccine is to be administered through the drinking water. To maintain the efficacy of the vaccine, add 100g of dried skim milk as a virus protectant, to each 40 liters of water in which the vaccine will be diluted. Next add the vaccine. Thoroughly mix the preparation before presenting it to the birds.
Water quality:
All water contains dissolved and suspended substances which, depending on their concentration, may affect a flock’s health and productivity. Given below are the maximum acceptable levels of some constituents of the poultry water supply.
Total dissolved solids 1000ppm
Nitrates 20ppm
Sulfates 150ppm
Sodium chloride (growing birds) 300ppm
Sodium chloride (laying birds) 600ppm
Water that is excessively acid or alkaline will adversely affect the birds. The acceptable pH range is from 6.4 to 8.0.
Stress Prevention:
Stress lowers a flock’s productivity and increases its susceptibility to disease. While some causes of stress are inevitable – debeaking, vaccination, and moving birds to new pens, for example—others may be eliminated by careful daily management. High concentrations of ammonia, improper lighting, faulty brooder stoves and irregular feeding schedules, for example, are but a few of the many possible stressors that the conscious poultry man can avoid.
Hatchery sanitation:
A hatchery should be amply isolated from such sources of poultry pathogens as processing plants, feed mills and poultry farms Access should be limited to personnel who have showered and changed into protective clothing, caps and footwear. The ventilation system should be capable of filtering dust and contaminants from the air. Of paramount importance, walls floors and equipment must be kept scrupulously clean at all times, and thoroughly disinfected and fumigated between hatches. The sanitary status of the hatchery may be monitored by culturing fluff samples dust samples and interior surfaces.
Flock Monitoring:
Flock development:
Flock development should be closely monitored and written records maintained of weekly body weight gain and daily consumption of feed and water.
Immunity monitoring:
Routine serology may be used to monitor or profile a flock’s immunity status and to map the presence or absence of certain microbial pathogens and their antigenic characteristics. Vaccine and vaccination programme can then be tailored to the needs of the producers or the specific geographical area.
Vaccination programmes and Procedures:
There are many types of vaccines and many vaccination programmes. There is no general programme that is suited for all areas of the world or all situations. Instead, each programme must be designed to meet the needs of the individual farm taking into consideration the factors mentioned below:
Disease prevalent in the area:
Consult with local poultry and or poultry pathologists to determine the incidence of disease and advisability of the vaccinating against infectious diseases. Be aware that most vaccines contain live organisms. Therefore a given vaccine should not be introduced into areas where the corresponding disease or viral strains have not been reported.
Flock history:
Before establishing vaccination plans, determine which disease have been reported on the farm. The results of routine serological tests, if available, can reveal a flock’s immunity status and guide the design of the vaccination programme.
Brooding schedule:
If flocks of different ages are being reared on the premises, select a vaccination programme that will reduce the spread of live viruses to susceptible birds. Vaccinate all birds at a time if possible.
Age of birds:
Most vaccine should be administered no later than one month before birds start to lay. Some vaccines are contra-indicated to young birds.
Type of birds:
Broilers need only short term immunity, so that one vaccination may be sufficient to protect them until they reach market age. Laying and breeding birds require a vaccination programme that provides protection throughout the growing and laying period.
Condition of flock: t is inadvisable to vaccinate a flock that shows signs of respiratory infection or heavy infestation with internal or external parasites. The stress of such conditions may result in severe post vaccination reactions.
For effective vaccination results, a maximum number of takes and minimum post vaccination reactions keep the guidelines in mind mentioned below:
Administration of antibiotics:
As a result of reactions, stress and lowered feed consumption that accompany the vaccination process, birds are in a weakened condition. Increase susceptibility to outbreaks of disease is a constant vaccination hazard. For this reason, it is a common practice to keep the flocks on high level of antibiotic-fortified feeds or drinking water for a few days before and after vaccination.
Handling and storage of vaccines:
Follow all recommendations made by the manufacturer. Mix vaccines just before they are to be used. If possible, mix them away from the poultry flocks. Ideally, the person responsible for mixing and administering the vaccine should not handle the birds. Avoid spilling the vaccine or contaminating the hands or cloth with them. Carelessness may cause unnecessary reactions and spread, rather than prevent disease. Always store the vaccines according to the manufacture’s instructions. The viruses contained in the vaccine may survive for a reasonable time at room temperature, but prolonged exposure to heat will destroy them and making the vaccine worthless.
Administration procedures:
Arrange for full crew to facilitate rapid handling of the flock. The longer birds are under the stress of handling, the more severe post vaccination reactions are apt to be. However, do not rush through the vaccination procedure. Work quickly, but do not sacrifice accuracy and thoroughness in order to vaccinate a few additional birds per hour. Use inoculation sites and vaccination procedure recommended by the manufacturer.
General cautions:
Do not mix two or more vaccines unless such combinations are recommended by the manufacturer or poultry pathologist.
Destroy all unused vaccine. Do not save “left over” vaccine for use the following day as its immunizing power may be significantly reduced overnight. Empty bottles, needles and other equipment should also be destroyed or disinfected.
Do not try to “stretch” vaccines. They are the least expensive part of the vaccination procedure. Using less than the recommended dosage is false and dangerous economy that may lead to vaccination outbreaks.
Vaccination schedule of layers
Age vaccination Quantity/administration
Day 1 Marek’s disease vaccine 0.2 ml S/C (by hatchery)
First week Ranikhet disease vaccine one drop in eye/nostril
Drop method
12-14 day Gumboro vaccine 1 one drop in eye
(plus/hot strain) Drop method
16-18 day I.B.H./H.P.S. vaccine 3 0.2 ml S/C
21-24 day Infectious bronchitis vaccine drinking water
28 day Ranikhet disease vaccine drinking water
35-40 day Gumboro vaccine drinking water
Intermediate strain
6 week Fowl pox vaccine 0.2 ml in wing web
8 -10 week R2 B vaccine 0.5 ml I/M
12-13 week Fowl pox vaccine 0.2 ml in wing web puncture
13-14 week Infectious bronchitis vaccine drinking water
1- If Gumboro disease is not prevalent in the area, intermediate strain of the vaccine can be used in place of hot/plus strain.
- If lichi /IBH is prevalent in the area, vaccinate the birds at 6-7 days.
- After 40 weeks repeat Lasota vaccine at an interval of 3 moths.
Vaccination in broilers
Age vaccination Quantity/administration
Day 1 Marek’s disease vaccine 0.2 ml S/C (by hatchery)
First week Ranikhet disease vaccine 3 one drop in eye/nostril Drop method
12-14 day Gumboro vaccine 1 one drop in eye (plus/hot strain) Drop method
16-18 day I.B.H./H.P.S. vaccine 2 0.2 ml S/C
21-24 day Infectious bronchitis vaccine 3drinking water
28 day Ranikhet disease vaccine 3 drinking water
1- If Gumboro disease is prevalent in the area, intermediate strain of the vaccine can be used 1-2 weeks after hot/plus strain vaccination.
2- If lichi/IBH is prevalent in the area, vaccinate the birds at 6-7 days of age.
3- If combine Ranikhet and infectious bronchitis disease vaccine is available, this vaccine can be used in first day (at farm) and 28 days.
If the vaccine is to be given in water the following points should be taken into consideration:
- Quantity of water used should be consumed in 1 hour.
- Do not add water sanitizer or medicine in water. For increasing the activity of vaccine for longer duration add dry milk powder @ 100 gm/ 40 liter of water. Add ice to make water cold. If possible give half quantity of vaccine should be given in the beginning and rest after half an hour.
3.Vaccination schedule can be changed depending upon the local conditions and prevalence of diseases in consultation with poultry expert.
Controlling disease outbreaks:
Although disease may occur in a poultry flock despite the most rigorous disease prevention programme, losses caused by these outbreaks can often be minimized by taking quick decisive action.
Begin by identifying the cause of the disease as soon as possible. Treatment without this knowledge will likely be expensive and ineffective. But don’t rush through the necropsy of a few birds in an attempt to diagnose a disease condition. Instead, enlist the assistance of reliable diagnostic laboratory and start to gather information about the flock’s health history that the laboratory pathologists will need in order to do their work. These background data are best presented to the laboratory in the form of a flock history record card.
The flock history:
An accurate and complete flock history is an important as the quality of the bird sample submitted to the laboratory for diagnosis. So, important, in fact, that an experienced pathologist can sometimes arrive at a presumptive diagnosis on the basis of the clinical signs and their onset.
However, many disease problems are caused by management errors which your own careful investigations can uncover. For example, if all or part of a brood suddenly dies, yet other pens in the same house show a more normal mortality rate, do not rule out the possibility that a faulty heating unit is to blame for chilling, overheating or asphyxiating the chicks, Noticing the mortality pattern and checking the condition of the brooder stoves may reveal more about the source of the problem than the most carefully conducted post mortem examination or laboratory test.
For this reason, when disease strikes, take an unhurried walk through the brooding, rearing or laying pens. Watch for sections of old, damp or moldy litter; the overcrowding of birds; roosts with sharp edges and stuck valves on automatic water fountains.
General Measures:
When immediate identification of the cause of the disease is not possible, several general measures may be taken until a definite diagnosis and method of treatment are obtained.
Correct any poor management practices that you discover overcrowding, dirty waterers, poor ventilation and the like.
Promptly remove any dead or moribund birds and dispose of them properly—either through incineration or deep burial.
Immediately enforce an isolation program to prevent contact between healthy and affected flocks or farms.
A broad spectrum antibiotic may be added to the feed or water. Administration through the water is preferred because sick birds will often drink even though they may not eat.
Preparing specimens for the laboratory: It is advisable to bring to the diagnostic laboratory live birds showing typical signs of the disease, as well as those that have recently died. The birds should be accompanied by someone familiar with the farm operation and who is caring a completed flock history form. If the birds are to be shipped unaccompanied to the laboratory, make certain that the flock history card is attached to the container and that you have also included and account of the events preceding the outbreak of the disease.
Select 3 to 5 live, mature birds or half a dozen chicks or poults and place them in well ventilated shipping creates or a sturdy box (Place an ample supply of moist mash at the bottom of the container if the birds are going to be in transit for more than 10 or 12 hours.
Wrap carcasses, if they are to be submitted, in heavy duty wax paper or several layers of newspaper to prevent seepage. Put the wrapped birds in a waterproof container and in turn, place this container in a large box filled with dry ice or a combination of regular ice and sawdust.
Diseased tissues should be packed in small, large mouthed plastic containers that have been filled with 10% neutral formalin. The containers must have tight fitting lids. Blood samples should be shipped as soon after drawing as possible preferably in a closed, refrigerated carrying case. Do not use dry ice for such samples. Preferably, remove serum from blood samples and send in separate tubes that have been appropriately identified. Serum sample may be frozen for better conservation.
Performing the postmortem examination
Have the following equipment ready:
- Sharp knife, Scissors- one or two pairs (one with a blunt point)
*Postmortem shears or a pair of bone cutters. - Plastic trash bags in which to deposit carecasses.
- Solution to clean and disinfect instruments, hands and footwear
*Bucket or hot water, soap and paper towels.
*Wide-mouthed plastic containers filled with 10% neutral formalin for lab specimens, plastic test tubes for blood collection, if necessary - Small table of comfortable height for performing the postmortem examination
Initial procedures: If live birds are selected for examination, spend some time observing them for active signs of disease. Are there signs of lamensess that might suggest inflammation of the joints or are you dealing with an isolated case of bumble foot? Does a check of the feathers reveal lice, red or gray mites? Is the bird in good flesh or is it extremely thin and light? (A sick bird in good flesh is probably suffering from an acute infection) Can you detect respiratory signs? Does it have difficulty breathing? Can you hear a rattle or mucus click (rales)? Can you squeeze fluid from the nostrils? Are there nervous signs that accompany the signs of a “cold”? These signs and others may held you differentiate between similar respiratory diseases.
After checking for external signs of disease, take a 2-3 ml blood sample by heart puncture in case the lab later needs to do serologic testing.
Destroying the bird:
The best way to sacrifice the bird is to dislocate the neck without breaking the skin; this is a humane method that prevents spilling blood.
Hold the bird’s legs and wing tips in your left hand and rest this hand on your left hip. Grasp the chicken’s head with your right hand, placing it between the index and middle fingers. Now bend the head where the neck joins it, the back of the head against your palm. Stretch the head in a straight, downward direction until you feel the separation of the neck at the point where it joins the skull. The left hand should remain at the hip during t he entire operation. At the moment of separation or severing of the spinal cord, the bird will try to flap its wings violently. The bird may either be held in the hand until these movements cease, or it may be placed in a closed container to confine it until its reflex movements have stopped.
The Necropsy procedure:
- Lay the bird on its back and cut through one lateral commissure of the mouth and examine the oral cavity for any sign of lesions. Continue the cut through one lateral commissure of the mouth and examine the oral cavity for any sign of lesions. Continue the cut through the skin of the neck into the crop. Examine the esophagus, trachea and crop. Remove the trachea or leave it in place, but open it to examine its mucosal epithelium.
- With the appropriate scissors, make a transverse cut of the beak cutting through the nostrils. This will allow inspection of the nasal cavity and will expose the anterior end of the infra orbital sinuses. Culture the sinuses if indicated.
- Cut the loose skin on the inside of each thigh, breaking the legs away from the body to disarticulate the hip joints.
- Cut into the skin around the abdomen. Strip the skin back over the breast muscles, sternum and crop, and also over the thinghs Look for any hemorrhages or abnormal appearance on the breast and thigh muscles.
*Using the postmortem shears, cut through the abdominal cavity and rib cage and into the clavicle bones. Remove the breast as one piece away from the rest of the body. Observe the thoracic air sacs as they are torn during removal.
*You now have a view of the heart, liver, gizzard, intestine, abdominal air sacs and portions of the thoracic air sacs. Without touching, examine these organs and tissues for evidence of lesions. Using sterile instruments, take any swabs desired for culturing. Searing an area of any organ may be necessary for taking a tissue sample for culturing. The spleen can be exposed aseptically by lifting t he left side of the gizzard. Take culture samples of any organ or tissue before any handling to reduce the risk of contamination. Take intestinal culture.
Post mortem of dead birds:
- As you push the intestines to the right or left of the body cavity, the
- abdominal sacs can be observed. Slowly unravel the loops of intestine. Examine the pancreas. Observe the genitalia (Ovaries or testes). Examine the ureters and kidneys in situ. If indicated, remove them for closer examination.
- Remove and examine the heart. Observe the lungs and remove them for closer examination, if necessary. At this time, the vagus nerve (runs alongside the proventriculus) may be examined.
- With the blunt-end scissors, make a longitudinal incision through the gizzard and proventriculus. Observe their mucosa and junction. Sever the anterior portion of the duodenum from the gizzard. Carefully examine the outside of the intestines and ceca for evidence of coccidial lesions, blackhead, or ulcerative enteritis.
- Slit open the entire length of the intestine. Look for coccidia, inflammatory, hemorrhagic, necrotic or ulcerative lesions and presence of parasites.
- Examine the appearance and size of the bursa of Fabricius (BF) and observe it closely and cut it open to examine it internally.
- If neural Marek’s disease is suspected, both branchial plexuses and sciatic nerves should be examined. The sciatic nerve may be located by cutting the thin, triangle shaped muscle that lies on the inner surface of the thigh. The thin nerve strand runs parallel to the muscle and in close proximity to the major blood vessels of the leg. The nerve should be traced back into the abdominal cavity and followed under the middle lobe of the kidney close to its origin in the spinal cord.
The sciatic nerves on both legs should be exposed and compared as to color, size, and the presence of striations along the surface of the nerve. A healthy nerve is white in color and striated, in contrast to the yellow, non striated diseased nerve. Affected nerves are usually several times the size of normal nerves. Some, however, must be examined microscopically in order to detect lesions.
The brachial nerves, which innervate the muscles of the wing, are located close to the juncture of the wing and the body. They may be affected in birds with paralyzed wings. The vagus nerve runs along the neck (it originates close to the brain), enters the chest cavity, and runs parallel and to the side of the proventriculus. Respiratory signs, and paralysis of t he crop and other parts of the digestive system may be observed if this nerve is diseased.
Compiled & Shared by- Team, LITD (Livestock Institute of Training & Development)
Image-Courtesy-Google
Reference-On Request.
