#Kenyan poultry farming
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Do You Want to Cut Your Poultry Feed Cost? Here is A Comprehensive Guide
Discover how Kenyan poultry farmers can cut down on high poultry feed costs and boost productivity with homemade chicken feed solutions. Learn more in our detailed guide! Explore the struggles of Kenyan poultry farmers facing high feed costs and uncover practical, cost-effective strategies for making high-quality chicken feed at home. Read now! Learn how to overcome the high costs of chicken feedâŚ
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The plight of Kenya's jobless youth: A story of hope and despair.
By Emmanuel Okiru, 17 November 2023
Kenya is facing a serious challenge of youth unemployment, which affects millions of young people who are either out of work or stuck in low-quality and informal jobs. According to the World Bank, the youth unemployment rate in Kenya was 13.35 percent in 2022, among the highest in the world. The situation is worse in urban areas, where the youth unemployment rate was 19.1 percent in 2009, the latest year for which data is available.
The causes of youth unemployment are complex and multifaceted, ranging from a slow-growing economy, a mismatch between the skills of the labor force and the demands of the market, a lack of access to capital and credit, and a high population growth rate that outstrips the creation of new jobs. Moreover, the COVID-19 pandemic has exaggerated the problem, as many businesses have closed down or reduced their operations, leading to massive layoffs and income losses.
However, despite all these, there are also stories of hope and resilience among the Kenyan youth who are trying to overcome the barriers and create opportunities for themselves and others. Some of them have benefited from various initiatives and programs that aim to provide them with skills, training, mentorship and funding to start and grow their own businesses or find decent employment.
One such program is the Youth Enterprise Development Fund (YEDF), which was established by the government in 2006 to support youth entrepreneurship and innovation. The fund offers loans, grants and business development services to youth groups and individuals who have viable business ideas or existing enterprises. According to the fund's website, over 12 billion Kenyan shillings has been disbursed to more than 1.4 million youth since its inception.
One of the beneficiaries of the YEDF is Mary Wanjiku, a 24-year-old who runs a poultry farm in Kiambu County. She started her business in 2019 with 100 chicks, after receiving a loan of 50,000 shillings from the fund. She has since expanded her farm to 500 birds and sells eggs and chicken to local hotels and supermarkets. She has also employed two other young people to help her with the daily operations.
"I am very grateful to the YEDF for giving me this opportunity to start and grow my business. It has changed my life and given me a sense of purpose and dignity. I am able to support myself and my family, and also create jobs for other youth in my community," this is what she had to say in an interview with the Kenyan disclosure team.
This is just an example of how some Kenyan youth are coping with the challenge of unemployment and how some programs are trying to address it. However, there is still a lot that needs to be done to create more and better opportunities for the millions of young people who are still struggling to find their place in the society and the economy.
YEDF Testimonial video. Source: https://m.facebook.com/StateHouseKenya/videos/short-video-youth-enterprise-development-fund-yedf-beneficiaries/891250118940038/?locale=ms_MY
Photo gallery depicting the state of Unemployment in Kenya.
Kenyan youth protesting over increased unemployment. Source; Business Daily Newspaper, 2020.
Jobseekers wait to hand in their documents during recruitment at County Hall in Nairobi
Source; Nation Media Group, 2019.
Job seekers queuing for interviews in Nairobi. Source; The East African Newspaper.
Kenyan doctors protest against unemployment. Source; https://www.aa.com.tr
Unemployment rate in Kenya over the years.
The graphs below give a clear depiction of Kenya's state of employment over the years;
Source: <a href='https://www.macrotrends.net/countries/KEN/kenya/unemployment-rate'>Source</a>
Unemployment rate in Kenya from Q3 2019 to Q4 2022. Source; https://www.statista.com/statistics/1134370/unemployment-rate-in-kenya/
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Mercy never planned to become a farmer. During high school, she dreamed of going to college and getting a professional job. But, she couldn't afford tuition.
At 19, she married her husband, Robert, and soon settled down to raise their four children in Bomet, Kenya.
She planted a small plot of corn to help make ends meet. Unfortunately, her husbandâs small business was not enough to cover their needs. And with little rain, her corn barely grew.
Mercy persisted, planting kale on a small piece of land in the backyard. Without irrigation, she would carry heavy buckets of water to and fro, trying her best to make it all work. It was excruciating labor.
ââIt was hard work carrying the jerry cans since my water source is a bit far and uphill. I used to get muscle aches all the time, especially when I combined irrigating the farm with other heavy house chores.â
âThen, she received an irrigation pump.Mercy quickly planted beans and cabbage. Borrowing pipes from a neighbor, she was able to connect the pump to a distant water source.
âFrom her first sale of cabbage, she earned a whopping 50,000 Kenyan shillings (worth nearly $500 USD).
âKeep in mind, that most rural farmers in Kenya earn $150 USD in an ENTIRE YEAR. She did all this in one harvest.
She took 30,000 KS and invested in a poultry business, which she says is doing well.
â"I did not know there were pumps that small farmers like me could use and irrigate. For me, only big farms did irrigation with enormous machines. The few people I had seen irrigate around here were just using buckets."
ââMercy wanted to ensure you knew how grateful she is for the irrigation pump and training. And share that her children no longer help on her farm. Now, her extra income is keeping them in school. She said, "Now, they can focus on their studies."
Mercy is not an outlier. She's one of the thousands of farmers who have increased their harvest by 400% with access to an affordable irrigation pump, designed for farmers like her.
Thank you so much for seeing her potential. And giving thousands of people like her, a pathway out of poverty. We are so grateful you are part of our community.
This July we're rallying our community to respond to the urgent food crisis affecting millions of people in the Horn of Africa.
Just $10 will help a farmer feed one person in Kenya. We would love your help!
To help more farmers, like Mercy, please join our Hunger Campaign here: www.theadventureproject.org/hunger
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Kienyeji chicken masala. Ingredients - Chicken Kienyeji -Curd Milk Or Plain Yogurt -Cooking Oil -Tumeric -Paprika -Black Pepper -Garam Masala -Beef Masala -Salt -Ginger & Garlic. Kienyeji chicken is very different in flavour and texture from the broilers. It is tougher and hence Add the chicken masala powder.
Chicken masala recipe is one of the basic chicken recipes from Indian cuisine. This chicken masala goes great with rice, roti, naan or paratha. We sell Kienyeji Chicken and Ducks to improve poultry farming inductry in Kenya- KARI, Kienyeji, Indigenous and Kuroiler We have been getting a lot of questions on rearing chicken, therefore we.
Hello everybody, it's Louise, welcome to my recipe page. Today, I will show you a way to make a distinctive dish, kienyeji chicken masala. It is one of my favorites. This time, I'm gonna make it a bit tasty. This will be really delicious.
Ingredients - Chicken Kienyeji -Curd Milk Or Plain Yogurt -Cooking Oil -Tumeric -Paprika -Black Pepper -Garam Masala -Beef Masala -Salt -Ginger & Garlic. Kienyeji chicken is very different in flavour and texture from the broilers. It is tougher and hence Add the chicken masala powder.
Kienyeji chicken masala is one of the most well liked of recent trending meals on earth. It's appreciated by millions daily. It's simple, it is quick, it tastes yummy. Kienyeji chicken masala is something that I have loved my entire life. They are nice and they look wonderful.
To begin with this particular recipe, we must first prepare a few components. You can cook kienyeji chicken masala using 11 ingredients and 8 steps. Here is how you cook it.
The ingredients needed to make Kienyeji chicken masala:
{Take 3 tbs of cooking oil.
{Take 3 of large onions.
{Make ready 1 tsp of crushed garlic.
{Make ready 4 of large tomatoes blanched and chopped.
{Take 5 tbs of tomato paste.
{Get 2 tbs of garam masala.
{Get 2 tbs of curry powder.
{Get 1 tsp of oregano.
{Prepare 1/2 cup of water.
{Take 1 of large kienyeji chicken cut into pieces and boiled.
{Get 1 bunch of dhania.
Kienyeji chicken also known as indigenous chicken are the free range chicken that are mostly kept in the rural and peri-urban areas. Kienyeji Chicken Brooding and Chicken Placement. This Kienyeji Chicken Farming Manual is recommended not just for individual farmers planning to venture into Kienyeji Chicken farming but. Hellow This is my simplest way of making a kienyeji chicken.
Steps to make Kienyeji chicken masala:
Add the cooking oil and onions into the sauce pan and turn on your heat..
Fry until softened and add the crushed garlic. Stir and let it fry until golden brown..
Then add the tomatoes, stir and cover to let them soften..
Then add the tomato paste, garam masala, curry powder and oregano and give it a stir..
Add the water and let it simmer for about 5 minutes..
Then add the chicken and stir. Cover and let it simmer for another 5 minutes..
Turn off your heat and add the dhania..
Serve when still hot to accompany rice..
Below are all the ingredients I have used. Mboga Kienyeji, Kuku Kienyeji, Organic Smoothies and so much more! Karibu Kwa Mama Kienyeji - Welcome. We are the home of Authentic & Organic Kenyan Food, packaged and delivered to you at. Meet your new favorite spice blend!
So that's going to wrap this up with this special food kienyeji chicken masala recipe. Thank you very much for your time. I'm sure that you will make this at home. There is gonna be more interesting food at home recipes coming up. Don't forget to save this page on your browser, and share it to your family, friends and colleague. Thanks again for reading. Go on get cooking!
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Makao Bora
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Norwich Union House, the skycrapper in CBD owned by ordinary chama members
At the corner of Kimathi Street in Nairobi, right opposite the Hilton Hotel stands a nine-storey building. The skyscraper forms one of the landmarks of the central business district.
To tenants, the Norwich Union House is a place where they get their plate of chips from a fast food joint on the ground floor. Better still, where they browse the internet from the cybercafĂŠs on the top floors.
But to members of the Norwich Union Properties Ltd (NUP), the multi-million-shilling structure is a dream borne of group effort âor what Kenyans popularly know as chama.
NUPâs success story goes back to 1996, when 33 visionary individuals came together to form Critical Mass Growth group (CMG). At the time, the outfit was an investment group like any other. They did what every small group does. Met once a week to deliberate on different development ideas and summed up discussions with weekly contributions of Sh10,000.
A year on, members realised that the contributions were sizeable. This called for a decision on what to do with the money that they were banking every week. It is at this time that the group decided to transform the chama into a company. In 1997, it was incorporated just after the group landed an investment opportunity which gave it the name â Norwich Union.
âWe had the chance of purchasing Norwich Union House and since one of the areas we wanted to venture in was real estate, we made it our trademark,â says Michael Maina, general manager of NUP.
NUP stayed true to its vision and today, they own three more properties worth Sh1.2 billion in Nairobi â Libra House on Mombasa Road, Ratna Apartments in Lavington and Southern Credit House in the CBD.
NUP has since become a public company which is selling a share at Sh10 with a minimum limit of 1,000 shares. They will be listing at the NSE soon, says Maina.
The original chama â CMG Ltd also runs CMG investment Ltd, an alternative investment company established in 1998. However, members no longer make contributions. Instead, they conduct rights issues. The group membership now stands at 78, but this group remains private and only NUP is open to the public who are allowed to buy shares from the company.
The story of growing investments from group synergy is not limited to CMG. Rather it is an approach used by one in every three Kenyans to generate wealth, according to statistics from the Kenya Association of Investment groups.
 �� According to Josephine Njuguna, marketing and product development officer at Bank of Africa (BOA), chamas, or investing as a group, help people realise their goals quicker as opposed to going it alone.Â
BOA is among financial institutions with tailor-made products for such groups. The bank pioneered the service three years ago.
âThe product was developed when its innovators recognised the need to offer assistance to chamas,â said Ms Njuguna. The support is to help them achieve their investment dreams. Â
BOA today takes pride in having 4,000 active chama accounts worth billions of shillings. The bank offers investment groups value additions which include monthly expertsâ advice clinics and easy credit facilities.
âOur goal is to make sure they (groups) interact with like-minded people and make progress in their individual lives,â added Ms Njuguna.
Other financial institutions that are seeing the huge financial potential in such groups are Rafiki DTM, an affiliate of Chase Bank, KCB, Barclays Bank and Co-operative Bank.
Banks are more cognisant of the fact that chamas have grown beyond their informality â where groups meet at homes and paid money into informal revolving funds; to bankable groups with large sums of money at their disposal.
Manyatta Fresh Self-Help Group from Kisumu is an example of a small group that has transitioned from a womenâs âmerry-go-round groupâ where women give money to one or two members for household purchases to a profitable formal cluster.
Well aware of the poverty around them, the women from Manyatta slums made up their minds to change their destiny. In a group of 12, they made weekly contributions of Sh100 each which they later increased to Sh200 in order to grow capital.
âAfter a while, we took part of our savings and put it in a poultry business and that boosted our bank savings to Sh75,000,â says Akinyi Owiti, the groupâs chairlady.
  The women topped up the savings with a Sh50,000 loan from Women Enterprise for agribusiness and started quail farming.
After one and half years, they saw another opportunity in real estate. Ms Owiti donated her idle plot for the construction of rental houses. They also bought additional land on which they are planning to build more houses. Their other assets include two cybercafĂŠs and a tailoring business. The group asset today stands at about Sh1 million.
Manyatta Fresh recently began lending members money after years of strict saving.
âWe had to first grow in asset before we could enjoy from our toil,â says Ms Owiti. Another flourishing investor, Lee Karuri, holds the same opinion and advises groups to reinvest any gains instead of draining the accounts.
âKeep ploughing back profits to avoid depleting the funds you have accrued until you can comfortably afford to give out dividends to members,â advises Karuri. Itâs only recently that members of his investment group â Home Afrika received dividends. Their take has always been to reinvest whatever profits they made.
Mr Karuri is the founder Home Afrika, a real estate investment group with a PanAfrican agenda of housing millions of Africans. Karuri and his friends floated the idea of contributing for an ambitious investment opportunity to the public.
âWhen we started, a share was going for Sh2 million with a limit of five shares per member. Those interested either purchased as a group, family or individual,â said Mr Karuri in an interview with Business Daily newspaper.
Their initial target was 49 investors, but more people showed interest. Instead of raising Sh200 million, they got Sh350 million from 128 investors.
Home Afrika later formalised operations in 2009. Five years later, they took a leap, becoming the first fully-fledged real estate company to be listed at the NSE. Today, the companyâs worth is Sh9 billion based on market capitalisation.
Migaa Golf and Country Club, an exclusive gated community with an 18-hole golf course, Kikwetu in Machakos, Lakeview in Kisumu and Longonot Gate, a holiday home at the foothills of Mt Longonot are some of its assets. According to Mr Karuri, sound leadership, clear vision, integrity and trust are the ingredients of the groupâs success.
âWherever there is focused leadership, there is growth,â he said.
He also advises groups to be professional and shun the friendship approach that first got them together.
âRemove informality and run the group formally as a company,â Mr Karuri added. Incorporating the group into a company, soliciting the services of experts and drafting a strategy are other important elements for a successful outfit.
  Read the whole story on Business Daily
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Why Ruto's Bungoma Mentee in Poultry Farming Wants Govt to Boost Sector
Why Rutoâs Bungoma Mentee in Poultry Farming Wants Govt to Boost Sector
(Melpha Poultry Farm Director Lendrix Waswa. PHOTO CREDIT/COURTESY) A man mentored by Deputy President William Ruto has asked the government to support poultry farming in Kenya. Mr. Lendrix Waswa who runs Melpa Poultry Farm, has cited that the lucrative sector is fighting stiff competition from the Ugandan counterparts whose lower prices have been undermining the success of the Kenyan sector. InâŚ
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Why urban migrants understate how much they earn
Tall tales of the city Why urban migrants understate how much they earn
And why this harms rural folk
SOME COUNTRY folk do not understand what life is like in town, says Roda Radido, who lives in Nairobi, the Kenyan capital. She is right. Rural Kenyans typically have no idea how much better off they would be if they moved to a city. A survey by Travis Baseler of the University of Rochester found that people in western Kenya guessed that the average worker in Nairobi earns about twice as much as the average worker in Bungoma, a small town near the border with Uganda. In fact, the Nairobian makes four times as much. Urban Kenyan incomes are higher even after accounting for costlier rent and rood, and even when comparing wages in similar jobs.
Why do rural folk underestimate the rewards of working in a city? Many respondents had relatives who had worked in Nairobi, who could easily have told them. Yet for some reason they did not. When Mr Baseler surveyed migrants in the capital, nine out of ten said their loved ones back home did not know how much they were earning.
Ms Radido understands why. She and her husband moved to Nairobi when he found work on a poultry farm on the cityâs outskirts. Now the relatives she left behind in western Kenya pester her whenever they need a bit of cash. It is a common problem, and makes urban migrants cagey about their wages. âPeople in the city do not want to expose the kind of money they have,â she says, for fear they will be overwhelmed by requests for help.
In Mr Baselerâs survey, 61% of urban migrants strongly agreed that they would be asked to send back more money if their real incomes were known. Mr Baseler also spoke to the family and friends of migrants. Parents thought that their children in the city were only making half as much as they actually were.
In a working paper Mr Baseler suggests ways in which this economy with the truth is harmful. Because villagers never hear the true benefits of migration, they stay at home and forgo a big pay rise. In an experiment to test this idea, he presented rural households with true information about the average income in cities, food prices and wages in typical jobs. Two years later migration to Nairobi from these households was 33% higher than from a control group, which was told nothing.
City streets are not paved with gold, of course. Newcomers often huddle in overcrowded slums. Linda Adhiambo Oucho of the African Migration and Development Policy Centre, a think-tank in Nairobi, says that many migrants are surprised by the hardships of urban life, including the high costs of rent, transport and electricity. Some families even send food from the village to struggling relatives in town.
However, only a quarter of the migrants whom Mr Baseler surveyed said that their quality of life was lower in the city than at home. Over half said that it had improved. Moving to the city brings fresh opportunities, as well as guilt-inducing phone calls from needy relatives.â
This article appeared in the Middle East and Africa section of the print edition under the headline "Tall tales of the city"
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How to Start a Profitable Poultry Farming Business in Kenya.
How to Start a Profitable Poultry Farming Business in Kenya.
Chicken stew, fried chicken, boiled eggs, and fried eggs. What crosses your mind at the mention of such chicken products? Two words, delicious and yummy, right?
Kenyans love everything about chicken delicacies. They would give an arm and a leg to have chicken delivered to their house from KFC, JAVA, and the likes. And, need I mention that eggs have also now become part of every delicacy.
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CHICKEN POULTRY FARMINGÂ
There are many types of poultry farming in Kenya where one can earn a decent living. Embarking on chicken farming is a good profitable idea This article will talk more about poultry farming in Kenya. Broiler and layer poultry are used for commercial meat and egg production respectively. However, there are numerous world-famous meat and egg-producing poultry breeds available. It is important to select proper breeds according to your desired production. For commercial egg production choose highly productive layer breeds that are suitable for farming in the Kenyan environment. In the case of meat production select highly meat producing broiler poultry breeds.
Housing
The ideal house should provide the birds with a comfortable environment and protect them from the extremities of the prevailing climate (rain, wind, sunshine, etc). the house should provide adequate space for the flock to be kept in the house. The ideal stocking density is two square feet per bird (2 foot²/bird).
In the tropics, the ideal house is open-sided to allow natural ventilation and have an east-west orientation to minimize the amount of sunlight entering the house directly. It is important that the house be rectangular in shape and have walls not higher than three feet on the longer side. The wall can be made from off-cuts, iron sheets, silver boards, or bricks. The rest of the side to the wall should have a wire mesh. The roof of the house should have a reflecting surface and be pitched with overlaps. All these factors aid in ensuring that the house is comfortable and well ventilated.
Cement floors are the best finish as they are easier to clean. There should be a foot-bath at the entrance to the house for those entering the house to disinfect their footwear.
To reduce the risk of rodents gaining entrance into the flock house, clear all the vegetation in an area 3-4 meters around the flock house. The feed store should also be separate from the house.
Hygiene and Sanitation
In commercial layers farms, an all-in all-out system is the best management practice as it prevents the build-up of disease-causing organisms and disease outbreaks. In cases where farmers want to keep flocks of different ages, then each flock MUST be housed in its own house, and have a distance of 10m between the units.
The flock house should be constructed in isolated areas to decrease the risk of contamination. The house should be fenced to exclude stray animals and visitors. The door should always be locked.
 Poultry Farming in Kenya â Layers House With Dimensions For 500 Layers
 The wire mesh on the sides of the house should be of a small gauge ½â mesh, to prevent the entry of wild birds, cats, dogs, and rodents.
Only essential personnel should enter the flock house. Poultry workers should always wear clean, disinfected foot ware and clothing. When visiting birds of different ages, start with the youngest flock and always visit sick flocks last, irrespective of their age.
 Take measures to control all rodents, wild birds, and insects as they are known vectors of poultry diseases. Such measures can be mechanical, biological, or chemical.
Do not permit the introduction of materials and/or equipment into the poultry house without thorough cleaning and disinfection as these items can be carriers of disease-causing organisms.
Preparing the House
As soon as the spent flock has been depopulated, the layer house and equipment must be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected.
 It is important to allow the house to remain empty for at least 2 weeks (after the manure has been removed) before the next flock is placed. This allows time to reduce the build-up of disease-causing organisms and to prepare the house effectively for the next flock.
After the birds have been removed from the house, remove all the equipment from the house and dampen the ceiling, walls, and litter with water. This helps to minimize dust during litter removal.
Remove all old litter and dispose of it at least 1.5 km from the farm. Do not store it on, or spread it near the farm as it can re-contaminate the clean house when the wind might blow it back into the house, or via ownersâ boots if they walk over it on their way to the house.
All unused feed in the feeders should be disposed of and not stored for the next flock to minimize chances of disease transmission. Only feed in bags stored in a store separated from the house can be kept for the next flock.
Wash the house with water and soap starting with the roof followed by the walls and finally the floor. Allow the house to dry before spraying the whole house with a disinfectant solution again starting from the roof. Simultaneously, wash and disinfect all the equipment from the house. Repair and maintenance to the house and/or equipment should be done during this time.
Once the house is dry, place four inches of litter material and put back all the clean and disinfected equipment into the house. Common types of litter are wood-shavings, straw, rice husks, and coffee husks. Good litter should insulate the floor and absorb moisture from the chicken droppings.
Prepare the brooder area at least 24 hours before the chicks arrive.
 Depending on the climatic conditions, the brooders MUST be turned on at least 6 hours prior to the arrival of the chicks. This ensures that the house environment, water, and feed are at the right temperature when the chicks arrive.
Chick Arrival and Brooding
On collecting the chicks, ensure that you have the correct number and that the chicks are uniform, alert, active, and free of any obvious deformities, unhealed navels, or signs of infection.
Chicks should be transported in a well-ventilated but not windy vehicle without direct exposure to sunlight or rain. The chick boxes should be loaded so that the air circulation is not impeded nor are the lower boxes squashed. The transport should go straight from the source (hatchery/sales office) to the farm without any unnecessary stops.
On arrival at the farm carefully remove the chick boxes from the transport vehicle into the flock house. Carefully remove the chicks from the boxes into the brooder ring.
Ideally, chicks should be placed under the brooder hovers 6 to 12 hours after hatching. The longer the time between the hatch and placement, the more the chicks become adversely affected.
 Once the chicks are in the brooder, they should be provided with wholesome drinking and feed. It is advisable to add Glucose (or Sugar), Vitamins and liquid paraffin (not kerosene) to this water. This provides the birds with a ready source of energy and helps in overcoming stress caused by traveling while the liquid paraffin assists in the passage of feces.
During the first 48 hours spread feed on a paper placed on the litter or placed in trays or feeder lids that are evenly distributed in the brooder area. This makes the feed more accessible to the chicks for a better start.
During brooding, it is important to maintain the proper temperature in the brooder. Below are the guidelines of the temperatures to be maintained:
 Temperatures
 Temperatures should be monitored by installing maximum-minimum thermometers in the brooder area at the height of the chicks. Observing the chicksâ behavior is also a good guide of the ambient temperature (see diagram).
 Chick Behavior Under Different Brooding Conditions
 Excessive chick noise during brooding is an indication that the chicks are uncomfortable. This is commonly due to improper temperatures and symptoms include:-
Chilled chicks
 Chicks huddle together, especially under the brooder.
Watery intestinal and cecal contents leading to watery/wet, droppings leading to wet pasted vents.
Overheated Chicks
Chicks lie prostrate with their heads and necks stretched out on the floor.
Chicks pant.
Increased water consumption by the chicks, leading to distention of the crop and intestines by the extra water.
Chicks move away from the heat source and seek cooler parts of the house. Sometimes crowed around the drinkers.
It is essential to maintain the proper temperature during brooding as chicks which are chilled in the first days of life will be stressed, have increased mortality, dehydration, retarded growth, poor uniformity and a higher incidence of ascites. While overheated chicks will be dehydrated, resulting in high mortality, runting / stunting syndrome, and poor flock uniformity.
The brooding area should be enlarged progressively to avoid overcrowding. The birds should be allowed to occupy the whole house by the time they are three (3) weeks of age.
During brooding it is essential to maintain proper ventilation regardless of the cost of maintaining the brooder temperatures. Ventilation is important in removing the ammonia from the house and ensuring that the litter is dry thereby reducing disease challenge. Layers also require fresh air to grow and produce eggs.
Lighting Programs
An appropriate lighting program is important but not critical. In the absence of electricity alternatives such as kerosene lamps can be utilized.
Layers are sensitive to change in the period of illumination, and these influence the age of sexual maturity and feed consumption.
 During rearing these programs encourage growth and control the birdâs sexual maturity while in production the objectives is to encourage feed intake hence increased lay.
Long day-lengths throughout the rearing allow the birds to increase their feed intake and hence growth. Hence it is advisable to use slowly decreasing light program for the first 7 weeks before leaving the birds on natural day length. The long day-length allows the birds to eat during the cooler parts of the day.
In the absence of photo-stimulation, the age at the start of production is determined by body weights. Weight varies depending on climatic conditions and the day-length experienced during rearing. Once photo-stimulation has started, age at the point of lay is no longer influenced by the pulletâs weight. It is therefore important not to start light stimulation until the pullets have achieved the target weights.
It is important to achieve the target weights as low body weight at sexual maturity not only reduces the mean egg weight but can also lower the overall performance (egg per hen housed, egg-shell quality, and livability) of the flock.
Irrespective of the production system and the location of the farm, three rules that MUST be observed are:
 NEVER increase the day-length during the growing stage (8-14 .weeks)
NEVER increase the day-length when the flockâs average body weight is below 1250 grams
NEVER decrease day-length after the start of lay.
Water
Distribute drinkers evenly throughout the whole house, alternating them with the feeders so that they are easily accessible to all birds. No bird should walk more than 1.5m to get to either feed or drink.
Provide one chick fount for 50 chicks during the first week and gradually replace them with the regular drinkers allowing space as indicated below:
Poultry Farming in Kenya â Water
Wash and disinfect chick drinkers daily. Ensure the drinkers are filled with fresh water after washing. Ensure that birds have access to wholesome drinking water at all times and NEVER allow the drinkers to go dry. During vaccinations do not disinfect the drinkers after washing, if the drinkers will be used for vaccination.
The actual consumption depends on ambient temperature and humidity. Above 20%, consumption increase to enable the bird to maintain body temperature by respiratory evaporation.
In hot periods it is essential to provide the flock with cool water as this will improve productivity. It is therefore extremely important to protect the water tanks from direct sunlight or ensure they have a reflective surface.
Always adjust the drinkers and feeders levels as the birds grow to ensure that the equipment is always slightly above the level of the birdsâ back. This minimizes spillage.
Use a reliable water sanitizer (like chlorine) to control disease-producing organisms in the water.
Feeding
The feed is the greatest expense in commercial layer establishments, therefore it is important to purchase feed from a reputable miller who can assure consistency in the quality and performance of the feed.
Variations in the nutrient composition and quality of feed ingredients result in variations in feed composition and texture. These are due to variations in raw feed ingredients from season to season and even shipment to shipment.
 It is important to avoid mixing feeds from several millers, adding other protein sources (fish meal, etc) and minerals salts (DCP) as this changes the balance in the feed thereby affecting performance. Excess of some of these products also negatively affects the final products e.g. fishy taint in eggs due to more than 5% fish meal in the feed.
To start a flock, feeder lids or plastic feeder trays (one per 50 chicks) should be used. The feed should also be spread on paper placed over the litter, covering 40% of the floor.
Gradually remove the feeder lids or trays, replacing them with the adult feeders. By the time the birds are two weeks (14) days old, all the lids and trays should have been removed.
Raise the feeders gradually as the birds grow. Always ensure that the top lip of the feeder is at the same level as the birdsâ backs.
  Chick and Duck Mash should be fed in the first eight weeks of life followed by Growers Mashup to two (2) weeks before the expected point of lay. The flock is then put on Layers Mash until the end of production. During the changes of the rations, mix the two rations so that the change is gradual. An abrupt change is stressful to the bird and can affect performance. Vitamins can be provided during this time to reduce stress. The average feed consumption expected with the corresponding weights of the birds are indicated below.
 Equipment outlay for a layer house housing 500 layers
 6 nest boxes each with 20 slots on 2 levels @ 1 Slot for 4 birds
Ventilation can be described as the circulation of fresh air through the flock house. This is achieved by the air passing from one side of the house and exhausting through the opposite side.
 Ventilation of layer houses serves several functions including:-
Removing excess heat and moisture
Providing oxygen while removing harmful gases
Reducing dust hence improving the air quality
In the tropics, where houses are open-sided, ventilation is managed by opening the curtains when it gets warm. This lets air from outside into the house. When it gets cold, curtains are closed to restrict the flow of air.
Curtains are normally made from used, clean and disinfected feed sacks stitched together, or canvas material. The curtains should be fastened to the side-wall at the bottom and open from the top. This will minimize wind or drafts blowing directly on the birds.
To ensure effective ventilation, every effort should be made to open the curtains on both sides of the building to the same level unless the wind is consistently from one side of the flock house then the curtain on this side should be opened less than the other side.
House should be constructed to take advantage of the prevailing winds to improve the efficiency of natural ventilation. Narrow houses (10 meters [33 feet] or less) with high pitched roofs provide more natural air movement. An east-west orientation of the house on its long axis reduces the solar heat level in the house.
 Disease Control and Prevention
Infectious diseases are the greatest risk to a commercial layer operation and attempts must be made to control and prevent disease. In most instances, the cost of treating clinical outbreaks of disease is enormous.
Sub-clinical, mild or chronic disease also leads to losses due to poor performance of the affected flocks.
To detect disease in their early stages, it is important for the flock attendants to be aware of the daily status of the birds. They should judge this by the behavior of the birds, droppings, feed intake, mortality rates, etc.
Any signs of ill health should be reported immediately to a veterinarian who can make the correct diagnosis and prescribe the appropriate treatment. Since most poultry diseases have very similar manifestations diagnosis by the farmers is strongly discouraged.
A vaccination program to meet both area and individual farm needs is essential for flock health management. Vaccination programs need to be reviewed periodically and any changes approved by an experienced veterinarian.
 It is important to follow the manufacturerâs directions on the storage and administration of vaccines. Generally, vaccines must be stored between 2 and 8 degrees centigrade, and transported in a cool box and should not be exposed to direct sunlight.
When vaccinating through the drinking water, the water supply system should be completely free of chlorine, medication, and/or other chemical agents for 48 hours prior to and for 24 hours after the vaccination. Depending on the ambient temperature, water should be withheld for 2-3 hours prior to the vaccination. The vaccine should be mixed with water which the birds will consume within two hours of being mixed.
Vaccinations should be done during the cooler part of the day either early morning or late evening. Before vaccinating always ensure that, there are sufficient vaccine doses to cover the flock and the birds are healthy. Also, ensure that the vaccines have not expired.
In eastern Africa, layers should be vaccinated against Mareks Disease, Infectious Bronchitis (IB), Newcastle Disease (NCD), Infectious Bursal Disease (IBD/ Gumboro Disease), Fowl pox, Fowl Typhoid and Fowl Cholera.
Below is a suggested vaccination program for layers
  Poultry Farming in Kenya â Vaccination
Fowl Cholera Sub Cutaneous
Due to the high maternal antibodies in the chicks obtained from Kenchic, it is important that the first Gumboro vaccination is not done before 10 days of age as the maternal antibodies neutralize the vaccine, leaving the chicks unprotected.
It is important to purchase your chicks from a hatchery where the vaccination history of the parents is available as this determines the level of protection the chicks have acquired from their parents and the vaccination program to follow.
Such hatcheries would also ensure that the appropriate day-old vaccinations are done effectively.
It is also important that vaccines are purchased from reputable vaccine manufactures or their appointed outlets (pharmacies, agro vet shops, etc)
 Such outlets are capable of ensuring that the vaccine cold chain is maintained and normally offer professional advice on various aspects of vaccinations.
Beak Trimming
Beak Trimming is done for two main reasons: To prevent feather pecking, cannibalism, and to reduce feed wastage. The operation is delicate and should be performed by specially trained personnel only. Poor beak trimming often leads to the unevenness of the beaks and in some birds causes difficulties in feeding and drinking thus low body weight.
In commercial laying flocks beak trimming should be done twice. A light trimming at 10 days and the second operation between 8 and 10 weeks of age. This is because trimming only at around 10 days will not prevent pecking entirely while if done too severely at that age will lead to a reduction in growth rate and uniformity.
Before Beak Trimming
Ensure that the birds are healthy and have not been vaccinated recently
Add vitamins (especially vitamin K) to the drinking water to prevent hemorrhages.
Ensure that the temperature of the trimming blade is high enough to prevent hemorrhages but not so high as to burn the birds.
Beak trimming at about 10 days
Hold the chick in one hand with the thumb behind the head
Hold the head firmly in position resting on the thumb
Cauterize or cut the beak tip and the lateral edges at least 2mm from the nostrils.
Beak trimming at 8 to 10 weeks
It is necessary to cut the beak perpendicularly at a right angle to its long axis so that after cauterization, about half of the beak between the tip and the nostrils is left.
To beak trim correctly at 10 weeks, insert a finger between the 2 mandibles and then beak trim and cauterize each mandible. For day 10 debeaking, put both mandibles through the middle hole of the machine. The blade should be at the right temperature. Cauterize with care, particularly at the side of the beak to ensure that the sides are rounded off to avoid lateral re-growths.
It is advisable to check the state of the beak trimming just before the point of lay and, if necessary do a re-trim of the overgrown beaks.
 After beak trimming
Make it easier for the birds to drink and eat by increasing the level of water in the drinkers and providing an adequate depth of feed in the feeders.
Parasites Control
Dewormingâ Layers are susceptible to infestation with a variety of species of worms, especially if raised on a deep litter system. These parasites reduce feed conversion efficiency causing a reduction in weight gain during the growing period and a drop in egg production in the production period.
The most common drugs for deworming layers flocks are Piperazine or Levamisole based and should be used according to the manufacturerâs instructions. These drugs cause production drops if used during production and should only be used on a veterinarianâs advice.
Layer flocks are routinely de-wormed at around 8 weeks of age and again at around 18-20 weeks of age, just before production commences. The flocks are not de-wormed again until after peak production unless there is a serious worm infestation. This is because de-worming during this time would lead to the flock NOT attaining peak production. Subsequently, the flock is de-wormed every 2-3 months or when worms are detected or identified.
External parasites-Â Layer flocks are at times infected with red mites and fleas which suck blood and affect the performance. The birds should be dusted with an approved poultry insecticide and also the nest boxes and perches. After depleting the flock use an insecticide in the final disinfection.
Poultry Farming Business Plan and Record-Keeping
Keep complete and accurate records of daily feed intake, mortality, culls, and egg production. These will help you determine the level of profit or loss the system is making. Samples of record cards are attached at the end of the manual. It is also important to weigh the flock every week during its growing period. It is important that the weighing is done on the same day and time each week. This gives the farmer an idea of the growth rate of the flock and an indication of when the first egg is expected. Vaccination and medication records are also important. This should include the age of flock when vaccinated/medicated, vaccine/drug type used, method of administration, batch numbers, expiry dates, and who has given the medication. These are important in a disease situation as it guides the veterinarian to the probable source of the problem and the best management protocol.
General Management Tips
The following factors may predispose layers to disease or poor productivity
Over-crowding or over-stocking
High environmental temperatures
Poor ventilation and sanitation
Inadequate drinkers and/or feeders
Poor feed quality or inadequate feed
Changes in feed texture
Disease outbreaks in the surrounding areas
Improper lighting system / program
Some medications or vaccinations during production
Stress due to sudden noise
Stress due to poor handling of birds
Changes in climatic condition
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Get it right and be the next egg merchant CHICKEN POULTRY FARMING There are many types of poultry farming in Kenya where one can earn a decent living.
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Why Mushroom Farming is the Next Big Thing: Lessons from Dennis Machariaâs Garden Mushrooms
âDiscover how Dennis Macharia transformed his farming venture by pivoting from traditional crops to sustainable mushroom cultivation, overcoming challenges, and building a thriving agribusiness in Kenya.â âLearn how Dennis Macharia built a successful mushroom farm with limited capital, smart reinvestment, and innovative techniques, making gourmet mushrooms accessible to local markets.â âExploreâŚ
#agribusiness success#automated farming#controlled environment farming#Dennis Macharia#Garden Mushrooms#gypsum in farming#high-end mushroom market#Kenyan farmer stories#mushroom cultivation techniques#mushroom farming Kenya#niche farming#overcoming farming challenges#Paul Stamets inspiration#poultry feed cost#sustainable agriculture
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Feral hogs arenât coming for our kids, but theyâre definitely coming for our calves
New Post has been published on https://nexcraft.co/feral-hogs-arent-coming-for-our-kids-but-theyre-definitely-coming-for-our-calves/
Feral hogs arenât coming for our kids, but theyâre definitely coming for our calves
Feral pigs will eat just about anythingâincluding young or small livestock animals. (Wikimedia Commons/)
Feral hogs are stirring up trouble.
In the U.S. alone, an estimated seven million such pigs are spread across 35 states, where the omnivorous swine tear up soil and habitats looking for somethingâanythingâto eat. They cause $2 billion in damage every year, according to the USDA, and can spread disease to domestic pigs and humans alike.
They are also an understudied threat to livestock, according to a study published Tuesday in the journal PLOS-Biology. In the paper, two wildlife scientists from Clemson University make the case that non-carnivorous animals such as feral hogs and elephants should be included in policies aimed at controlling more classic examples of livestock predators like wolves, coyotes, and lions.
âThere are so many accounts of species doing damage,â says Christie Sampson, co-author and post-doc researcher at Clemson. âLetâs expand the conversation beyond carnivores.â
Around the world, large carnivores from bears to lynxes attack and eat thousands of livestock animals to the dismay of farmers. In 2010 (the most recent year for which this data is available), animal predators killed 220,000 cattle and calves, 247,000 sheep, and 554,000 goatsâat a total cost of $138 million to farmers and ranchers, according to the USDA.
Little attention has been paid to them by the scientific community, but there are also examples of livestock attacks or losses by non-predator animals like buffalo in Kenya, baboons in Tanzania, the Kea parrot in New Zealand, and all manner of vultures, eagles, and crows worldwide. Because there are few studies documenting their frequency or cost, researchers believe theyâre relatively uncommon. But when it comes to Asian and African elephants and feral hogs, the new paper claims, fatal livestock attacks arenât rare at all.
Poultry and bovids like cattle, buffalo, and oxen can become collateral damage in a 12,000-pound elephantâs quest for food in agricultural fields or stores of grain. One survey of Kenyan cattle herders found 25 percent of them reported losing farm animals to elephants, and another conducted in Myanmar found the same rate of participants viewed the animal as a danger to their livestock. Several villages in that study recounted elephant-related losses between $550 and $800âone-third to half their annual salaries.
But hogs donât just carelessly harm other animals on their way to find a vegetarian meal; theyâre known to prey on calves and lamb for food. South Carolina is home to a steadily growing population of between 130,000 and 140,000 wild hogs that cause $263,000 dollars in livestock damage throughout the state, according to the study. In Texas a whopping 2 million feral pigs go after a variety of animals, though officials say itâs hard to detect such crimes âbecause hogs often eat the entire animal, leaving little or no evidence.â
âTheyâll eat just about anything,â says Shari Rodriguez, an associate professor at Clemson and co-author of the study.
Decades of research have tried to minimize the impact of large, well-known carnivores by shooting them, using enclosures to protect livestock, or warding off unwanted animals with guard dogs or other deterrents (like scarecrows). But these practicesâand studies of their effectivenessâare often limited to coyotes, wolves, and lions. Farmers and ranchers dealing with elephants or feral hogs are left with few proven strategies.
And while government-approved lethal and non-lethal removal is common for invasive swine, the situation is much more complicated for African and Asian elephants, which are ecologically imperiled. For those species, research could help unpack how elephantsâ agricultural damage might affect local communitiesâ willingness to support conservation initiatives.
Rodriguez and Sampson say they believe some of the methods tested for large carnivoresâelectric fencing or guard dogs, for exampleâcould be useful for hogs and elephants.
âWhy reinvent the wheel?â Rodriguez says.
And when it comes to whether itâs a good idea to arm yourself and face off with dozens of feral hogs? Probably not, Rodriguez says.
âThey donât kill people. Itâs very uncommon,â she says.âItâs getting a little blown out of proportion.â
Written By Marion Renault
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From poo to meals: Kenyan rest room waste key for brand spanking new animal feed
http://tinyurl.com/y2d7syf7 NAIROBI (Reuters) â Kenyan farmer Victor Kyaloâs chickens have doubled the variety of eggs theyâre laying. The rationale: Human excrement. FILE PHOTO: Black soldier flies are seen breeding inside netted enclosures on the Sanergy organics recycling facility close to Nairobi, Kenya, March 10, 2019. Image taken March 10, 2019. REUTERS/Baz Ratner Heâs feeding them meals from a Nairobi-based organics recycling firm. Sanergy harvests waste from bogs it operates in a franchise community in Nairobiâs sprawling slums and feeds it to fly larvae, which grow to be high-quality animal feed. Kyalo says his prospects have observed the distinction prior to now three weeks: yellower yolks and bigger eggs. âEarlier than we have been getting like 5 trays (of eggs) per day, however now weâre getting 10,â Kyalo stated. âItâs type of excellent for me.â Because the world appears to feed 10 billion mouths by 2050, companies harvesting bugs â both for human consumption or as animal feed â are rising. They promote themselves as a greener various to conventional feed akin to soybeans, whose cultivation can result in deforestation and the overuse of farm chemical substances. Quick meals large McDonaldâs and U.S. agricultural powerhouse Cargill Inc are amongst many giant firms finding out utilizing bugs for hen feed to cut back reliance on soy protein within the $400 billion-a-year animal feed enterprise. By 2023 the worldwide edible insect market might triple to $1.2 billion from present ranges, market analysis agency Meticulous Analysis stated final 12 months. In creating nations like Kenya, the place the World Financial institution says practically two-thirds of urbanites dwell in slums, feeding waste to fly larvae might remedy each sanitation and vitamin issues. Faeces from greater than two-thirds of Nairobiâs inhabitants go untreated as a result of there will not be sufficient bogs. Many others will not be cleaned out recurrently, Nairobi Metropolis Water and Sewerage Firm stated. In the course of the rains, they typically overflow, polluting native waterways. That may make employees in poor health. Days off sluggish Kenyaâs economic system by round 1% yearly, its Well being Ministry stated. FROM LOO TO FOOD David Auerbach co-founded Sanergy eight years in the past to cope with sanitation. The waste administration franchise offers greater than 2,500 bogs to 100,000 individuals day by day. Lilian Mbusia runs one in every of Sanergyâs franchises, charging residents of Mukuru Kwa Ruben slum within the south of the town 5 Kenyan shillings (5 U.S. cents) to make use of her blue âRecent Lifeâ bogs. Nestled beneath her squat-toilets are small blue barrels that, as soon as full, are sealed and brought to an organics recycling manufacturing facility in Machakos County, a bumpy 40-minute drive exterior the town. Beds of writhing black soldier fly larvae feast on a mixture of excrement and meals waste from inns and agri-businesses. That produces two merchandise for farmers: fertilizer and animal feed. In 10 days the larvae munch their method via 70% of the waste, abandoning a manure laden with nitrogen and calcium, which turns into natural fertilizer. As soon as the recycling plant is expanded later this 12 months, Auerbach stated it would present 400 tonnes of fertilizer. Larvae manufacturing will ratchet up from 7 tonnes to 300 tonnes per thirty days. âProper now weâre receiving fairness debt, and grant funding to scale up operations,â Auerbach stated. âWeâre on monitor for profitability by the tip of 2020.â The plump white larvae are boiled in sizzling water to kill off pathogens, Michael Lwoyelo, managing director of Sanergy, stated. The larvae are then offered to animal feed millers, who grind them into powder blended with different elements to create a balanced weight loss plan for poultry, pigs and fish. Slideshow (18 Photographs) Frederick Wangombe, an animal nutritionist at Unifeed, a Kenyan animal feed miller that makes use of Sanergyâs black soldier fly product, envisages it changing fish meal from Lake Victoria, which might include sand and different impurities, or costly soy beans from Zambia. âThe egg farmer doesnât wish to know whatâs within the feed, they wish to know the efficiency,â he stated. ($1 = 101.1000 Kenyan shillings) Reporting by Hereward Holland; Enhancing by Maggie Fick; Katharine Houreld and Alison Williams Our Requirements:The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. Source link
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Kenya: You may soon pay heavily for rearing cattle, chicken in Mombasa city
Dairy cattle and camels will be charged Sh1,000 per head, goats and sheep Sh200 per head annually. FILE PHOTO | NMG
This is a major setback to residents who have resorted to urban farming by rearing domestic animals, especially goats and poultry, to supplement income
By Winnie Atieno Business Daily Sept 10, 2018
Excerpt:
âTaxing rearing of poultry is time wasting, lack of creativity and meant to slow down the economic activities of the youth, women and particularly vulnerable population who are trying to eke a living from agriculture,â added the farmer.
Mr Ikwaye, an urban farmer who rears ornamental birds and kienyeji chicken in Bamburi, said there are many revenue streams that the county has failed to tap to boost revenue
A goat farmer John Gunga said it is ironical that Governor Joho asked President Uhuru Kenyatta to suspend the 16 per cent value added tax on petroleum products to cushion Kenyans from the high cost of living yet he is introducing new taxes.
On Saturday, hundreds of residents thronged Tononoka Social Hall to plead with the county administration to review some of the proposed levies that are bound to hurt small businesses.
Read the complete article here.
from Gardening http://cityfarmer.info/kenya-you-may-soon-pay-heavily-for-rearing-cattle-chicken-in-mombasa-city/ via http://www.rssmix.com/
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New Post has been published on News Twitter
New Post has been published on http://www.news-twitter.com/2017/01/24/bbc-tv-from-the-sun-now-i-am-connected-to-the-whole-world-6/
BBC: TV from the sun: 'Now I am connected to the whole world'
Image copyright Thinkstock
Image caption The sun is now bringing power to hundreds of thousands of off-grid households in Africa
Stanley Gikonyo says his life has been transformed by satellite TV. âI am connected to the whole world,â he says.
But whatâs extraordinary is that his house, where he lives with his wife and two children in Mwea, central Kenya, has no access to mains electricity.
Instead, the power for Mr Gikonyoâs new TV service comes directly from the sun. He is one of the early adopters of AzuriTV â a new solar-powered satellite TV service that gives his family access to 50 channels.
He says the system is already making his life easier, and has opened new doors for his farming business.
âI had been using other solar panels and normal batteries, which gave me a hell of a time in charging them, and with acid spills,â he says.
âThe AzuriTV has for sure done me good â I can now watch my favourite stations. In particular, I watch Shamba Shape Up, which gives a lot of insights into the best farming practices.
Image copyright AzuriTV
Image caption Off-grid Kenyan households can now watch satellite TV at night, powered by daytime sun
âI am connected to the whole world.â
Mr Gikonyo runs a small farm, or shamba, producing mostly vegetables and poultry, and he was one of the estimated 69% of Kenyaâs adult population that does not have daily access to television.
Off-grid, power on
UK-based solar company Azuri Technologies and Kenyan satellite TV provider Zuku launched the service in Kenya in December.
A solar panel is fixed to the roof of a customerâs home, and connects to a battery which powers a range of appliances, including lamps, a mobile phone charger, and a 24-inch (61cm) TV which accesses Zukuâs Smart satellite TV service.
Users pay an upfront fee of 4,999 Kenyan shillings (ÂŁ39) for the system, and thereafter pay 149 shillings(ÂŁ1.15) per day. By the end of two years on this payment schedule, customers own the kit outright.
While solar power products have been available in Kenya for several years, and some free-to-air terrestrial TV stations have been accessible in rural areas, this is the first time off-grid households have had access to a full range of satellite pay-TV channels.
Image copyright AzuriTV
Image caption Householders receive a kit that includes solar panel, battery, satellite dish, TV, radio and lights
All powered by the sun.
Missionary teacher Zacharia Maundu, who lives with his wife and two children in Kenyaâs Embu county, says: âMy experience with AzuriTV is fantastic. Through it I am no longer cut off from information and entertainment.
âWatching the news has made us updated with the worldâs happenings.â
AzuriTV provides lighting in their home, including a security night light, as well as access to world news and entertainment.
âAzuri aims to go beyond lighting and to provide each customer with TVs, internet access, entertainment and a range of services,â says Azuri Technologies boss Simon Bransfield-Garth.
Rising sun
But heâs not the only one to recognise this demand.
M-Kopa Solar has been providing pay-as-you-go solar power in East Africa for the past five years. About 500,000 households across the region use the companyâs products, and 10 months ago, the firm added 30 free-to-air TV channels to its offering.
âIt was very demand driven,â says Jesse Moore, M-Kopa Solarâs chief executive. âTV has always been something people aspire to having in their homes.â
Image copyright ALLAN GICHIGI
Image caption M-Kopa Solar has also added TV to its suite of solar-powered services
He envisages solar powering an increasing number of home appliances, with refrigeration and air conditioning supplementing lighting, TV and internet.
And last year, tech company Cello Electronics developed a solar-powered 22-inch (56cm) TV designed to service the 1.2 billion people in the world without access to a reliable electricity supply.
Its smart antenna picks up high definition broadcasts and also has a built-in satellite tuner, while the solar panel and battery can provide up to 10 hours of operation on a single charge, the company says.
Realising that the $300 cost might be prohibitive for many poorer regions, Cello has introduced its own pay-as-you-watch scheme whereby householders only pay for the amount of TV they watch.
They can buy unlock codes through the remote control handset.
Competition
Danson Njue, research analyst at Ovum, says that while solar-powered satellite TV is a substantial addition to the services previously available to rural and off-grid consumers, its popularity will attract more competitors in to the market.
âThe service may face some challenges, such as price competition from other service providers, as well as increased rural electrification under the government-led last mile connectivity project,â says Mr Njue.
Image copyright ALLAN GICHIGI
Image caption Solar TV services are in high demand, suppliers say
âIn my opinion, increased electrification may see some households switch to other services that use normal grid power as opposed to solar.â
But connecting people to mains electricity is expensive.
The Africa Progress Panel, chaired by former UN secretary-general Kofi Annan, estimates that investment in electricity infrastructure would need to rise to $55bn (ÂŁ44bn) a year across the continent, compared to the $8bn a year currently being spent.
M-Kopa Solarâs Mr Moore concedes that traditional infrastructure roll-out could pose a threat to solar power, but he believes it is the add-on services, like TV, that that will encourage rural populations to âleapfrogâ traditional infrastructure and embrace sustainable power.
âIf all we could achieve was lighting, any rational customer would hope the grid will come to them,â says Mr Moore.
âBut as we add more services, we hope customers will ask âwhy would I connect to the grid?â Adding grid power is more expensive, less reliable, and doesnât offer relevant payment models.
âWe think ultimately rural Africa will leapfrog the grid, and have access to all sorts of services.â
Follow Technology of Business editor Matthew Wall on Twitter and Facebook
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Dutch Firm De Heus Animal Nutrition: Aiming for 3.5% Market Share in Kenya's Animal Feed Industry
Discover how De Heus Kenya is expanding its market share in the animal feed industry, with a focus on poultry farming and sustainable agricultural practices. Learn about De Heus Animal Nutrition Kenyaâs Sh3 billion factory and its plan to boost local sourcing of raw materials for quality animal feed production. Explore De Heus Kenyaâs innovative âOn the Farmâ approach, helping poultry, swine, andâŚ
#animal feed market#animal nutrition#dairy farming#De Heus Kenya#feed production#Kenyan agriculture#local sourcing#On the Farm approach#poultry farming in kenya#poultry feed#raw material sourcing#Sh3 billion factory#soybean imports#sustainable farming#swine feed
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