How To Start Different Animal Farming

HOW TO START
DIFFERENT ANIMAL
FARMING *PLUS ORGANIC
TREATMENTS AND
SUPPLIMENTS
SPEACIAL WAY OF GROWING BROILERS: GET UP TO 3kg WEIGHT IN 6WEEKS
PLUS
SPECIAL BROILER FEED FORMULA AND BEST BROILER SPECIES
INDEX
1. POULTRY FARMING
2. SNAIL FARMING
3. RABBIT FARMING
4. GRASSCUTTER FARMING
5. PIG FARMING
6. ORGANIC TREATMENTS AND SUPPLIMENTS IN POULTRY FARMING

HOW TO START POULTRY FARMING
Poultry farming in Nigeria is already an established and profitable business. The economy of Nigeria is mostly dependent
on farming or agriculture sector. Poultry farming in Nigeria can play an important role in the total national income of the
country and fulfill the annual nutrition demands.
Some report shows that, commercial poultry farming in Nigeria have made many people millionaires. So, if you are a
beginner and want to start poultry farming business in Nigeria then try to learn more and more about poultry raising in
Nigeria.
Farm Location
The main thing required for setting up poultry business is a piece of suitable land. The size of land depends on the
number of birds you want to raise and the farming system. Acquiring land is the most expensive part of commercial
poultry farming business in Nigeria.However, while selecting land, keep in mind some important facilities like great
source of water, free from all types of animals and predators.You can also start poultry at your backyard, some people
go as far as using a room in their apartment to start poultry business. The best is to start, within a very short time you
would have made enough gain to acquire you own farm land, God helping you.
Farming Systems
According to the weather and climate of Nigeria, there are three profitable systems of poultry farming:
1. Extensive system,
2. Semi-intensive system and
3. Intensive poultry farming system.
Poultry Breeds
There are three types of breed which are very suitable for commercial poultry farming in Nigeria. You can select any for
your farm. Modern poultry breeds are highly productive and commercial raising is also very profitable. Modern layers
produce more eggs than traditional breeds and broilers grow faster than ever. Selecting proper breeds for commercial
production depends on you. Before starting, determine what type of product do you want to produce. Three types of
common and commercial poultry breeds are shortly described below.
• Layers: Layer bird breeds are used for commercial egg production. If you want to produce eggs commercially,
select highly productive layer breeds.
• Broilers: Broiler birds are very fast growing poultry breeds. Generally, they gain slaughter weight within a very
short time by consuming certain amount of food. And they are used for commercial meat production.
• Cockerels: Cockerels are other types of meat productive poultry breeds. Cockerel has a special demand for some
people. Generally, they grow slower than other breeds. But very hardy and can survive and adopt themselves in
almost all types of environment. According to your desired production select proper breed. Each type of poultry
breed need special type of care and management. So, select proper breed and take good care of your birds to be
successful in poultry farming in Nigeria.
Housing
Good housing is very important for commercial poultry farming in Nigeria. Housing system depends on the
poultry breeds and farming method. Housing design varies in accordance with various types of poultry raising
methods. Follow the tips mentioned below while building suitable house for your poultry birds.
• First of all, the poultry housing must have to be well ventilated. Well ventilation system keeps the bird healthy
and productive.
• Make a suitable system for entrancing sufficient amount of fresh air and light inside the house.
• Before bringing the chick inside the farm, clean the house and entire farm area properly.Viracid or Morigard are
good for cleaning the farm house before bringing in new chicks
• Make deep liter clean it regularly.
• You can use some cheap materials like wooden or rice bran for making liter.
• Keep the feeding and watering equipment in proper distance from each other according to the number of birds
and farming systems. And always clean all types of equipment regularly.
• Ensure that, your birds are free from all types of animals, insects or predators inside the house.
• Use iron netting to make the sides of the housing for proper ventilation.
• Have an attached nylon covering to the nettings to cover the housing properly in case of extreme cold weather.
• At day old, put chicks in brooding house with sufficient warmth [ you can provide warmth with charcoal in a pot,
electric bulbs or stoves. If they run around in the brooding room, you know the warmth is ok. But if the chicks
gather to themselves you know the room is too cold for them. Again if the heat is in the room and they run away
from the heat and gather at far end , you know the heat is too much for them].
• A brooding room must not have many nettings because the chicks will need to keep warm.
Feeding
Good and high quality feed keeps the bird healthy and highly productive. Good quality fresh and nutritious feed is the
key to success in poultry farming business. Always provide adequate amount of food according to the number and age
of poultry birds. Along with feeding good feed, always supply sufficient amount of clean and fresh water according to
the daily demands of poultry. Good feed is known by its conversion ratio to make the chicken grow fast. They are lots of
already manufactured bagged feed sold by commercial feed processing companies. Always check the feed analysis on
the bag or the label attached to the bag to know the quality of feed you are buying for your poultry farm.
The age of the chicken determines the percentage % protein and percentage% energy. The younger chicks need more
protein [that is in starter feed] while the chicken nearing slaughter need more energy [ in the finisher feed] This is for
broilers
With good and special feed formula, your broiler chicken can reach weight of 3kg in 6weeks.[such formulas are sold. For
starter feed, the crude protein cp should reach 21% while the energy should be up to 2900kj. For finisher feed the cp
should be up to 18% while the energy should be up to 3000kj. You will have to mix the feed materials in the right
proportion to get the right percentages. That is what is called a Feed Formula. It is always cheaper to mix your own feed
than buying bagged feed. You should make sure you go to a trust worthy feed milling company, but where you can’t
trust their materials, and their expertize, please buy bagged feed, because RIGHT FEED GIVES YOU BEST RESULT. If you
need a very good feed formular for your broiler starter and finisher, contact me on 08034253462 for the formular. It is
sold for N5000 naira.[N5000 for now I will give it out for N1000] new year bonus.
Care of Birds and Management

Poultry birds are very sensitive . Generally they may suffer from various types of viral, bacterial, fungal,
nutritional and parasitic diseases. Proper vaccination is a must for keeping your birds diseases free, healthy and
productive. So, vaccinate the birds timely. Many well established hatcheries give programs for v of the
vaccination of the birds and application of drugs to prevent diseases. But when some middle men supply you
the day old, they may not have a vaccine program for you.
Below are vaccine programs for BROILERS AND LAYERS:
1. BROILER MEDICATION AND VACCINE
Age Drug &Vaccine

1 Antibiotics + vitamine
2 ,,
3 ,,
4 ,,
5 ,,
6 Vaccine—Lasota I
7 Vitamin
8 Vaccine--Gumboro
9 Vitamin
10 Anti CRD
11 ,,
12 ,,
13 ,,
14 ,,
15 Vaccine--Gumboro
16 Vitamin
17 Vitamin
18 Vaccine Lasota II
19 Vitamin
20 Vitamin
21 Anti cocci
22 Vitamin
23 Vitamin
24 Vitamin
25 Live Water
26 Live Water
27 Live Water
28 Dewormer
29 Vitamin
30 Vitamin
Vaccine for ISA BROWN and LOHMANN BROWN

Day 1 Marek's Disease Subcutaneous back of neck
Day 9-14 Newcastle Disease (NDV) Drinking water, eye drop
" Infectious Brochitis (IBV) Drinking water
Day 14 Gumboro/Infectious Bursal Disease (IBDV) Drinking water
Day 28 Gumboro/Infectious Bursal Disease (IBDV) Drinking water
Week 4 Newcastle Disease (NDV) Drinking water or eye drop
Week 8 Fowl pox wing web jab
" Avian Encephalomyelitis (AE) wing web jab
Week 13-14 Newcastle Disease (NDV) Drinking water or eye drop
Week16 Laryngotracheitis Spray or eye drop
Week 17 Newcastle Disease (NDV Komarov) Intramuscular injection
" Infectious Bronchitis (IB) Drinking water
" Egg Drop Syndrome (EDS) Drinking water
" Infectious Coryza Drinking water
Poultry Diseases, Symptoms and medication.
A healthy chick will grow strong and be a productive member of your flock, but a sick chick can quickly infect other
chicks or introduce diseases to the rest of your poultry. Left untreated, many chick diseases have alarmingly high
mortality rates, but fortunately it can be easy to spot diseases so you can avoid purchasing unhealthy birds or take steps
to help them recover and protect the rest of your flock.
Most Common Chick Diseases
There are a wide variety of illnesses that can infect young chicks, and some types of poultry are more
susceptible to different diseases than others. The most common, widespread diseases include…
• Infectious Bronchitis CRD

This cold-like illness shows symptoms such as gasping and other respiratory trouble, sneezing, watery
eye or nasal discharge and loss of appetite. Raising the temperature in the brooder slightly (3-5 degrees)
can help chicks better resist the infection, and offering a warm, moist mash will help them eat properly
as they recover.
• Rot Gut
This bacterial infection causes rotten-smelling diarrhea and signs of listlessness or depression in infected
chicks. The infection spreads largely through overcrowding, and keeping chicks in a properly-sized
brooder will help reduce the risk of infection. Regular cleaning is essential to minimize the disease, and
antibiotics administered in the water can help cure infected chicks.
• Aspergillosis
Also called brooder pneumonia, this disease is caused by a fungus. Infected chicks will lose their
appetites but have increased thirst, and they may also begin gasping or show convulsions. Keeping a
clean brooder, including all bedding, waterers and dishes, as well as improving ventilation in the area
will help minimize this disease.
• Fowl Pox
Though it is not related to the chicken pox humans can get, fowl pox does create wart-like growths or
sores on infected birds. Slow growth and canker in the mouth are other symptoms of fowl pox. This
virus is spread by infected mosquitoes, and spraying for mosquitoes is the best way to keep the disease
from infecting a flock. Vaccinations can also be effective.
• Marek's Disease
This is a type of cancer that infects young chickens and chicks, and may show as lameness or paralysis
as well as blindness or labored breathing. Improving ventilation in the coop and brooder can help
prevent the disease, as can good cleanliness and the appropriate vaccination.
• Avian Encephalomyelitis
This disease shows symptoms such as dull eyes, head and neck tremors, appetite loss and eventual
paralysis. It is spread through fecal contamination of food and water, but unfortunately there is no cure
and infected chicks will need to be killed and disposed of safely. A vaccine is available and can be
effective to prevent the disease if it is administered properly.
FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO DISEASE

Factors that can contribute to disease include management, environment and the chickens themselves
Management
• Poor-quality food and water

• Poor hygiene and inadequate cleaning programme
• Leaking water bowls
• Rat and fly problems
• Overcrowding of chicks
• Chickens of mixed ages reared together
• No security measures to prevent people and animals from entering the chicken house
Environment
• Too hot or too cold conditions

• Wet litter
• Dusty bedding
• High build up of chicken droppings
• No air circulation
• Sharp wires in the cages
Chickens
• Young chickens
• Weak second-grade chickens
• Chickens affected with other diseases
• Poor condition as a result of underfeeding
• No vaccination
ACTIONS AT FIRST SIGNS OF DISEASE
You must act quickly at the first signs of disease. The chickens must be treated, and management that may
have led to the problem must be corrected to prevent the disease from occurring again
• Consult your animal health technician or veterinarian to help you find a correct solution to your
problem as soon as possible
• Call your animal health technician or veterinarian. They will kill some of the sick chickens and cut them
open. They will also cut open dead chickens and take samples. They may take blood or egg samples,
depending on the disease. The samples taken will be sent to a laboratory.
• You and your animal health technician or veterinarian should then go through the entire system to
identify possible problems in the management and environment that can be corrected
GENERAL TREATMENT
• There are not many forms of treatment or in certain cases no treatment for some diseases, which is
why prevention is so important
• The treatment will depend on the cause of the disease
• If it is at all possible, try to separate all sick chickens from the healthy ones daily. The sick chickens
should be handled and treated last to prevent the spread of the disease
• Correct management problems
GENERAL PREVENTION
Diseases can be prevented through management, environmental and chicken factors
Management
• Apply correct methods for raising young chicks (temperature, food, water, bedding)
• Disinfect and clean the housing of the different groups of chicks
• Maintain the correct stocking density (avoid over-crowding)
• Use the best-quality food that is available and provide clean water daily
• Use bedding that is not dusty
• Prevent the buildup of gases by cleaning and ventilation
• Control rats and flies
• Ensure that no people from outside your farm visit the chicken house
• Have bird-proof houses to keep out wild birds that eat the food and bring diseases to your chickens
Environment
• Ensure that the building or house you are going to use is large enough for the chickens
• Fix leaky watertroughs
• Feed and waterbowls should be cleaned daily and fresh food and water should be supplied
• Houses should be warm in winter and cool in summer and well ventilate
• Dust causes irritation of the respiratory tract and the environment must therefore not be dusty
• Use cages for laying hens that do not have sharp edges that can injure the hens. Make sure that there
is sufficient space per hen
Chickens
• Get only first-grade chicks from a good, reliable supplier

• Vaccinate chicks against important diseases
• Keep chickens of the same age together in one house
Signs in sick chickens

DIARRHOEA
• Diarrhoea (also known as scours or dirty vent). The stool or droppings of the chickens are not firm but
very loose, watery, not of the normal colour and may contain blood.
• This may cause the feathers of the vent to be soiled and caked together
• Depression
• Reluctance to eat, drink and move about
• Poor growth
• Death
Signs in dead chickens
• Poor condition
• The intestines may be red and swollen and the contents watery
• There may also be a yellow butter-like substance around the heart, liver and intestines
Causes
There are many different types of organisms that can cause diarrhoea, which include:
• Bacteria (Salmonella, E. coli, Pasteurella)

• Viruses (Newcastle disease, gumboro disease)
• Parasites (coccidiosis, worms)
• Fungi (Candida, Aspergillus)
Treatment
• Use an antibiotic or coccidiostatic drug in the water that was recommended by the animal health
technician or veterinarian in the water for 3 to 5 days.
• Stress preparations that contain electrolytes, vitamins and minerals can be added to the water.
UPPER RESPIRATORY DISEASES -- CRD
• The sinuses of the chicken (the area between the eye and the beak) are swollen. These may be swollen
in such a way that the eyes are closed.
• Tears and wetness often occur around the eyes and nostrils. The discharge from the nostrils may look
like clear water in the early stages but can become cloudy and yellow when secondary bacterial
infections cause complications.
• Sneezing
• Coughing
• Difficulty in breathing. They breathe with an open beak and you can hear a snoring or clicking sound
• Loss of appetite
• Weakness
• Weight loss
Signs in dead chickens
• A very red windpipe and throat

• Fluid in the windpipe
Causes
There are many different types of organisms that can cause disease in the upper respiratory tract. These
include:
• Mycoplasma
• Bacteria (E. coli, Pasteurella, Haemophilus)
• Viruses (Newcastle disease, influenza, infectious bronchitis, infectious laryngotracheitis)
• Parasites (mites and worms)
• Fungi (Aspergillus)
Treatment
• Use an antibiotic drug that was recommended by your animal health technician or veterinarian in the
water for 3 to 5 days [Eg—Tylodox]
• Stress preparations that contain electrolytes, vitamins and minerals can be added to the water
NERVOUS SIGNS AND LAMENESS
• Signs may vary, but usually chickens lie down because they cannot stand up
• They also walk with a limp or are reluctant to move
• Nervous signs may include staring into the sky, not knowing where they are, pulling the head and neck
over their backs, paralysis
• Sores on the breast muscles from lying down
Causes
There are many different types of organisms that can cause nervous signs and lameness. These include:
• Bacteria (Salmonella, Botulism)

• Viruses (Newcastle disease, Mareks disease, avian encephalomyelitis)
• Fungi (Aspergillus)
Treatment
• A complete hygiene and disinfection programme should be planned together with the animal health
technician or veterinarian
• Antibiotics will only be effective against bacteria and can be used as recommended. If it is a viral
disease, such as Newcastle disease, urgent steps have to be taken to prevent possible spread because
it causes serious production losses
DROP IN EGG PRODUCTION OR QUALITY
• You will notice that the hens are not producing as many eggs as they should for their age
• You may see unusually-shaped eggs, eggs with no shell, soft eggs, eggs that break easily, or that have
abnormal contents when you break them
• Often the people buying the eggs will complain of poor quality
• The only way these changes will be noticed is if you keep good records
Causes
There are many different types of organisms that can cause a drop in egg production or quality. These include:
• Bacteria (E. coli, Salmonella)

• Mycoplasma
• Viruses (Newcastle disease, influenza, infectious bronchitis, infectious laryngotracheitis, avian
encephalomyelitis, egg drop syndrome)
• Parasites
Treatment
• Your animal health technician or veterinarian may recommend a short course of antibiotics but
usually it may only help for bacterial infections
• Adding vitamins and minerals to the water or feed may help
NEWCASTLE DISEASE
• Newcastle disease is probably the most important disease for poultry farmers around the world. This is
a production disease that causes a large number of deaths in chickens and huge losses to farmers and
the industry
• Because there is no treatment and the disease spreads so quickly, sick chickens should be slaughtered
immediately
• This disease is caused by a virus
• A large number of chickens will die suddenly without any of the following apparent causes:
o Depression
o Nervous signs
o Sneezing, swollen eyes, difficulty in breathing
o Diarrhoea
o Death
Treatment
• There is NO treatment for the disease and all the chickens may die within a few days. Very few
chickens survive
• It is best to prevent the diseases by good management and a vaccination programme
• Your animal health technician or veterinarian will give you the best advice in a Newcastle disease
outbreak, especially as this is a controlled disease
Prevention
• You should vaccinate all the chickens against this disease by using a good vaccination programme
before any signs appear
• It is a very contagious disease, which means it spreads easily to other farms. You should not visit your
neighbors without washing and putting on new clothes and shoes. You should also recommend that
your neighbors vaccinate their chickens as soon as possible
• You should clean the chicken house thoroughly with soap and water. All equipment must be washed.
Everything should then be disinfected. You should also wash and disinfect your clothes and shoes. All
chicken litter or dead chickens should be burned to prevent the spread of the disease
ORGANIC BROILER MEDICATION/REMEDY:

Their are various method in organic Broiler production
One is early morning shot of tagiri plus molasses.
From 0 - 2weeks
Molasses will be 30ml/litre of water, while tagiri will be 30ml/litre of water also
In the afternoon or towards the evening
First 4 days, you give garlic, ginger and pawpaw leaf
2nd and 3rd days, you give ginger and aloe Vera
2ND WEEK
Also in the afternoon, towards the evening
You introduce bitter leaf, cayenne or black pepper
Also continue with garlic, ginger turmeric in small quantity
Also occasionally, you add clove, lime water, aloe vera, basil and if you can get oregano, dill and sage.
NOTE:
Not all at once please
Herbal schedule is not rigid, it depends on the operator, and at times what is readily available in one's vicinity
and this is why we try to broaden the horizon so as to cater for every concern.
Day 1 - 4
Concoction of ginger, garlic, aloe vera (30ml per litre of water) mixed with either honey or molasses as
preservatives and also as iron and multivitamin supplements.
This serves as antibacterial, antifungal, multivitamin, etc, to prepare the birds for the journey ahead.
Day 5 - 10
Bitter leaf, basil, and cayenne or black pepper should be introduced in the morning mixed with molasses or
honey and in the evening mix garlic, ginger, aloe vera, clove, lime plus molasses or honey.
Normally, I do ginger, Aloe vera, to garlic in ratio 4:4:1and add molasses to satisfaction
We should also not forget that in all the medication it is very important that if we cannot ferment our feed, we
should try and add lacto in their water, 30mls/litre of water, very good in warding off salmonella and e coli, as
well as enhance the gut bacteria, allows the complete digestion of feed, leading to reduce poo in poultry as
well as reduction in poo smell, ultimately enhancing uniformity in growth of the livestock
Day 11 - 14
Introduce turmeric but in little quantity and we should not forget not to combine turmeric with aloe vera,
Also occasionally, let them snack on oregano, dill, moringa, pawpaw, sage etc.
Poultry Diseases and Organic Remedy:
CORYZA
Blend plenty of garlic and ginger, 30ml/litre of water 3-4 days.
If you also have access to sage, it is equally potent.
FOWL POX
Any of this will do, Ash and cayenne pepper mix in water.
Boil Basil and add lemon juice, add in water, rub the cut lemon on the peeled comb of the bird, or rather peel
the comb with the pox and rub the lemon cut,
You can also boil palm oil with small salt, allow to cool a little and apply with cotton bud on the peeled comb,
You can also use Shea butter as above,
I also heard that lime and turmeric works
NEWCASTLE DISEASE (NCD)

The symptoms are usually, whitish, greenish diarrhea, twisted neck or running around in circles, which is
accomplished by high mortality rate. Or maybe I should say greenish white diarrhoea
Signs is usually between 2-14 days after infection
What to use
Tagiri is very good in prevention,
So also is Aloe Vera, the gel, plus cayenne or black pepper, 30ml/litre of water, molasses can also be added to
improve taste and serve as multivitamin.
MAREK
Very controversial and deadly disease
Mostly characterized by neck paralysis, together with wing and legs, renders poultry immobile
Conventionalist believe that there is no cure for it, except vaccination, but we believe there is a cure
John's worth is one plant that is potent in curing Marek
So also is cayenne or black pepper with Aloe vera gel
But one thing about marek is that you give a realistic dose of the medication every few hours if you want to
see result and that is why it is difficult to manage.
COCCIDIOSIS
The symptoms are brownish foamy poo at the early stage, that becomes bloody at late stage
General weakness and downing of feathers
For the treatment
Bitter leaf extract with cayenne pepper is good to go
But one thing I discovered lately is that it works faster when you grind the bitter leaf to paste rather than to
squeeze
When you squeeze, you tend to add more water than necessary, but when you blend or grind, you have ability
to control the water better,
CHRONIC RESPIRATORY DISEASE (CRD)

CRD is mostly characterized by noisy breathing, coughing, nasal discharge that may eventually transform to
Coryza
In treating CRD, blend plenty of garlic, ginger and Cayenne pepper and add in their water.
INFECTIOUS BRONCHITIS
The major symptom includes, Coughing, gasping, in young chicks and sneezing
The good news is that garlic, ginger and or are very good remedies to combat this infection and you can also
allow your birds to snack on mint leaves
FOWL POX
It is characterized by blackish growth on the comb and wattle.
It is said to be caused by mosquitoes biting the birds, but not sure how true this is
For prevention and cure,
Mix ash and Cayenne pepper in their feed or water.
You can also use lime and turmeric in their water.
Also, you cut lime into two and use to rub the comb and wattles,
CORYZA
This is characterized by swollen heads and eyes and laboured breathing
For the cure, crush plenty of garlic and ginger including sage, add in their water.
POULTRY LICE, SCALY LEG, MITE, WORM, FLEAS ETC
A very potent medication for all this is grinding dried garlic and mixing it with their feed, all this insect detest
the smell of garlic like no other things
Also, a bulb of fresh garlic can be crushed and add into their water for 5-7 days
GUMBORO
The symptom for this includes pasty vent, sticky whitish poo, sudden death etc
For the treatment
Use any two of, aloe vera, lime water, clove,
SAMONELLA
The symptom sometimes include, greenish yellow poo, general weakness, weight loss and sudden death
The treatment includes, Basil and clove, Cherry leaf or bark to be boil or soaked to extract the content
E COLI
This is characterized by runny brownish poo, general weakness, weight loss, and sudden death
For the treatment, use basil and ginger, also cherry as before described
FOWL POX
Symptoms include, ruffled feathers, sign of cold, white diarrhea, and greenish poo
For the treatment, use bitter leaf with basil, ginger and either of black or cayenne pepper
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Traditional poultry disease control in Africa
Traditional treatment and control of disease is important, as most developing countries cannot afford to
import or subsidize veterinary drugs and vaccines for smallholder farms. There is also increasing concern
about the effect of synthetic drugs on animals and the environment.
Viral diseases
Newcastle Disease: in Nigeria, either Lageneria vulgaris[Bottle gourd] or the bark of Parkia filicoidea[ African
locust bean] are given to the flock in drinking water.
Fowl pox: the leaves of Aloe excelsa are soaked and the extracted fluid is added to drinking water.
Colds: in Nigeria, Hibiscus subdariffia [ZOBO] is pounded, mixed with drinking water and given to birds with
ruffled feathers
Coccidiosis: in Nigeria, Lageneria vulgaris fruit is dipped in the flocks’ drinking water or Amaranthus, spinach,
vernonia amygdalina, some essential oils, garlic, Cassia spp and Aloe vera.
Poultry farming has rapidly grown in the country and across the world, with thousands of people keeping birds
for commercial purposes.
However, as the venture grows, consumer tastes are changing, with many now going for indigenous chicken
reared on free-range. The birds kept under free-range are mainly fed on natural vegetation, grains (mixture of
sorghum, sunflower seeds, crushed maize and millet), and kitchen leftover.
Therefore, the argument is that such birds have less antibiotic residues. It is, therefore, important that farmers
know, in particular, some plants that can be used to treat chicken diseases.
However, of all the herbs, aloe vera stands out as the king of herbs or a broad spectrum antibiotic in poultry
health. This plant is composed of polysaccharides such as pectin, hemicellulose, glucomannans and acetylated
mannans. These components are responsible for immune boosting in birds.
The herb is used as a brood spectrum in curing and preventing wounds, skin irritation and inflammation, burns
and bruises. A research has been carried out to prove that aloe vera makes broilers to put on weight fast.
Glycoprotein is responsible for anti-inflammatory and antiallergenic properties of aloe vera. Therefore, if
controlled use of herbs in specified dose can be established, we can move away from antibiotics which cause
antibiotic resistance in consumers.
UNDERSTANDING THE BROILER STRAIN.
Strains are more like specific traits in a gene in a Specie of an Animal, it's what differentiates though very
negligibly in a particular breed.eg Asians and Africans, all humans, different looks.
For the Broiler Industry, not all Broilers are the same even though they look alike, that’s why the result for all
broilers remains meat, but the reasons vary. if you are raising broiler for a Suya Man, he doesn’t really like the
ones with a lot of fat nor too big, in fact he'd prefer a smaller one that has come of maturity, because
regardless of the size of the Broiler people price them almost the same from him and also he is looking at
roasting a chicken that wouldn’t take him much time nor make him burn a lot of charcoal, so you need to
know the kind of strain that would give him what he wants so you can retain him.
The Broiler Strains available in Nigeria are Arbor Acre, Ross 308, Cobb, Marshall broilers, Hubbard and Anak.
It is however most advisable to stick with the first 3.
Now that you understand this, you need to know which hatcheries that produce this strains.
Zartech (NPG also does few)-Cobb 500/700,
Agrited and Sayed- Ross 308,
Abor Arce +- CHI, Fidan, NPG(also does cobb),Cascada, Vertex, Goldsmine amongst many others.
Cobb- Good breastmeat, Lean Meat,good Height, good FCR
Abor Acre-Good weight and carcass, heavy feeder, good FCR
Ross 308- Good breastmeat, Lean Meat, good Height, good FCR,
So if you are looking at selling your Birds live, you should give more consideration to Cobb and Agrited Ross.
If you are selling frozen Abor Acre and Ross 308 should give you a better result.
SNAIL FARMING
We have 3 main types of snailery construction you can do:
1.Pen
2.Trenches
3. Free range.
The first two need soil treatment.

Free range construction does not need soil treatment.
So you choose the one you wish, depending on availability of space and funds.
How big or small you want to start .
The Snail House (Snailery) – Snaileries can vary from a patch of fence-protected ground, sheltered from the
wind to a covered box if you are breeding in small scale.
For larger population of snails, you can dug a trench or make a concrete pen with soil deep of about 10 inches,
and cover it with screen or wire all around to prevent the snails from escaping. Remember that snails can
reproduce fast and become pests when their breeding is uncontrolled.
Snails love dark and cold places, but make sure the humidity does not drop to levels harmful to the snails. You
can use fresh leaves to regulate the temperature.
Also, the wire is useful in keeping away rats and snakes or other predators from eating the snails in your snail
farm. But aside from these bigger predators, you should be wary about smaller ones like ants and termites.
Your construction must have these predators in mind.
The raising of snails for food is called Heliculture (Snail farming). Snails are hermaphroditic (capable of self-
fertilization) in nature; this means that each snail has both the male and female reproductive organs. Snails
reproduce rapidly; they are capable of producing more than 300 eggs, which hatch into snails. It is now
possible to produce 1,000,000 snails twice a year. This is made possible because of the availability of the highly
prolific Achatina Achatina species of snails which lay 200-400 in one batch 2-3 times a year.
Snail farming in Nigeria is one of the most neglected and yet one of the most profitable animal rearing
business anywhere in the country. It provides one of the finest opportunity to make good money at a very
short time.
Most people in Nigeria still have the believe that snail can only be picked in the bush. The culture of going to
the bush to pick snails in the villages during raining time has been there for generations. So, it has been
difficult for people to come to term that snail can actually be kept and grown at home.
Just like in many other aspects of farming in the country, Nigerians are yet to discover the great money making
potential in snail rearing business and that is why we suffer in hunger and poverty. We neglect where the
money is and keep pursuing it where it is not, going from one city to the other looking for one petty trading
after another to trade on.
SNAILS FARMING SYSTEMS
There are two main systems of snail farming. These are: Indoor and Outdoor systems
Indoor System: This system involves raising snails indoors in pens located in a building. The snails are fed a
mixture of fresh vegetables, concentrates, and other food materials. The system utilizes little space as the
snails could be raised even in trays placed on shelves on the walls. In advanced management, the system
allows for temperature regulation, controlled lighting, regular cleaning, and health care.
Out-door System: In this system, snails are raised out-doors on pastures. The snails may or may not be fed.
The farmer has little control over the performance of the snails. The snails move about feeding on natural
food materials.
A modification of the out-door system is one in which the snails are confined outdoors in enclosures and fed
both synthetic and natural diets.
It is easier to control and manipulate snails in this setting. This system fits in very well into the Nigerian
farming system.
HOW TO SETUP A SNAIL FARM
SITE SELECTION
Location and Environment
Because of the high dehydration level of snails, the farm must be located in a less windy environment else, the
moisture-loss rate of the snails would be high, which would subsequently lead to a highly dehydrated state for
the animal. Keeping them away from windy environments would prevent them from losing water quickly.
The perfect environment for your snail farm would be an area with adequate trees (vegetation), usually
located downhill. Planting crops like mangoes, bananas, and a few others around the farm would be wise, to
reduce the impact of any winds skimming through the snail farm on the snails.
Soil Type
Not all soil types are suitable for rearing land snails. Since the natural habitat of land snails is generally the soil,
it’s important that the soil they’re raised on, has all the chemical substances and components that make it
suitable for the snails to survive and fully mature.
An ideal soil that is suitable for rearing snails must be non-acidic, not water-logged, must be balanced, and
must not be too dry. In the selection of the soil type, sandy and clayey soil must be totally avoided for your
snail farm. What should be used is loamy soil that doesn’t hold too much water.
soil treatment is needed in trench,pen,hutch boxes housing of snail
While Freeland/ freerange housing doesn't required soil treatment
This is because it will be cubersome so what should be don't is to pour hot water on the soil for rearing snail
Get your soil
Get your big pot and make a fire.
Put your pot on it,pour in th e soil, stir around and make sure all part of soil is hot.continue turning till satisfied
that whatever harmful insects or bacteria in.soil is totally dead.
Then you bring it down and spread on a cleat mat to let it cool before putting into the snail pen
Firstly in soil treatment:
Step one:
Get your loamy soil from farm or land cover with green vegetation
Step two and three: boil the soil and stir with stick or spoon so they can be over all hotness of the soil
Step four: spread the boil soil on clean clothe or clean mat and allow it to cool
Last step ; pour it in a pen or trench

And after than ur snail can be put on the pen/ trench
CONSTRUCTION OF PEN (SNAILERY)
The type of snail pen depends on a number of factors which include:

*The scale of the snail farming enterprise;
*The type of snails farming i.e. In-door or Out-door;
*The stage of development and habits of the snails.
Size of Snail Pen:
A snail pen can be large or small depending on how many snails the farmer wants to raise. For a new farmer, it
is advisable to start with a small pen
He would need fewer materials and fewer snails for this. As he becomes more experienced in snail farming, he
can build a bigger pen and get more snails to raise. A5m x 5m out-door pen is a suitable size to start with.
PEN TYPES
1 Hutch Box Method: The hutch boxes which could be single. The floors of the boxes are filled with sieved
organic soil to a depth of 5 – 8 cm, which must be slightly limed (Caco). The bottom of the hutch 3boxes have
holes to allow excess water to drain out. The hutch boxes are put under trees like rubber, cocoa, citrus and
even plantain for shade. When hutch boxes are used, the soil is changed once every two to three months.
2.Trench Pens : in the trench type, pens, square or rectangular holes (depending on the desired shape of pen)
are dug in the ground about 50cm deep. The dug up area is divided into pens and the sides are built up to 2 –
3 blocks high from the ground level while the bottom is covered with loose soil. The pens are covered with
nylonmesh nailed to wooden frames for lids. The trench pens which more or less look like the hutch pens
could be used for hatchin
SOURCING SNAILS
When sourcing snails for your snail farm, the ideal location to get them are in the forests, bushes, or any
vegetative environment that is partially dry and wet. This location is far too important. Avoid getting them
from the markets because, a large exposure to sunlight would leave them highly dehydrated. Snails drink a lot
of water, and an absence of adequate water supply can make them easily dehydrated, which could
subsequently lead to infertility in the snails.
While getting the snails from the bushes may be the best option, many individuals will not be able to pull
through with this. What then you can do is to buy the land snail eggs from a market, then put coco-yam leaves
in a plastic bowl with wet sand in it, and leave them to hatch. Within 21 to 28 days, the eggs would have fully
hatched, and you’d have a lot of fertile snails ready for your snail farm.
If you’re going to get them from the bushes, the best way to do this is to clear a small expanse of land during a
rainy season, then dress it up with fruits, vegetables, and other snail foods that snails generally find enticing
and can’t resist, in the evening, everyday between 4pm to 6pm. Later in the night before 9pm, you can head
back to the spot and pick up the snails gathered there that are great for rearing.
Before purchasing any snail eggs, it’s important you’re very familiar with the types of snails suitable for rearing
as stated above, and should know what it would take to raise them.
FEEDS AND FEEDING OF SNAILS
Snails are voracious feeders and may consume about 10 time their body weight of leafy vegetable or plant
material every day. To be successful in snail farming, the farmer must ensure a steady uninterrupted supply of
foodstuffs to his snails throughout the snail growing season.
Food Plants: Snails feed on a wide variety of cultivated and wild plants. Young tender green leaves as well as
dead and decaying leaves are eaten. Green leaves of Amaranthus, cocoyam, cassava, lettuce, cabbage, fluted
pumpkin, hibiscus, are all eaten by snails. Before beginning, the farmer should find out what plants his snails
like to eat. He can thus get information from an experienced snail farmer in his locality. He can also with his
lantern watch snails at night and see what they are eating. Different plant materials could be dropped in the
pen and by trial and error, he could find out which ones the snail would prefer.
Fruit Trees as shelter and food Plants: Some fruit trees provide shelter as well as food for snails. Banana,
plantain, mango, pawpaw, sweet oranges, cocoa etc serve dual purpose of providing shelter as well as fruits.
Snails prefer feeding on over ripe fruits of these trees .Ripe oil palm fruits, broken pods, seeds and seedlings of
cocoa are also consumed by snails. Generally, snails usually hide on shelter plants during the day when it is dry
and move to food plants to eat at night or early in the morning when they are wet with dew.
Other Feeds: Snails also feed on synthetic diets containing a good amount of protein, calcium and phosphorus.
An example of such diet is poultry marsh. Wet poultry droppings, rotten vegetables and dead animals are all
consumed by snails. Apart from the items mentioned here, there are many other foods in the farmer’s locality
which snails like to eat. As stated earlier, these could be found out by trial and error.
Feeding Habit of Snails
Snails are nocturnal and feed on a wide variety of feed mainly in the night, early morning, evening or on cold
rainy day. Their activity level (including their rate of feeding) fluctuates with the ambient temperature.
CARING FOR SNAILS
After the snails are put in the pen, the farmer should:
*Watch them carefully to see that they are eating well.
*Give them the right type of food in adequate quantity.
*Wet the food and shelter plants and moisten the ground regularly.
On dry days during the snail growing season, water the ground daily. Always water in the evening at sunset.
Ensure that the soil is moist and not wet. In areas with dry season, when plants do not grow, snails dig into the
ground to rest. They should not be watered at this time, otherwise the snails come out of the ground when
they should not. The snails breeding season in Nigeria corresponds to the period of the rainy seasons.
CAUSES OF MORTALITY IN SNAILS
Snails have many enemies. These include termites, soldier ants, frogs, toads, rats, snail eating birds, lizards,
and larvae of some beetles. Common salt is also poisonous to snails. Over crowding is a serious cause of
mortality in snail pens. When too many snails are crowded in a pen, they produce undesirable secretion which
is observed to reduce their productivity. To remedy these;
*Examine the pen fence regularly and mend any openings.
*Use materials that keep out pests from your fence.
*Maintain the right stocking density in you pen.
*Keep away poisonous chemicals like common salt.
HARVESTING SNAILS
Generally, snails that are well fed and managed would be ready for harvesting within 12 to 24 months from
the date of stocking. Also, when the farmer sees a lot of baby snails in the snail pen, he could harvest the fully
grown snails that he first put into the pen.
Average weight of a snail a well matured snail of the giant type is 200gm. It takes not less than two years of
efficient feeding to attain this weight. Growth rate is slow and a lot patience has to be exercised in snail
farming.
Your snails can be harvested into containers, bowls, boxes, baskets, or through other means. It’s important
that during the harvest process they are handled with care, because of their high fragility. Because of this, it’s
important that every container the snails are harvested into shouldn’t exceed 10 kilograms, so they can be
easily convened.
Also, your snails should be harvested only when they’ve reached full maturity, so you can sell them for a good
price and make high returns from your investment. Check the brim of their shells to know if they are well
mature. The brim should be harder and generally thicker than every other parts of the shells if they’ve
matured enough.
Hatching eggs start from feeding of the snails
What you feed them is what they give out
Feed them nutritious meals and they will develop quality eggs
Provided a temperature of below 27degrees centigrade and humidity of above 80 and they will mate and give
more eggs
Cover eggs immediately after they are laid and moist the substrate, you may cover the top soil with dried
leaves to help maintain temperature and moisture
When u eggs hatch the baby snail u take them to nussary pen and u feed them wit sucklent food like over
riped paw paw or watermelon or banana till they are six weeks
Next time as soon as you notice Egg presence in your pen if you spare hatching pen take them gently with
plastic spoon not with bear hand dig a little hole of about a finger deep that's almost 3cm bury the eggs in it
and cover it with soil sprinkle water on it immediately to give the needed humidity to the eggs but not damp
then you do that morning and evening till next 28-40 days depending on the pen temperature you should be
expecting your baby snails by then if not they can not hatch again
RABBIT FARMING
Rabbit farming in Nigeria:

Over one million tons of rabbit meat is consumed every year. That`s a great source of income in Africa and
especially in Nigeria. Moreover, rabbits can be used not only as meat, but a great source of fur, and you can
even raise them to be home pets!
What is Rabbit Farming?
It`s a commercial rearing of rabbits, primary for sale purposes. You can breed them to sell their meat or fur.
Rabbit Farming does not involve many expenses in the production of rabbits. Moreover, the nature of rabbits
and their breeding preferences can certainly help a newbie in the business.
Risks and Advantages of Rabbit Farming in Nigeria
Risks of Rabbit Farming You should construct rabbits` cages difficult to be penetrated by intruders. Rabbits can
be eaten or killed by almost any other animal. Therefore, insects, soldier ants, and snakes can easily destroy
rabbit breeds. Infections can easily destroy your rabbit farming business. Therefore, watch carefully after any
occurrence of diseases. Be ready to spend more money for feeding rabbits as they do not always concentrate
on reproduction.
Advantages of Rabbit Farming
Rabbit rearing is popular amongst Nigerians and the whole Africa. You can rear rabbits not only for meat but
their fur can also be sold. There is always a market for rabbits in Africa. Therefore, you will not lack clients as
farming is a profitable venture. It can be not your full-day business. Rabbits can take care of themselves if you
create nice cages for them – you can still have your 8-5 job if you wish. You can use few rabbits as pets.
Rabbits are cheaper to raise than any other livestock. Rabbits can grow very fast. Rabbits can be a great
substitute for poultry products. You can employ cheap labor to look after your rabbits’ farms. Rabbit Farming
does not require special knowledge about breeding processes. Some people find rabbits amusing and use
them as pets. It can be your another sector of income from rabbits.
How to Start Rabbit Farming in Nigeria.

Find your Rabbit Breeds. It`s necessary to choose a right rabbit breed for your business, take a closer look at
the most popular breeds. English Spot It`s a medium size rabbit that reaches an average body weight of 3 kg.
This breed is very friendly, and its appearance makes them easy to sell as pets.
Flemish Giant is a gigantic breed of rabbits. It can reach up to 7 kg in maturity. Still, they require much
grooming due to their dense undercoat and smooth coat. They can be referred as friendly giants. Their coats
may be a good source of income for you.
English Lop These rabbits reach weight up to 5 kg. Do not forget about grooming their coat.
Dwarf Lop The dwarf is small and medium sized rabbits that reach a max weight of 2.5 kg. Their coat is very
soft and dense. It requires grooming up to 3 times per day.
English Angora It`s medium sized rabbits which reach their weight of 3 kg when mature. They have very long
and thick fur that requires constant grooming. They are good natured and sociable rabbits.
Dutch Rabbits They can vary from small to medium sized and can rich the weight up 2.5 kg. They are easy
going. Their fur requires daily grooming.
Chinchilla These rabbits can also vary from small to medium sized. When they reach adulthood, they can vary
from 2 to 2.5 kg.
British Giant It`s another large rabbit that can be a fantastic source of fur and meat. It reaches up to 7 kg at
adulthood. Their coat is smooth and medium length, which requires constant grooming.
New Zealand White It`s a fully white rabbit that reaches a lifetime maturity weight of 5 kg. Rabbit production
facilities Rabbit Cages. When you establish rabbit cages, you should note that they must be adequate in sizes.
You can create rabbit cages by yourself, but it`s preferable that professionals construct them.
You can start your business in the backyard if you have good space management skills. The living area of
rabbits shouldn`t be too cold or too hot as it can severely damage their health. Do not forget that rabbits are
helpless against any intruder. Keep in mind an adequate protection against infiltrators.
Water Channel. Do not forget about water supplies for your rabbits. Think about adequate water containers
where your rabbits can drink clear water.
The best options for rabbits to stay healthy is to feed them grass. You can choose from a large variety of grass
for your choice, like elephant grass or Napier grass. You can choose from a large variety of grass for your
choice, like elephant grass or Napier grass. Do not forget that rabbits should eat at least twice a day.
Choose a farming method When you have decided to start your rabbit farming in Nigeria – think about the
type of farming you prefer to run. There are a lot of factors that can determine your method of rearing, like
protection from the sun, cost, spaciousness, and access to light.
There are two primary types of rabbit production popular in Nigeria.
Cage Method It`s a highly effective method for commercial rabbit farming business. It`s the effective method
to put rabbits in cages and provide them highly organized environment. Do not forget that space in the cages
should be enough for rabbits to move around.
Deep Litter Method This method is highly recommended if you have an intention to raise few rabbits. Do not
forget to keep male and female specimens apart from each other. They should be together only for copulating
purposes. This method of breeding bears a high risk of disease outbreak. Do not hesitate to illuminate ill
rabbits if necessary. The infection diseases spread momentarily within rabbits.
Care and Feeding

Every rabbit has its own temperament. Even if they are fluffy and good looking, they can be quite Devils in
feeding and care. Rabbits should be fed at least two times per day, and they also require a lot of water. The
best food for rabbits is grass, but you can also feed them with cabbages and lettuce. Rabbits are nocturnal
creatures. It means that they prefer to eat at nights. Therefore, feeding them well in the evening is critical. If
you have an intention to introduce a new type of food, then you should do it slowly
When you have decided to start your rabbit farming in Nigeria – think about the type of farming you prefer to
run. There are a lot of factors that can determine your method of rearing, like protection from the sun, cost,
spaciousness, and access to light. There are two primary types of rabbit production popular in Nigeria. Cage
Method It`s a highly effective method for commercial rabbit farming business. It`s the effective method to put
rabbits in cages and provide them highly organized environment. Do not forget that space in the cages should
be enough for rabbits to move around. Deep Litter Method This method is highly recommended if you have an
intention to raise few rabbits. Do not forget to keep male and female specimens apart from each other. They
should be together only for copulating purposes. This method of breeding bears a high risk of disease
outbreak. Do not hesitate to illuminate ill rabbits if necessary. The infection diseases spread momentarily
within rabbits. Care and Feeding Every rabbit has its own temperament. Even if they are fluffy and good
looking, they can be quite Devils in feeding and care. Rabbits should be fed at least two times per day, and
they also require a lot of water. The best food for rabbits is grass, but you can also feed them with cabbages
and lettuce. Rabbits are nocturnal creatures. It means that they prefer to eat at nights. Therefore, feeding
them well in the evening is critical. If you have an intention to introduce a new type of food, then you should
do it slowly. They can`t adapt swiftly to a new type of food. Breeding Stock When a female rabbit reaches six
months old, she can breed other rabbits. Therefore, you can place her with a buck`s pen. Note, that buck`s
shouldn`t be left in a female`s pen. Put them together and give them time for at least fifteen minutes to
copulate. Do not forget to note the date of copulating, buck and female that were used for copulating. Bucks
can be used for reproduction at least once in four days. Female rabbits can produce up to four litters in a year.
In commercial purposes, you can schedule mating process for every three weeks. If you can wait, then the
mating can be scheduled for every six weeks. If a female rabbit has reproduced for five years, she can be
replaced with a much younger doe. If she produces no more than two-three rabbits, then it`s time to sell her.
Marketing in Rabbit Farming If you want to sell your rabbits effectively, you would need to create your own
marketing. You can sell rabbits online through various websites. If you have skills, you can even create your
own website to sell rabbits. International clients pay the biggest sums for rabbits. You can also sell rabbits in
the local market. If you don`t want to stay all the day long to sell a rabbit, then you might ask somebody to sell
the rabbits for you. Social Media can also be your platform for rabbit selling. Unfortunately, poor marketing is
the main drawback for rabbit farming in Nigeria. Therefore, you may need to put much effort in marketing
your products. every six weeks. If a female rabbit has reproduced for five years, she can be replaced with a
much younger doe. If she produces no more than two-three rabbits, then it`s time to sell her. Marketing in
Rabbit Farming If you want to sell your rabbits effectively, you would need to create your own marketing. You
can sell rabbits online through various websites. If you have skills, you can even create your own website to
sell rabbits. International clients pay the biggest sums for rabbits. You can also sell rabbits in the local market.
If you don`t want to stay all the day long to sell a rabbit, then you might ask somebody to sell the rabbits for
you. Social Media can also be your platform for rabbit selling. Unfortunately, poor marketing is the main
drawback for rabbit farming in Nigeria. Therefore, you may need to put much effort in marketing your
products. should eat at least twice a day. Knowledge. Even if rabbit farming business in Nigeria requires a little
knowledge, it still requires knowledge. Therefore, do not hesitate to find new methods of breeding rabbits
when you have time to read. Choose a farming method When you have decided to start your rabbit farming in
Nigeria – think about the type of farming you prefer to run. There are a lot of factors that can determine your
method of rearing, like protection from the sun, cost, spaciousness, and access to light. There are two primary
types of rabbit production popular in Nigeria. Cage Method It`s a highly effective method for commercial
rabbit farming business. It`s the effective method to put rabbits in cages and provide them highly organized
environment. Do not forget that space in the cages should be enough for rabbits to move around. Deep Litter
Method This method is highly recommended if you have an intention to raise few rabbits. Do not forget to
keep male and female specimens apart from each other. They should be together only for copulating
purposes. This method of breeding bears a high risk of disease outbreak. Do not hesitate to illuminate ill
rabbits if necessary. The infection diseases spread momentarily within rabbits. Care and Feeding Every rabbit
has its own temperament. Even if they are fluffy and good looking, they can be quite Devils in feeding and
care. Rabbits should be fed at least two times per day, and they also require a lot of water. The best food for
rabbits is grass, but you can also feed them with cabbages and lettuce. Rabbits are nocturnal creatures. It
means that they prefer to eat at nights. Therefore, feeding them well in the evening is critical. If you have an
intention to introduce a new type of food, then you should do it slowly. They can`t adapt swiftly to a new type
of food. Breeding Stock When a female rabbit reaches six months old, she can breed other rabbits. Therefore,
you can place her with a buck`s pen. Note, that buck`s shouldn`t be left in a female`s pen. Put them together
and give them time for at least fifteen minutes to copulate. Do not forget to note the date of copulating, buck
and female that were used for copulating. Bucks can be used for reproduction at least once in four days.
Female rabbits can produce up to four litters in a year. In commercial purposes, you can schedule mating
process for every three weeks. If you can wait, then the mating can be scheduled for every six weeks. If a
female rabbit has reproduced for five years, she can be replaced with a much younger doe. If she produces no
more than two-three rabbits, then it`s time to sell her. Marketing in Rabbit Farming If you want to sell your
rabbits effectively, you would need to create your own marketing. You can sell rabbits online through various
websites. If you have skills, you can even create your own website to sell rabbits. International clients pay the
biggest sums for rabbits. You can also sell rabbits in the local market. If you don`t want to stay all the day long
to sell a rabbit, then you might ask somebody to sell the rabbits for you. Social Media can also be your
platform for rabbit selling. Unfortunately, poor marketing is the main drawback for rabbit farming in Nigeria.
Therefore, you may need to put much effort in marketing your products.
Grasscutter farming in Nigeria is a very profitable business that is gradually becoming popular in Nigeria due to
the large market for it. It is also known as Cane Rat or bush meat.
Grasscutter belongs to the rodent family and looks much like the porcupine. Grasscutter is good for
commercial rearing because it is fast reproducing and reaches the reproduction age when it is seven months.
It reproduces two times a year and can give birth to roughly seven kids at a time.
Grasscutter sells for roughly five thousand naira. You can make millions of naira from the farm in a year
depending on the size of your farm.
What Is Grasscutter Farming?
Grasscutter farming is the keeping of grasscutters for domestic and commercial purposes. Naturally,
grasscutters doesn’t grow on farmlands. They commonly live in the meadows, clearings, muddy territories,
reed-beds, and river banks of sub-saharan Africa and are normally caught by hunters from their natural
environment and marketed.
The difficulties involved in the hunting practice and the explosive market for this rodent resulted in
commercial rearing or farming of grasscutters.
Grasscutters grows big and very fast. It is one of the largest rodents in Africa. A fully grown male weighs
roughly 4.5 kg while a fully grown female weighs roughly 3.5 kg. The mature male grows as much as the size of
a nine inches block.
Starting Grasscutter Farming
Colony
Grasscutter lives in colony and a colony must not contain two matured males. It will result to fighting until one
kills the other. You can start with one male and roughly three to five females in a colony.
Breeding
Grasscutter is mostly breaded for meat production although it is also used in the medical and pharmaceutical
industry. To be profitable, you must be able to grow the grasscutter to a good and marketable size within a
short space of time.
Your choice of the breed determines greatly your production rate. The Thryonomys Swinderianus are most
popular in West Africa whereas the Thryonomys Gregorianus are most popular in Central and East Africa.
Grasscutter Pen
Grasscutter don’t like sleeping and eating in the same place. If you are building a pen for them, you must
provide both sleeping and feeding and playing space for them.
The greatest threats to Grasscutter are Snakes and Soldier Ants. Ensure you build their house in a safe place
and as well guard your farm from human predators.
Grasscutters feed
Grasscutters are herbivorous animals. This means their source of food is mostly herbs like Elephant grass or
Napier grass. They as well like sugar cane and the majority of farmers feed their grass cutter. They also feed on
Guinea grass, Gamba grass, and Congo grass.
Hygiene and good feeding are very essential to successful farming and rearing of Grasscutter. To make the
male grow to marketable size faster, you can feed it with broiler’s finisher or broiler starter’s feed for fattening
it.
They also feed on the root and pitch of oil and coconut palms, bark of the anacardium and fruits like half ripen
pawpaw, plantain, pineapple, and mango and so on.
Food crops like groundnut, rice, maize, grain, legume, tubers like cassava, sweet potato and so on are as well
used for feeding grasscutter.
Weaning time
When you feed grasscutter very well, a kid of grass cutter can be weaned between four to eight weeks. The
baby grasscutter can be allowed with the mother for four months. They are usually separated from the
mother between five to seven months and mated.
Market value of grasscutter
Grasscutter is reared for two major reasons:
Meat source
Grasscutter meat is of a very high demand in Nigeria.
Medical Purposes
Grasscutters is used in medicine due to the high concentration of insulin in their pancreas which is extracted
and used in the treatment of diabetes. Eating grasscutter meat as well is beneficial for hypertensive patients.
Grasscutter Farming In Nigeria
• Grasscutter is a good means of income and employment.

• It is good source of protein.
• It is less expensive to rear than poultry, fish, or pig farming.
• It has medicinal uses.
• The feed is not costly. They can be fed with only grass
• It can be reared at the backyard
• They sell very fast and at a good price
• The demand for it is more than the supply.
• They can be reared as pets.
The grasscutter species suitable for Grasscutter Farming
· Thryonomys Swinderianus (T.S)
· Thryonomys Gregorianus (T.G.)
How to Start Grasscutter Farming in Nigeria

Grasscutter farming is gaining popularity in Africa for good reasons. Greater Cane Ratpopularly known
as Grasscutterbelongs to the rodent family and is very closely related to the porcupine, almost look alike
except that porcupine is bigger. The spiny fur on the back and rounded nose distinguish Grasscutter from true
rats. It reaches a length of about 720 mm when fully matured.
Grasscutter farming is highly profitable, more profitable than you imagined. The meat is widely consumed
allover the West Africa region and beyond, making it one of the top 10 animals whose meat is in highest
demand in the market. A market ready Grasscutter is sold between N4,000 to N5,500. Five hundred
Grasscuters in a year could earn you between N2 Millionto N2.75 Million.
The animal reproduces very quickly and in good numbers. A fully grown female Grasscutter after gestation,
carries the pregnancy for 140 – 150 days and deliver about twice a year. Each pregnancy produces average of
four to seven young ones. Sometimes up to ten, that means one female Grasscutter could produce 8 – 20
other Grasscutters in a year
It grows big and very fast too. Grasscutter is one of the biggest rodent in Africa. A fully mature female or male
that is ready for market weighs between 3.5kg for the female and 4.5kg for the male. While measuring 45cm
to 60cm in body length. The standing height is between 25 to 30cm. The body size of a fully grown male is
about the size of a nine inches block.
A good number of Grasscutter is consumed yearly but most of them still comes from the wild through hunters
who goes into the bush to hunt for them but usually not easy to catch, making the animal meat very scarce in
the market.
Getting Started In Grasscutter Farming
Colony – Grasscutter lives in colony, two mature male doesn’t live together. Therefore, start with a male and
few females together. A colony should consists of one male and three to four females. Your capacity
determine how many colony you wants to start with. A small farmer may start with one or two colony, with
the arrangement of one male and 3 females in each colony.
Breeding – Grasscutter is kept 100% for the meat, it has to grow well and healthy in other to be profitable. To
achieve this, a new farmer must lay emphasis on the choice of breeding stock. Each colony must have a very
health male. The male is the engine of reproduction, a healthy male makes a healthy stock. While selecting the
male, pay attention on the well being, good weight gain in male animals is a very important factors that
determine how healthy it is.
In any case, both the male and female stock you are selecting for breeding purpose must be healthy. While a
healthy, strong, agile male animal should be selected for breeding programs, if the female is not genetically
healthy too, it will also affect the breeding stocks. To ensure that you achieve the best possible result, both
has to be healthy.
Grasscutter Pen – Grasscutter don’t like sleeping where they eat! If you are providing them house you must
put this factor into consideration – either cage or house, you must provide steeping place and dinning and
playing place.
They can be breed either in a properly build cages or in a house specially designed for them. Grasscutter is
sensitive to good habitat, for a colony (1 male and 3 females) the dimension of the cage should be 180cm in
length, 60cm in width and 45cm in height. Build your cage that way, separate for each colony.
If you are using walled pen or house, make sure you build it in such way that the place they eat must be
separate from where they sleep. Also the production building must be designed to protect the animals from
excess temperature and humidity.
The biggest enemies for Grasscutter are Snakes and Soldier Ants. Make sure their house are built is a safe
place and you must also be wary of human thieves. To protect them from the invasion of soldier ants, you may
pour black engine oil around their houses, especially at night during raining season mostly.
The floor should be overlay with dry soft grasses to protect their feet from being hurt and to provide them soft
cushy play ground condition.
Feeding The Grasscutters
Grasscutter is a herbivorous animals meaning their source of food is basically from the bush, that’s why they
are more comfortable in the bush where their foods could easily be found. Their major food is Elephant or
Napier grass. They also love Sugar cane and most farmers use sugar cane mainly for their feeding, Guinea
grass, Gamba grass, Congo grass.
According to experience farmers, Hygiene and good feeding are the most important factors for successful,
profitably Grasscutter farming. You can also fatten the male with broiler’s finisher or broiler starter’s feed to
help attain market weight within short period of time.
The animal also like Gliricidia sepium, herbaceous legumes like Stylo (Stylosanthes gracilis) and Pueraria
phaseoloides. The root and pitch of oil and coconut palms, bark of the anacardium and fruits such as half ripen
pawpaw, plantain, pineapple, mango etc are their delight. Food crops such as groundnut, rice, maize, grain
legume, tubers like cassava, sweet potato etc also make part of their food, stressed the grasscutter farmer.
The farmer also stated that grasscutter feed on palm wine and that is why they destroy oil palm plantation.
They take their water mostly from the field and go to the river during the dry season only. But when
domesticated, you can give them water by adding some attractant to it. Cane rate it should be noted does not
dig a hole and cannot climb a tree either, he further stressed.
They can also be fed with formulated concentrates like pellet as well as other processing by-products like
wheat bran, corn bran, groundnut, soya, oilseed, cotton seed cakes, brewer yeast, grain legume pods,
brewers’ grains, maize shucks and cobs, brewer’s yeast etc as feed supplements.
Grasscutter don’t like cold environment. The rooms or cages where you keep them must neither be too cold
nor too hot. Environment that is suitable for human is considered suitable for Grasscutters.
Weaning time – With good, adequate feeding, the grasscutter kids can be weaned between four to eight
weeks. But as a family, they can be with the mother for four months. The kids can be separated from the
mother between five to seven months and place with a male to mate with them.
The weaned animals can be mated at the age of between seven to eight months from birth. Indefinite mating
is expected to have taken place when the weaned male Grasscutter is seven months old and the female is
eight months. The indefinite mating period is 140days. But if after 160 days of separation from the male, there
is still no sign of pregnancy , then it should be taken back to the male for proper mating. Usually there should
also be an extra male that can serve the same purpose.
The Market For Grasscutter
The market like I stated earlier is very big. Grasscutter meat or Bush meat is probably the most desirable
animal meet in the market. Everyone loves it and it sells very fast. Big restaurants uses it to prepare high
priced delicacies. Full meat of a mature Grasscutter goes for N4,500 in the market and the market women
who trade on it are always in demand of it.
Most people in the city couldn’t buy the meat because it’s very scarce, so no amount of Grasscutter you
produced that can’t be sold within days. It will take combined efforts of thousands of farmers to fill the need
for bush meat in the market in Africa right now.
Grasscutter is a fast reproducing animal and starts mating with 7 months after birth. It gives birth twice yearly
and produce 4-7 at a time. That means, if you have 100 females that gives birth twice in a year, you would be
having 900 to 1,500 in your farm within just a year!
PIG FARMING
Introduction
Starting a pig farm or piggery is a good decision you’ve made or you’re about to make. No doubt, pig farming
is a profitable and low-cost enterprise. However, intending pig farmers like you would need to have basic
knowledge about pigs and pig farming business. You should know things like:
• Systems of keeping pigs

• Housing of pigs (How to build pig house)
• Breeding of pigs
• Pig Nutrition
Terminologies in Pig or Swine Production

• Boar: An adult male pig
• Sow: An adult female pig that has given birth at least once
• In-sow: A pregnant female pig
• Barrow: A male pig castrated before reaching sexual maturity
• Gilt: A young female pig that has never given birth
• Piglet: A very young pig that is between 1-30 days old
• Weaner: A very young pig that has been removed from the mother
• Runt: A weak or small pig in a litter
• Wallowing: The act of taking a bath in a water-filled container or depression
Pig Production Systems

There are three ways pigs can be raised or kept. Similar to poultry, cattle and other livestock animals, pigs can
be raised under:
1. Extensive or Free-range system

2. Semi-intensive system
3. Intensive system
Extensive or Free-range system
This is a system in which the pigs are allowed to move around without limits or unconfined. The animals find
and scavenge for food themselves while the farmer supplements this with agricultural byproducts or kitchen
waste. In the evening, the pigs return to the enclosure made for them as shelter. This enclosure is usually a small
place made of sticks and a simple roof.
In this type of management system of pig, local pig breeds are usually kept and bred because they have high
resistance to diseases and can manage with low-quality food/feed. One of the advantages of this extensive
system is that little, or no money is spent in providing food or veterinary services for the pigs.
Under the extensive or free-range system, the pigs are allowed to mate indiscriminately, giving room for
inbreeding. Hence, the reason for poor-quality and poorly performing offspring. Quality of pigs is usually a
priority to the farmers since the pigs are not kept or bred as a regular source of income or meat production. The
pigs are sold when the keeper needs extra cash or they are present as gifts during festive seasons.
Semi-Intensive System
Semi-intensive system involves confining the pigs to limited space or area. The keeper provides all the feed,
water and veterinary services that the animals need because they are not allowed to scavenge or find food and
water for themselves. So the pigs are feed with kitchen wastes and agricultural byproducts such as corn husks
and cobs, cassava peels, yam peels, etc.
Under this type of management system, the pigs are allowed to graze on grasses within the confined space. The
pregnant sows are usually given special attention and provided with extra food.
Unlike in the extensive system, farmers keeping pigs under a semi-intensive system spends more time and effort
on the pigs. The financial inputs are fairly low but more technical knowledge about pig production is required.
Intensive System
The intensive system is the best and recommended system of keeping pigs if the production goal is to generate
income. Under this system, pigs are kept indoors or in pens and not allowed to move outside. The pens are
constructed in such a way that the pigs can eat and drink in their pen. This is the type of management system
practiced by commercial pig farms. If you want to start a pig farm, then you must choose this system to get the
best from the animals.
How to Construct a Pig House or Pen

Before going fully into how to construct a pig house, it is important to list the advantages of keeping pigs indoor
or in a house. These include:
• The animals will be able to conserve energy because they won’t scavenge for food.
• They get maximum protection from rain and sun.
• High piglet survival and very low mortality rate.
• Good hygiene and health management are easier.
• Feeding routines can be more carefully controlled and adjusted for different classes of pigs.
• Heat control, weaning and other management practices can be done appropriately and timely.
• It makes record keeping easier.
• Manure can be collected quickly and easier for biogas production.
It is worth mentioning that the merits listed above will only work if standards are maintained. Undoubtedly, it is
easy for infectious diseases to spread quickly when many pigs are kept together in a small pen or space. Hence,
hygiene and sanitation must be of high priority. Additionally, the living condition of a pig house must be
excellent in order to make the animals perform excellently.
Idea Climatic Conditions for Pigs
The climate (especially temperature) to which pigs are exposed is of great importance. Pigs are very sensitive to
any changes in ambient temperature. They can neither withstand draught or heavy rainfall. They are not a friend
of intense sunlight because it makes their skin to dry out.
Temperate must be considered when building a house of pigs. The house should be constructed in such a way
that temperatures in the day are low and the animals are kept warm in the night or cool periods.
A healthy adult pig should have a body temperature that ranges between 38oC and 39oC. The normal body
temperature of piglets is between 39-40oC. Anything above 40oC is a sign of illness.
When the body temperature of a pig is high, they consume less feed or food and this affects growth and
reproductive performances. Because pigs generally lack a sweat gland, they can’t sweat in order to cool their
body. Therefore, a pig farmer should ensure the temperature in the pig house is below 35oC.
The following are the ideal temperatures for pigs (of different ages) for optimum feed conversion and growth.
• 1 day old piglets — 35°C

• 1 day-1week old piglets — 30°C
• 1-6 weeks old piglets — 24-30°C
• Pigs from 20-60kg — 20-26°C
• Pigs from 60-90 kg — 18-22°C
• Adult Pigs 18-22°C
Requirements for a Good Pig House
Climate and the number of pigs to be kept determine how pig houses and pens are constructed. Before choosing
where the pig houses will be constructed and what materials to use, the local conditions of the area must be
considered. Know whether the area is waterlogged, noisy, exposed to wind etc.
If the area is damp, hot or humid, shade and breeze should be taken into consideration. The pig house in this
kind of area should be open and airy. The walls of the pens should be low and allow free passage of air for good
ventilation.
Other important conditions that the proposed pen for a pig must meet include:
• The pen must not be free of draught
• Rain and sunlight should not have access into the pen
• The ambient temperature shouldn’t vary much
• The pen must be easy to clean
• The floor of the pen must be non-slippery and sloping
• It should allow easy management of pigs
• There should be provision for collecting and storing litter, manure and waste water for future use.
Siting of a Pig House
You must choose your pig farm site carefully when you want to build your pig house.
Hints:
• If you’re in a hot region, ensure that the house is constructed in an east-west orientation. It is advised to have a
few trees on the site. Trees can serve as shade and they can help in screening and absorbing heat.
• The site must be blessed with enough water supplies so that the pigs can have access to clean water for
drinking, wallowing and for cleaning purpose.
The Roof
The roof should be constructed using a roofing material that insulates excellently against cold and heat, and it
should be durable. If there are no alternatives, you can use corrugated aluminium or iron sheets, but ensure that
trees are surrounding the pens.
The roof must be sloppy. Depending on the design, the longest slope should be facing the prevailing rain and
wind direction. Nevertheless, the recommended orientation of the roof is east to west.
You can also build something similar to the picture below. It is called an open roof ridge. This particular design
helps pig farmers to reduce the temperature.
The Floors and Bedding
When constructing the floor of the pen, ensure that the floor is slightly elevated above the surroundings. It
should also have a slight slope in order to prevent flooding of the pen with wastewater and easy run-off. The
recommended slope is 3 cm/m.
A drain should be built so that faecal manure and wastewater can be collected easily into a sewage pit. This
faecal manure can be used as an organic fertilizer or to produce methane gas (biogas).
The floor should be concreted, hard but not too smooth to make floor cleaning easy. Don’t use woods to make
the floors as it woods can rot quickly and the pigs can chew them up. In fact, woods can be so slippery and
harbor pathogens, microbes or parasites.
The floor should be at least 10cm thick and the sand, stones and cement ratio should be 2:3:1; that is 2 parts of
sand, 3 parts of stones and 1 part of cement should be mixed together. As earlier mentioned, the concrete should
not be so rough to discourage the pigs from scratching their body on it. Nevertheless, a too smooth concrete
floor must be avoided so that the pigs won’t get injured due to slipping. In case you have a too smooth floor,
spread some quantities of soil on the floor surface.
The Walls
How the walls of a pig house should be constructed depends on the climate of the area. In countries in the
tropics like Nigeria, the walls of a pig house should be low and left opened so as give room for adequate
ventilation. A wall height of about 1.2 metres is recommended while the distance between the wall and the roof
should be 1 metres. The 1.2 metres is recommended as it is high enough for any pig to climb over and also
adequate to protect the pigs from strong winds and rain. The space between the wall and the roof can be covered
with wire netting. This wood lining will prevent the pig from digging into the mud wall. Bamboo poles or
boards can also be used to construct the wall.
Brick and cement walls are stronger and last longer even though they are costlier. Cement and brick walls are
easy to clean and maintained, and they make a pig house look great.
The feed trough should be inside the pen and can be made of cement, wood or iron. Ensure that the feed trough
is long enough for all the pigs in the pen to feed from it all at once. Fatteners need a feeding space of 30 cm
each while sows need a feeding space of 40 – 50 cm each. You can also use self feeder for a group of 10 pigs.
The water trough shouldn’t be so wide else the pigs will bathe in the trough. You can prevent this by fixing an
iron bar across the water trough.
Avoid keeping pigs of different sizes or ages in the same pen. The stronger ones may bully or bite the weaker
pigs when there are inadequate feed to eat. So the stronger pigs get fatter while the weaker pigs get leaner.
Also install showers or sprinklers in all the pens to cool down the pigs when the temperature is high. If these are
not provided, the pigs will urinate and defecate in their resting places in order to cool down their body.
Size of Pig Pens and Runs
I will like to reiterate here that pigs are one of the cleanest animals in the world. They hate drinking dirty water,
defaecating where they feed or urinating in the feeding area. The reason why some pigs demonstrate some dirty,
unhealthy habits is because the space of their pen is inadequate. If there is run (dung area) in a pig pen, the pigs
will always go outside to defaecate. You should also ensure that the main pain (covered area) is not too big.
Pigs need a clean feeding area with a water and feeding trough; resting area with adequate ventilation; and
excreting area (run) where they will always excrete. If these three areas are available in the pen, you will see the
pigs exhibiting hygienic behavior naturally.
• A 2 x 2.5 m pen can accommodate a sow with her piglets. The run of this pen should not be less than 1.5 x 2 m.
• A 2 x 2 m pen can accommodate 8 – 10 weaners.
• A 3 x 3 m pen can accommodate 10 fatteners (depending on their weight and size at slaughter). Each fattener
should have a space of 1 m2.
• A 2 x 2.5 m pen is ideal for two sows while a 2.5 x 2.5 m pen is suitable for three sows.
Pig Breeding and Reproduction

Recommended Breeds of Pig to Start a Pig Farm
After constructing the pig house and putting all necessary infrastructures in place, the next thing to do is
deciding on the breeds and number of pigs to keep in the house. This is a very important stage because the
decision you make will determine the profit level of your pig farming venture.
There are many breeds of pigs. We have the local breeds and the exotic breeds. If you’re going on a commercial
scale, keeping exotic breeds of pigs is recommended. The following are the recommended exotic breeds:
• Large White
• Landrace
• Duroc
• Poland China
• Tamworth
• Yorkshire
• Hampshire
• Crosses of the above
Considerations When Selecting Boars and Sows for Breeding
The following should be considered before you choose or select your boars or sows.
• The boars and sows should have a minimum of 12 normal nipples and teats respectively, 6 on each side.
• They should be the healthiest and biggest in their group.
• They should possess strong legs and be able to walk well.
• Their parents should have excellent performance records, such as good-sized litters, good feed conversion and
excellent mothering ability.
• They should not be inbred. This means they should be from different sources.
How to Manage the Boar
A young, healthy boar is matured for mating when he is 9 – 10 months old. Make sure that the first sow the boar
will serve is not bigger than the boar. You should also avoid overusing a boar for mating. Overworking a boar is
detrimental to his health and productivity.
Normally, a healthy boar can serve between 10 – 20 sows. Cull your breeding boar after 3 years and replace
with another good boar. Don’t allow a boar to service or mate his own daughters as doing this will result in
inbreeding.
You should care for the boars by feeding them and allow them to do much exercises. Boars should not be too
lean or too fat. When a boar is ill, allow him to rest for 4 – 8 weeks and let another boar take over the servicing
task until the main boar is fit. Don’t keep boars together with sows to disallow indiscriminate mating or
inaccurate records.
How to Manage the Sow
Sows shouldn’t be allowed to grow too fat. When this happens, the affected sows will have leg and fertility
problems. Allow all sows to get plenty exercise in order to stay fit, burn out excess fat and develop their legs
well.
Normally, young sows (gilts) are mature to conceive at 6 months of age, but servicing them at this age is not
advised. They should be allowed to attain good weight before they are serviced. So wait until the gilts reach 8 –
10 months before they could be serviced. If gilts are serviced too early, there will be poor growth, small litters,
farrowing (birth) problems and loss of conditions.
Few weeks before servicing gilts or sows, they should be well-fed with protein-rich food or feed and extra
quantities of feed should be provided. These make them fit and strong for mating, and allow the animals to
produce more eggs for fertilization.
The gestation period of pigs is 3 months, 3 weeks and 3 days. Most pigs farrow after 114 – 115 days.
How to Know When a Sow is in Heat (Oestrus)
The following are the signs of heat (oestrus) in female pigs:
• Swelling and redness of the vulva which is more evident in gilts than sows.
• Mucous discharge from the vulva
• Mounting of other sows in the pen
• Sows in heat often don’t finish their feed
• Production of a special grunting noise
Management of Piglets
After newborn piglets are born, soak the navel of each piglet in an iodine solution to prevent inflammation
(omalitis). The piglets should also be aided by putting them onto the udder of their mother. They need to suck
from the colostrum (first milk) which helps in fighting impending diseases.
Young piglets tend to be anaemic (have a shortage of iron in their blood) because there is less iron in the sow’s
milk, and wouldn’t meet the iron needs of the piglets. Piglets suffering from anaemia become pale and their
growth rate drops. You can prevent anaemia by putting clean compost or iron-rich soil (red, yellow or brown
soil) in the corner of the pen everyday. When the piglets eat some of the soil, they will be able to supplement
the iron deficient in their mother’s milk. You can also give the piglets iron injection (Iron D) at the age of 1 – 3
days.
Some important operations carried out on piglets are:
• Teeth trimming
• Castration
• Weaning
Teeth Trimming
The creep teeth of piglets should be trimmed or removed as they can use these teeth to injure each other or
damage the teats of their mother. A drill, hand file or hand plier can be used to remove these creep teeth. You
can as well ignore this operation if the piglets are calm and litter is not more than ten (10) piglets.
Castration
To prevent the meat of male pigs from tainting by an unpleasant smell, they have to be castrated. Castration also
helps in increasing feed conversion to meat (pork). Castration should be done when the two testess have
descended into the scrotum.
Ensure that the animal is healthy and fit before carrying out the operation. If not, postpone the castration. One
person can castrate a piglet—the handler will hold the piglet between his knees. Nevertheless, if there are two
people, one person can assist in holding the piglet while the other person performs the castration. The piglet
should be held upside-down while the hind legs are pulled towards the belly of the piglet.
How to castrate a piglet
• Wash the scrotum and wipe it with an antiseptic.

• Position one of the testicles- against the skin and make an incision, large enough to permit the testis- to come
out easily.
• Cut the spermatic cord attached to the testis- using a very shape blade or knife that has been disinfected.
• Wash the wound with disinfectant and inject the piglet with oxytetracycline and multivitamins.
Weaning
Weaning is the process of separating a piglet from the mother in order to be able to feed and survive without
dependence on the mother. Piglets should be weaned between 4 – 8 weeks old of age. After they are weaned,
they should be placed on creep feed diet. Creep feed is very rich in protein and low in fiber. Whenever piglets
are to be weaned, the sow or mother should be removed from the piglets and not the piglets from the sow.
Pig Nutrition
in pig farming, nutrition is very vital. Pigs can consume everything that humans eat. They are omnivores; that
is, they can feed on food from both vegetable and animal origins. For pigs to perform better, they need to be fed
balanced diets and in adequate quantities.
Pigs can eat kitchen wastes, edible vegetables, farm by-products such as cassava peelings, yam peelings, maize
cobs, etc. Nevertheless, they perform much better on concentrates. The following are good formulae for
different classes of pig.
Sample Pig Starter or Creep Feed Formula

Ingredient Quantity (KG)
Total 1000
Maize 550
Groundnut Cake (GNC) 140
Brewers Dry Grains (BDG) 133
Soybean Meal (SBM) 90
Fish meal 50
Bone meal 31
Salt 2.5
Methionine 1
Pig Premix 2.5
Sample Pig Grower Feed Formula

Total 1000
Maize 250
Cassava peels 100
Wheat Offal 274
Palm Kernel Cake (PKC) 62
Bone meal 28
Salt 2.5
Methionine 1
Pig Premix 2.5
Sample Pig Fattener Feed Formula

Total 1000
Maize 220
Cassava peels 100
Wheat Offal 274
Maize Bran 50
Bone meal 20
Salt 2.5
Methionine 1
Pig Premix 2.5
Sample Pig Breeder Feed Formula

Total 1000
Maize 200
Cassava peels 100
Wheat Offal 299
Maize bran 15
Bone meal 30
Salt 2.5
Methionine 1
Pig Premix 2.5
Feed Efficiency and FCR
Pigs produce more live weight gain from a given quantity of feed than any other class of meat animals. Pigs are
capable of producing 100kg weight gain from 300 – 350 kg of feed; that is 1 kg of pork can be produced from 3
– 3.5 kg of feed.
Feed Conversion Ratio (FCR) is the total quantity of feed utilized to realize the growth or increase in body
weight.
The formula used to calculate Feed conversion ratio (FCR) is:
For example, if a pig consumed 120 kg feed to attain a weight gain of 60 kg. The FCR is:
You can only calculate FCR if the animals are fed with dry feed. A lower FCR shows a better feed efficiency.
Also, an FCR that is lower than 3 is very good while an FCR higher than 4 is not good.
Factors that affect Feed Conversion Ratio (FCR)
These include:
• Age
• Quality of feed and feeding system
• Exposure to extreme weathers
• Genetic variation
• State of health
If pigs are not fed with adequate quantities of feed for maximum growth, they will first use the feed to fulfill
their body maintenance needs before using the rest for growth.
Pigs should be served enough water in order to eat well, cool down the body temperature and prevent death due
to thirstiness.

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HOW TO START

6. ORGANIC TREATMENTS AND SUPPLIMENTS IN POULTRY FARMING

Care of Birds and Management

Below are vaccine programs for BROILERS AND LAYERS:

1. BROILER MEDICATION AND VACCINE

Age Drug &Vaccine

Vaccine for ISA BROWN and LOHMANN BROWN

Most Common Chick Diseases

• Infectious Bronchitis CRD

FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO DISEASE

• Poor-quality food and water

• Too hot or too cold conditions

ACTIONS AT FIRST SIGNS OF DISEASE

Diseases can be prevented through management, environmental and chicken factors

• Get only first-grade chicks from a good, reliable supplier

Signs in sick chickens

Signs in dead chickens

• Bacteria (Salmonella, E. coli, Pasteurella)

UPPER RESPIRATORY DISEASES -- CRD

Signs in sick chickens

Signs in dead chickens

• A very red windpipe and throat

NERVOUS SIGNS AND LAMENESS

Signs in sick chickens

• Bacteria (Salmonella, Botulism)

DROP IN EGG PRODUCTION OR QUALITY

• Bacteria (E. coli, Salmonella)

Signs in sick chickens

ORGANIC BROILER MEDICATION/REMEDY:

In the afternoon or towards the evening

First 4 days, you give garlic, ginger and pawpaw leaf

Also in the afternoon, towards the evening

You introduce bitter leaf, cayenne or black pepper

Also continue with garlic, ginger turmeric in small quantity

Poultry Diseases and Organic Remedy:

If you also have access to sage, it is equally potent.

You can also use Shea butter as above,

I also heard that lime and turmeric works

NEWCASTLE DISEASE (NCD)

Signs is usually between 2-14 days after infection

Tagiri is very good in prevention,

Very controversial and deadly disease

John's worth is one plant that is potent in curing Marek

So also is cayenne or black pepper with Aloe vera gel

General weakness and downing of feathers

For the treatment

Bitter leaf extract with cayenne pepper is good to go

CHRONIC RESPIRATORY DISEASE (CRD)

It is characterized by blackish growth on the comb and wattle.

For prevention and cure,

Mix ash and Cayenne pepper in their feed or water.

You can also use lime and turmeric in their water.

This is characterized by swollen heads and eyes and laboured breathing

POULTRY LICE, SCALY LEG, MITE, WORM, FLEAS ETC

For the treatment

Use any two of, aloe vera, lime water, clove,

Traditional poultry disease control in Africa

UNDERSTANDING THE BROILER STRAIN.

Abor Acre-Good weight and carcass, heavy feeder, good FCR

We have 3 main types of snailery construction you can do:

The first two need soil treatment.

SNAILS FARMING SYSTEMS

HOW TO SETUP A SNAIL FARM