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Poultry Solution & FARMS, Bwari, Abuja (2026)

05/02/2025

VACCINATION OF BIRDS OF DIFFERENT AGES WITH A SINGLE BOTTLE OF VACCINE.

When I first started raising birds, I try to program my vaccination such that even when I have 3 sets of birds of different ages and they are 200 in number; I should be able to use 200 doses of vaccine for them.
While it was wise to do, I didn't give so much consideration to the right timing for their vaccination. Timing wasn't even the big issue as I later discovered but mixing ratio.
The mixing ratio for different birds using one vial or bottle of vaccine is the reason for this post.

It is no longer news that you can not use the complete 500 doses of vaccine for 100 birds and expect everything to remain normal just as you can't use 100 doses of vaccine for 200 birds and expect everything thing to continue normally. It means that vaccines actually have doses either an overdose which can happen through a very high concentration of the mixture or an underdose due to a very light concentration of the mixture. Whichever it is, it is not going to give you the desired result.

That was the problem I had for a long time until I realized what accurate mixing ratio is according to the age of birds.

Let us assume I have 200 broilers of 10 days of age meant for vaccination with 200 doses of vaccine. I will use 0.2L of water per day of age for 100 broiler birds which implies 0.4L per day of age for 200 broiler birds. This implies that I will mix the complete 200 doses with 0.4L/day multiplied by 10 days to give 4L of water for 200 doses of vaccine for 200 broilers.

Suppose I have 100 broilers that are 5 days old and need to be vaccinated with a 100 doses of vaccine, I will need 0.1L/day of age. That will be 0.1L/day × 5 days = 0.5L of water to mix 100 doses vaccina for 100 broilers on their fifth day of age.

Let us now assume that I have the following broiler birds at different ages:
1. 50 broilers at 21 days of age
2. 30 broilers at 15 days of age
3. 110 broilers at 10 days of age
4. 20 broilers at 4 days of age.

Now, they all need to take Lasota vaccine on thesame day. They are 200 in number which means I can buy 200 doses of the vaccine.
Will I use the mixing ratio for the youngest or the mixing ratio for the oldest or the ratio for just a time and share amongst them? Doing so will lead to an overdose in some and an underdose in others. Using the ratio for the youngest will mean that the mixture will not be enough to go round while using the mixing ratio for the oldest birds mean that the mixture will be in excess and too light for the younger birds and by implication, an underdose. That was the problem I had for some time leading to vaccine failure and I wouldn't know where the problem was coming from.

This is what to do. Refer again to the list of birds according to age which gives a total number of 200 birds.
I will first determine the needed quantity of water for each set of birds according to their ages. Refer to my earlier post on mixing ratio.
1. 50 broilers at 21 days need 2.1L of water.
2. 30 broilers at 15 days need 0.9L of water.
3. 110 broilers at 10 days need 2.2L of water.
4. 20 broilers at 4 days need 0.16L of water.
With the above known and the water measured out, I will proceed to my vaccine.
With 200 doses of vaccine, I will use my syringe to measure 20ml of water to mix the vaccine. With a 10ml syringe, I will measure two to mix the vaccine. With a 5ml syringe, I will measure four to mix the vaccine.

I will then proceed to mix like this and be guided by the fact that 20ml is for 200 birds which means 1ml is for 10 birds.

Therefore, for
1. 50 broilers at 21 days, I will take 5ml of vaccine to mix 2.1L of water.

2. 30 broilers at 15 days, I will take 3ml of vaccine to mix 0.9L of water.

3. 110 broilers at 10 days, I will take 11ml of vaccine to mix 2.2L of water.

4. 20 broilers at 4 days, I will take 2ml of vaccine to mix 0.16L of water.

Supposing the 20 broilers at 4 days were not part of the birds, it simply means that the left over 2ml vaccine mixture should be disposed properly.

If you think you can not do all these precise calculations, then just use 200ml of water to mix the 200 doses and share as 1ml to a bird.
Where you have 30 birds, you can take 30ml to mix with their water.
Where you can't calculate the water needed as shown above, you can use ⅓ of their daily water consumption.

The above mix ratio as it pertains to water per day of the age of birds is very precise for broilers that are healthy. Where you have other birds like noilers and layers, you can use their average body weight in a flock compared to the weight a broiler would be and use the age of the broiler to work out the water consumption.

If you keep records of their daily water consumption, you can apply the simple rule of thumb of one-third of their daily water intake at that time.

All the best.

31/05/2024

HOW LONG SHOULD YOU KEEP YOUR BROILERS?

Broilers are fast growing birds. They have been genetically selected over the years to deliver on meat within the shortest possible time with the least feed possible.
All breeds of broiler have a defined growth rate. The performance is measured based on what is called feed conversion ratio(FCR). The lower your FCR, the more your profit provided you fed them with the 'best' quality feed.

The period you keep training your broilers is largely dependent on the kind of market you have for them.

However, practical experiences have shown that broilers sold at 5 weeks give you the best profit margin on your investment if they are well brooded and fed properly. Any extension of the time begins to eat into your profit margin and time resource.

For example, if 100 broiler can eat 16 bags of feed in 5 weeks, you will get a better result from them than feeding them 16 bags for 8 weeks.
The second feeding option is as good as feeding them for survival without a profitable weight gain.

If you also decide to increase their feed so that they will eat as much as 25 bags in 8 weeks to get better result; you will actually get the desired result but your profit margin will just be slightly higher than the ones that consumed 16 bags in 5 weeks because you would have invested more to attain a higher FCR. Mind you, you will be selling per kilogram and not by age.

The longer you keep them, the higher the chances of them coming down with some diseases.
For example, after 5 weeks even without gumboro vaccine, they may likely never come down with the infectious bursa disease but they may still come down with Newcastle disease because most farmers will likely not administer a third dose of lasota vaccine.
Your broilers are never given Marek's vaccine at day old like it is done with pullets because it is believed that they will not be kept longer than 5 to 6 weeks. Marek's disease which is caused by a type of herpes virus will not attack your birds earlier than 5 weeks. But anytime after 5 weeks till they are 30 weeks, they could be infected.
Hence, your unvaccinated broilers are likely to be infected after five weeks present symptoms such as paralysis which will defy any form of treatment and extra calcium. As they experience such, they will not be able to eat and drink resulting in green p**p which makes you further overdose them with antibiotics or herbal medicine without the accurate dosage since you neither use syringe nor digital scale for liquid and powdered drugs respectively, their immunity reduces further and other diseases will easily attack them "upon say profit no too dey big broiler if you true true dey keep proper record of expenses".

If you are in doubt, try to cost what you will spend on your birds for 5 weeks and compare the cost to train them for longer and check your profit margin.

Who says the harder muscles and bones from the older chickens are better digested and more nutritive than the more tender ones from a younger broiler that you can eat the bones easily should compare with beef from a younger bull and that from and older cow.

In all, it is your choice to make. I go for the faster approach rather than take risks because I want to prove what I can't as if I will no longer eat chicken at parties, from eateries, hotels, roadside barbecues etc that all use 4 weeks broilers...

Photo credit: poultry.network

19/12/2023

BROODING TIP 1
When your chicks arrive, watchout for those that stand to sleep. If the brooder is conducive enough from the floor to the air space, they should be relaxed enough to sit or stretch out to sleep otherwise, they should be actively eating, drinking or running around the place. The brooder floor and temperature must be right for them at the height they are at day old.

19/12/2023

Spiritual forces in the poultry business.
Funny comments are common place in the poultry business on how unseen forces affect our birds.
Here is a long comment I made on a post where some persons believe the evil spirits are at work. A commentator on that thread believe I have been caged for advising that everything shouldn't be spiritualized but that farmers should seek knowledge about what they are doing.

Most new farms being used for the first time hardly have issues of residual infestation and infections that soon manifest in your birds. First timers in most cases tend to be more obedient to the rules of a mentor but by the third try, so many things are taken for granted. Most farmers also tend to take the birds very serious at the brooding stage and afterwards they start relaxing.
When you miss your brooding, you will definitely suffer it.
When you treat an infection and the drugs seem not to work whereas their are vectors that are causing a reinfection of your flock, you will ascribe it to spirits. Visiting vectors like lizards, rats, cockroaches and other pests are those "spiritual" forces.
When you don't understand the ropes of vaccination and you either overdose your birds which will cause them to be infected with what you are trying to prevent or you underdose them and thereby not able to trigger any defense mechanism against such infection, you may ascribe spiritual forces to the aftermath.
When you don't handle you attenuated vaccine very well by breaking the cold chain storage of between 2°C to 8°C and you vaccine fails, you will ascribe it to spiritual forces.
When you do organic without the right measurements and some phytochemicals in the herbs become excessive leading to organ failure, you will ascribe it to spiritual forces.
If there is a nutritional deficiency in your feed or an excess of some nutrients against some others e.g. an imbalance in the calcium and available phosphorus balance of about 2:1,...

04/12/2023

Your loses, your customers' gain: Average versus big broilers.
Without boring you, here are the considerations here.
1. Average weight is 1.8Kg to 2.2Kg at 5 weeks of age.
2. Big or large birds are 2.5kg and above as from 6 weeks of age.
The most common broilers that grow very fast in Nigeria are Ross 308, Cobb500 and Arbor Acre plus.
They could sometimes hit 3Kg live weight in 5 weeks depending on their size at day old and management.
Your customers usually prefer dressed chicken weight of 1.3kg and above which your 1.7kg live weight bird of 30 days can conviniently give you.
Some of your other customers prefer dressed weight of 3kg and above which you can only get from a live weight of 4.3kg at about 58 days.
To get a chicken of 2.2kg live weight or 1.7kg dressed weight in 5 weeks, you will need about about 3.3Kg of feed.
To get a chicken of 4.3kg live weight or 3Kg dressed weight in 8 weeks and 2 days, you will need about 8.1Kg of feed.
If dressed weight is supplied to the bulk buyer at 2,200 as it is presently sold, it means that you will sell the 5 weeks old chicken for 2,200× 1.7 = 3,740 while the 8 weeks 2 days old chicken will be sold for 2,200× 3 = 6,600.
With 25Kg bag of feed going for about 12,500 on the average, it means 1Kg of feed = N500.
Assuming you reared 100 birds without mortality for 5 weeks; your cost of buying a chick is 700
Heating depending on prevailing weather and heat management 15/chick
Vaccines 60/chick
Medications and detergents 45/chick
Logistics for feed and bedding 50/chick
Feed #500×3.3Kg = #1,650/bird
Total: 700+15+60+45+50+1,650 = 2,520
To raise 1 broiler for 5 weeks, you will spend 2,520 barring other costs like labour.
Which means you will invest 2,520 in 5 weeks to get 3,740.
Your profit margin should be 1,220/bird.

When you decide to rare for 8 weeks 2 days because you want them to be big, you will spend more on the inputs like vaccine, dewormer, bedding, medications etc. The unconcidered labour cost will be higher too...

29/11/2022

PRE-CHRISTMAS CHICKEN SALES
Me: Good day ma/sir, my chicken is ready for sale at #1,700/Kg of dressed weight. They weigh 2.5kg and above after dressing. Place your order while stock lasts. (2 to 3 weeks ago)
Customer 1: Sorry, we buy dressed chicken for #1,600 irrespective of their sizes and quantity.
Me: Noted.

Customer 2 called: Hello
Me: Hello ma.
More pleasantries.....
Customer 2: Do you still have chicken?
Me: Yes, I sent a message to all my customers through WhatsApp and sms. Didn't you see it?
Customer 2: I did and that is why I am calling now. I need 200Kg of dressed chicken.
Me: You can get it. When should we deliver?
Customer 2: I would have wanted it today. But I can't buy for that amount.
I will pay #1,600.
Me: Arghh, that is not possible at this time ma.
Day old is expensive now and feed is also expensive.
Customer 2: I understand but you didn't buy those birds when day old became expensive na!
You people should be considerate o! Tell you what? Somebody still supplied me from Lokoja for #1,550 a few days back. I didn't take much because of the light situation.
Me: Cut in.. Madam, let me explain something to you ma. If I sell at a loss, you wouldn't have found me with chicken today.
Customer 2: Cuts in.. But others are still selling at that rate o!
Me: Cut in... Madam, why not buy from those people?(sometimes you need to give it back to them so that you don't look helpless after all, no body will leave 1,550 and be haggling that 1,700 be reduced to 1,600).
Customer 2: Is that what you are saying? Remember there is tomorrow?
Me: Please be patient and let me make you understand this whole thing.
First, I actually bought them when day old was around 450. But day old is now almost double of that with the high cost of feed, I knew that if I had sold them at 5 or 6 weeks when day old is already about 350 more, it means I will be losing as much as 350 on each bird. Which means to restock at the new rate, I have to look for money elsewhere to make it up to be able to rear them to thesame weight. That is no business. I had to make sure they grow bigger so that the margin on each one will compensate for the loss and cover it. Be that as it may, I can't sell lower than 1,700. I will advise that you stock up as chicken will no be available in the run up to Christmas as most farmers that are stocking now will keep their birds till the third week of December before selling.
Customer 2: Mr. Jude, all these na plenty Oyinbo you dey speak, please sell for me. Remember that I am your customer and always request from you even when you don't like supplying me sometimes. Let me pay 1,600 ooo!
Me: Madam, sorry o! You seem not to get my point. If I sell lower, I will be out of business.
I am sorry ma, I can't sell lower than that. It is even because of the consideration that you are reselling that I am giving you at that rate. I sold 1,850 a few days back.
Customer 2: Heey Mr. Jude, this one is not fair o! Meanwhile, those farmers that are hoarding their own will still come begging us when they can no longer feed them after Christmas is over and they couldn't sell all their birds.
Me: Well, that not withstanding, it doesn't imply that I should sell at a loss and be out of business. You know what madam? Don't worry, just go ahead and buy from the other cheaper source. No hard feelings at all.
Customer 2: Are you now sending me away? So, it has come to that. Remember how we started patronizing you when you just expanded your farm and you came to market your birds...
Me: Hmmm! Madam, the truth is that I must remain in business.
Customer 2: But I can't just mark up like that when others around me are still selling lower. Don't you understand that we are in a competitive market? Valletainee still supplies us that same price.
Me: I understand, but sincerely speaking, I don't know how others are able to supply you cheaply. The Vallentainee that you mention has a hatchery and perhaps produce their feeds, I am yet to get my incubator running. Even at that, my price is within this range because I do volume and it brings down my unit cost compared to others that do lesser volume.
Sorry ma, it is obvious we can't deal on this set, perhaps when the next set is ready and the price of day old is down a bit, I will let you know.
Customer 2: Okay o, but it is not fair sha.
Me: Sorry about that but I have to remain in business.
Bye bye ma.

Ended up not making any sale that day.

Three days after...
Customer 3: Called.. Hello sir
Me: Good morning ma.
Pleasantries followed...
Customer 3: Sir, do you have chicken?
Me: Yes ma'am
Customer 3: I need 100kg of 1kg/bird dressed chicken.
Me: Hmmm! I am not sure we can get all that because most of the birds are quite big now. Nevertheless, I will ask that they check and I will get back to you.

10 minutes later
Customer 3 calls: Hello sir
Me: Hello ma, I think we can only get about 27 birds in that range.
Customer 3: Very well then, I will go for them and make it up with the bigger ones but I will like your guys to help me handle the dressing.
Me: No problems ma.
Customer 3: By the way, how much are you selling?
Me: 1,850 dressed weight and 1,300 for live weight.
Customer 3: Haaaa! That won't pay me. Can't you go lower?

And it took another hour of repeated calls. We eventually settled for 1,250 live weight.
Two days later, we did 1,850 dressed weight.

One week after the advert
Customer 1 calls
Me: Hello Oga sir.
Customer 1: Hello Mr. Jude(in his usual phoné; I dey ask am to repeat most times😁)
Me: My oga, trust you are fine. This one that you remember me today so...
We laughed
Customer 1: Do you have chicken?
Me: Yes. How many do you want?
Customer 1: As much as you have.
Me: Let me see what I can give you. But the price is 1,900
Customer 1: No, that ws.....
Me: Sorry, I didn't get you.
Customer 1: You sent 1,700 the last time and I said we buy for 1,600.
Me: Yes, I remember our chat but this is the new price.
After back and forth for two days, I sold about 350kg at 1,850.
The payment hit my account same day after 20 minutes.
Next day....
Customer 1 calls again and I told him I don't have chicken for sale anymore.

The next day, remember customer 2? She calls:
Me: Hello ma
Customer 2: Hello sir. Mr. Jude, what you did was not good o, you refused to sell me chicken.
Me: Sorry ma, but I explained to you how it was.
Customer 2: Please o! I need chicken, do you still have?
Me: Hmmm, I don't o!
Customer 2: cuts in.. Mr. Jude, don't tell me that o!
Please help me na. I have promised this customer. May be you can talk to other farmers.
Me: Okay, let me see what I can do. Call me in another one hour.
One hour after..
Customer 2: Hello sir, you asked me to call you at this time. Any hope?
Me: Yes, but it is 1,900 from the source.
Customer 2: But it is too much na.
Me: Madam, that is the price o! The demand is on the rise and remember what I told you the other time, we are there now. Nobody is selling except those of us that don't do seasonal poultry.
Customer 2: But it is not fair o! So what can you do for me now?
Me: By the way, how much do you need?
Customer 2: Even if it is 100kg, I don't mind but do something on the price.
Me: Sorry, you can't get that much.
Customer 2: Okay, 20kg so that I can give to my customer that I already promised.
Me: No problems, 20kg but you will get it at 1,850.
Customer 2: Okay sir. Thank you sir. I appreciate. But can't you just try and get me more?
Me: It is not available ma. But I informed you ahead of this period knowing what is ahead and considering you just started this business and yet to sell during Yuletide.

Customer 2: Na waooo! Na una time. You wey kuku be Edo. Dem say Edo no dey carry last.
Me: You wey be Delta, na Delta dey carry last?
Laughs and it was done.

Summary: You may have done this business and had loses before, you can actually recover this period before Christmas because chicken is always scarce before Christmas.
If you have Christmas chicken please do your costing and sell quickly so as not to have leftover. The marketers will mess you up by January with your leftovers which is bad for the business.
When the leftovers are all gone, the scarcity will return partially by the second week of January because only few are stocking between now and Christmas.
Take advantage of the price fall in a couple of weeks to stock against that period.

Cheers!

Poultry Solution & FARMS

05/02/2025

31/05/2024

19/12/2023

19/12/2023

04/12/2023

29/11/2022

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