Have you ever been frustrated by buying chicks or chickens only for them to die in the first week? Most farmers find themselves in a dilemma in determining good-quality chickens.
This guide aims to train farmers on how to select good-quality poultry.
In this guide, we shall cover the following topics; You can click any to jump right to it;
Signs of quality chickens
Good quality chickens should be active with no signs of diseases and have a balanced weight and size equal to age. It should also be able to stand upright, have clear and bright eyes, have good feather covering and have no defects.
What you should look for when purchasing chickens
When buying chicks ensure they have all signs of quality chickens. Are they Vaccinated or not? For bigger chickens, look whether they have diarrhoea, dropping feathers, watery eyes or hissing sounds. If the chicks are not active then there must be a problem.
Before buying chickens consider the breed, age and health
The best chicken breeds in Kenya
The best breed depends on the purpose of the farming. Farmers targeting meat should do broilers. For egg production commercial layers are the best.
Here is the full list of the best chickens/poultry in Kenya
Kienyenji Chickens
These are indigenous chickens raised in free range and loved for their resilience and adaptability against harsh weather, diseases and poor-quality feeds.
Kienyenji chickens’ meat has a unique flavour loved by many attracting premium prices.
Check Out This: Do you want your kienyenji chicken to grow faster?
Layers Chickens
Layers are a special breed of chickens bred purposely to lay large quantities of eggs consistently and early from 20 weeks.
However, they require special feeds rich in nutrients and minerals. They also need housing with good lighting and ventilation, and comfortable nesting boxes for laying.
White leghorns, Lohmann Brown and Rhode Island Reds are the popular layer breeds in Kenya.
Kuroiler Chickens
These are a crossbreed of Kurokawa and Rhode Island Red. Kuroilers can thrive in any environment and have good resilience to diseases.
They are dual-purpose chickens; good for meat and eggs. Above all, kuroilers have early maturity giving quicker returns.
Sasso Chickens
Sasso chickens originated in France. They have the fastest maturity rate and weight gain reaching 2.5kgs in 6 weeks.
Additionally, Sasso chickens have high feed conversion rates. That is; they require little feed to reach target weight thus low feed costs.
Sasso Cornish and Sasso Giant are the most popular Sasso Breeds in Kenya.
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