Family Vet Services

  Frizzle chicken farming is popular mainly for it’s distinctive characteristics of curled or frizzled plumage. It is truly a unique   chicken breed . And it is actually a dual purpose bird which is valued for both meat and eggs production purposes. Frizzle chicken should have an African origin especially among the Igbo/Ibo tribe in the southeastern part of Nigeria due to it's  use by the African traditional religion worshippers or native doctors. In Igbo land, due to the dialect differences in the Igbo language, so also does the local name of Frizzle chicken differs but has one meaning. In  Abia, Anambra, Enugu, Imo, and Ebonyi states, its called  Abuke,Ayahiri'   Ayahara, Ajilija  and  Iyaya okuko.  It is called these names because of it's ruffled feathers (Nwokeomo).  Iyaya okuko(frizzle chicken) is equally recognized as a distinct breed in these nine European countries and Australia. The European countries which recognize this ...

  Oludele Th e Naked Neck chicken known in Igbo language as Oludele okuko(vulture neck)is an old dual purpose chicken breed. It is naturally devoid of feathers on its neck and vent. The origin of Naked Neck chicken is unclear. This chicken breed is also called the Turken, Kaalnek, Transylvanian Naked Neck chicken, etc. Many people thought this breed as a hybrid of a chicken and the domestic turkey. But this is not true, and these birds are pure chicken. Male and female naked neck chicken The Naked Neck trait is highly dominant and is passed on the first generation offspring when crossed with a non-naked neck breed. Nowadays the Naked Neck chickens are common in Nigeria and other parts of Africa as well as America and Europe Female and her chicks Naked neck chicks Features of Oludele Okuko(Naked neck Chicken) • Naked Neck chicken comes in a variety of colors. • The exposed skin on their necks turns bright red in the sun (just like turkey), but when not exposed to the sun, it remains...

 Us e of intelligent/selective culling of the  poultry flock is of utmost  iImportance for success in poultry production especially in layers/egg production. Selective culling refers to the identification and removal of non-laying birds from a laying flock PURPOSE OF CULLING 1. It increases the profit by ensuring that the feed will be consumed by the better producing layers. 2. It helps to save cost of medication and vaccination. 3. More space is provided for the remaining. 4. Culling sick birds can reduce incidence and spread of poultry disease in flock. 5. Actual Egg production will be maintained. Culling is very important and should be a continual process on every farm whether small or large farm. This selective culling should be practiced right from chicks stage. When chicks are started, all weak chicks should be eliminated. During growing stage, runty and slow growing pullets should be removed and fed with 2% extra protein to gain growth within 3 - 4 weeks. Culling d...

  A.  POOR EARLY GROWTH AND LACK OF UNIFORMITY Weak pullets CAUSES 1 - Nutrition 2 - Environmental conditions 3 - Appetite 4 - Disease ACTIONS 1 - Check starter ration (availability, nutritional and physical quality), Check water supply (availability and quality) 2 - Check temperature and humidity profiles, Check day-length, Check air quality (C02, dust, minimum ventilation rate) 3 - Check poor stimulation of appetite (low proportion of birds with full crops) 4 - Post-mortem on dead chicks, take veterinary advice Healthy broilers at 5weeks B.  POOR LATE GROWTH AND UNIFORMITY Un-uniform growth in 5wks broilers   CAUSES 1 - Low nutrient intake 2 - Infectious disease 3 - Environmental conditions ACTIONS 1 - Check feed nutritional and physical quality and formulation, Check feed intake and accessibility, Excessive early restriction, Lighting program too restrictive 2 - Establish cause (post mortem), take veterinary advice 3 - Check ventilation rates, Check stocking densi...

 M ange is a skin disease caused by an external parasite (mite) which is characterized by severe swelling which affects pig growth. Alternatively, it can be called  Sarcoptic mange, Sarcoptes scabiei, scabies Mange is a parasitic skin disease caused by Sarcoptes scabiei. Sarcoptic mange (sometimes called scabies) is the most common and it is significant because it is irritating and uncomfortable to pigs, causing a lot of scratching and skin damage. It significantly reduces the growth rate and feed conversion rate. The life cycle of the mite is short, taking 14-15 days to complete. The mite dies quickly away from the pig. In less than five days in most conditions (although it could be from hours to 15 days). It is important to keep this in mind for its control. If a farm is free of mange, it is one of the easiest diseases to prevent, because it can only be introduced to the farm by animals carrying the organism. However, once introduced into the farm, it tends to remain endemic...

  The first few hours of life can define the lifetime performance of a pig. A weak pig will also struggle, especially as it is exposed to an array of antigens and environmental stresses as it grows .  Emmanuel U. Ozuluonye, Animal Health/Production Consultant, Zulinkx Agro & Vet. Services , outlines four key areas that pig farmers need to focus on to build a strong immunity foundation for piglets. “When the piglet is born, it is a very naive animal. It does not have a well developed immune system. So most of the immunity that the pig will require for survival will come through passive immunity from the mother to the piglet,”  Ozuluonye  says. He further explains there is no passage of antibodies while the piglet is in the womb. Therefore, the protection the piglets receive immediately after birth is critical. FOUR (4) ESSENTIAL THINGS THAT BUILD SOLID PIGLETS IMMUNITY: Piglets receiving colostrum within the first 20hrs of birth 1.  SOW/DAM HEALTH Piglet immu...

 Good finishing is determined by good starting.  In pig farming, fine genetics and good ration/feeding is key to a final harvest. Below are  two basic factors that ensures optimum weight gain in weaned piglets: Piglets feeding 1. Start with strong weaned pig feed intake The first hurdle is the transition from sow’s milk to dry feed. Until now, the piglet has only known the sow as a source of food and only been familiar with the taste and smell of the farrowing pen. Nursery feed ingredients need to include the right taste and smell profiles to set off chemical reactions and drive the pig to start eating. Average feed intake in the first 3-4 days post-weaning is too low to meet the pig’s energy requirements for maintenance and growth. You can close the energy gap with complex, highly digestible feed ingredients. These ingredients trigger receptors along the pig’s gut that drive metabolic function. This process helps pigs get the most out of the feed they eat and drives cons...