Know the right type of chicken to rear for profit
Body:
Many farmers rush to buy new chicken breeds coming into the market without knowing their qualities only to end up with regrets and losses. Poultry keeping is now one of the most popular agribusiness enterprises that many people in Kenya want to go into. You can listen or download the audio version of this article here : http://theorganicfarmer.org/content/know-right-type-chicken-rear-profit However, many farmers rush into it without the most basic information on how they can do it the right way. The quail fiasco two years ago no doubt left many farmers with empty pockets when they made huge investments in quail rearing leading to glut in the market and a fall in prices. Many farmers do not seem to have learnt a lesson. Currently, there are a lot of rumours, and misguided exaggerations about new chicken breeds that are said to do much better than local indigenous breeds in production, enticing farmers to spend a lot of their money in search of the breeds which they only learnt about in newspaper articles and adverts. In this issue, we would like to shed light on the breeds available in the country and their qualities so that farmers can make informed decisions on the best type of breed they can keep to get good returns by making the best choice from the various breeds in the market. Improved KARI indigenous chicken The KARI Improved Indigenous chicken breed is one of the most popular breeds in the country at the moment. The chickens can produce more eggs and meat compared to local indigenous chickens. The breed can also do well in areas with harsh climatic conditions such as the arid and semi-arid regions in Northern Kenya. The chicken can be reared in free range conditions especially for farmers who want to produce chickens organically. When properly managed, the KARI Improved hens can lay between 220 to 280 eggs a year. A hen from this breed can attain 1.5kg in 5 months. A cock weighs 2kg over the same period if they are well-fed. The breed has a quiet temperament, excellent feathering and is able to adapt fast to the conditions under which it is kept compared to other breeds. At the moment there is a huge demand for KARI Improved chickens across the country such that KARI is unable to supply farmers who need this breed. But efforts are being made to train farmers who can breed the chickens and sell to other farmers. Kenbro chicken The Kenbro breed is a dual-purpose (meant for eggs and meat production) breed which was specifically developed to serve the western Kenya market that has a high demand for chickens. It was introduced into the country about a decade ago by Kenchic Ltd to meet the demand for farmers who would prefer a breed that requires less intensive management than hybrid chickens. Kenbro is more resistant to diseases compared to hybrid birds. It can survive on free range. The bird matures faster with proper feeding and starts laying eggs at 5 months. It can attain up to 4kg with proper feeding. Kenchic produces more than 20,000 birds from this breed in a week but some farmers breed the birds and sell to others. The quality of birds produced by such farmers is low because it is only the company that has the parent stock that can produce high quality birds. Kenbro is a heavy feeder and this is one reason it is able to put more weight than other indigenous chickens. Kuroiler chicken The Kuroiler is a dual-purpose breed that was introduced in Uganda in the year 2009 from Keggs Farms, India. Like Kenbro, Kuroiler can survive on free range, but they need to feed continuously, a reason why they put on weight faster than do indigenous chickens; at 4 months Kuroiler chickens can weigh up to 3kg and 4kg in 6 months. Farmers rearing this breed say it has tastier meat compared to indigenous chickens; their meat is also soft and tender. Its eggs are larger than those of indigenous chickens. A Kuroiler hen can lay between 140-150 eggs in a year. However, Kuroiler’s quality goes down when they are crossed with indigenous chickens. Farmers keeping them say Kuroiler birds are scavengers that can live on household food leftovers and related agricultural waste. Like local indigenous chickens, Kuroiler chickens are resistant to most diseases although farmers are advised to vaccinate them in the same way they do other chickens. However, one big disadvantage with Kuroiler chickens is that the hens cannot sit on their eggs to hatch. Many farmers discover this fact too late. Kuroiler chickens are therefore suitable only for farmers with incubators. Small- scale farmers in the rural areas who rely on hens to hatch chicks can only order fresh stock of chicks every time they want new stock for breeding. Indeed poultry farmers in rural areas in Uganda are already raising questions on the sustainability of this breed among resource poor communities who cannot manage to buy new stocks every time they want to rear new batches of birds. “Unless the government sets up hatcheries at the village level, small-scale farmers will be exposed to businessmen with hatcheries, who will increase chicks prices or even charge them more for hatchery services,“ says Henry Kijanji, a poultry farmer in Mafubira Sub-county, Jinja, Uganda in a telephone interview. Farmers interested in Kuroiler day-old chicks can contact Joseph Makumi on 0723 687 400, Gilgil. Rainbrow Rooster chicken Like the Kuroiler breed, Rainbow Rooster is dual purpose breed meaning that farmers can keep it for both meat and eggs, multi-coloured dual purpose, low input bird which can be put on free range. However, it is a heavy feeder, which is able to put on weight fast attaining 3kg to 4kg in 6 months. However, like the Kuroiler breed, the Rainbow Rooster hen cannot sit on the eggs to hatch; so farmers who want to keep this breed must have an incubator for hatching. The breed is therefore not suitable for small-scale farmers in the rural areas who cannot be able to buy incubators mainly for lack of electricity supply. For interested commercial farmers, the Rainbow Rooster is distributed by Kukuchic Ltd Tel 0727 991 303, 0733 840 288 Eldoret. You can listen to or download the audio version of this article here: http://theorganicfarmer.org/content/know-right-type-chicken-rear-profit Share your experiences with TOF and fellow farmers. Send email to admin@theorganicfarmer.org, leave a comment below this article or SMS to 0715 916 136.
Kuroiler
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to navigationJump to search
The Kuroiler is a hybrid breed of chicken developed by the Keggfarms Group in Gurgaon, Haryana. Kuroilers are derived from crossing either coloured broiler males with Rhode Island Red females, or, White Leghorn males crossed with female Rhode Island Reds. [1]
Characteristics
Kuroilers, a dual-purpose breed producing meat and eggs, can live on a diet of kitchen and agricultural waste, and produce around 150 eggs per year whereas native Indian hens lay only 40 per year. The meat yield per bird of Kuroilers is also greater; males weigh approximately 3.5 kg (7.7 lb) and females about 2.5 kg (5.5 lb) whereas the native male bird weighs 2.5 kg (5.5 lb) and females 1.2 kg (2.6 lb). Due to its unique genetic features, the Kuroiler is resistant to diseases. The kuroiler chick is a potential bio-converter of no cost agricultural, household and natural waste abundant in villages — into human protein food and substantial incomes for rural households.[2]
History
Introduced in the early 1990s, the breed was created by Vinod Kapur of Kegg Farms Private, ltd., and the name is a portmanteau of Kegg and Broiler.[1] [3] Rather than all being raised in a central hatchery,[1] Kuroiler eggs are hatched in more than a thousand “mother units” throughout the country, then are distributed down to the individual villages as day-old chicks.[4]
Kuroilers have become popular in rural areas of India, including Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Mizoram, Chhattisgarh, Assam, Meghalaya and Uttarakhand. Large numbers of landless or smallholder farmers –primary women– breed these chickens as a full-time or part-time business.[5][5][6] Kuroilers have also been exported to countries such as Uganda with success.[7][8]
Difference Between Kuroiler, Kenbro, Rainbow Rooster and KARI Improved Chicken
As kienyeji chickens become more and more popular in Kenya, more and more breeds are entering the market.These improved breeds have higher productivity than the local kienyeji breeds. They have been bred for certain purposes. As a farmer, it is important to take advantage of the different kienyeji chicken breed’s characteristics to fit your purposes. For example, If you are keeping chickens for meat, a rainbow rooster gains faster weight than the improved KARI and kuroiler breeds. Here are some of the improved kienyeji breeds;
KARI kienyeji: This was bred from a range of indigenous chickens in Kenya by KARI (now KARLO) Naivasha. There are five distinct types distinguished by their colours (Table 2)
Kuroiler: This breed entered Kenya from Uganda but originates from India
Kenbro: This is a Kenchick breed
The rainbow rooster: This is a multi-coloured breed originating from India .
Here is a summarized table showing different kienyeji chicken breeds with their characteristics:
| Description | KARI kienyeji | Kuroiler | Kenbro | Rainbow rooster |
| Purpose | Eggs and meat | Eggs and meat | Eggs and meat | Eggs and meat |
| Maturity (months) | 5.5 | 5 | 4-5 | 5 |
| Average egg production (per month) | 15-20 | 18-20 | 20-25 | 20-25 |
| Average meat production | Cocks: 2.0-2.2kg | Cocks: 2.2-2.5 kg | Cocks: 2.2-2.5 | Cocks: 3.0 kg |
| Hens: 1.5-1.8 kg | Hens: 1.8-2.2 kg | Hens: 1.9-2.2 kg | Hens: 1.9- 2.2 kg | |
| Feeding | Normal | Medium | Heavy | Medium |
| Sitting characteristics | Multi-coloured ones are good sitters | Poor sitters | Does not sit | Does not sit |
| Decline in production (years) | Hens: 1.5 years | Hens: 1.5 years | Hens: 1.5 years | Hens: 1.5 years |
| Cocks: 1.3 years | Cocks: 1 year | Cocks: 1 year | Cocks: 1 year | |
| Disease resistance compared to each other | High | Low | Low | High |
Improved KARI indigenous chickens come in five different colours; spotted, white, black, brown and multi-coloured. They have the following characteristics;
| Colour | Visual Features | Sitting | Laying | Weight/ meat |
| Spotted | Good camouflage | Poor sitters. 25% will sit | Poor layer | Faster weight gain Highest quality meat with better muscle structure |
| White | With some black | White starts laying earlier.Good layers. More eggs. Larger eggs, so stronger chicks | Becomes heavier | |
| Black | With brown front | Moderate | ||
| Brown | ||||
| Multi-coloured | More indigenous | Better sitters. 75% birds sit | Moderate layers |
When starting on improved indigenous chicken business, consider the above characteristics and choose the breed that best suits your purpose. Ensure that you get your breeds from certified breeders for pure breeds.
January 2, 2017
What are kuroilers?
The Kuroiler chicken were first introduced into East Africa through Uganda and then from Uganda into Kenya. It is an Indian breed that is well known for its good quality meat and the large number of eggs that it produces every year in Kienyeji conditions. These birds are scavengers, just like the ordinary kienyeji birds but the difference is that they eat almost all the time. The farmer does need to invest in costly commercial feeding for the Kuroiler chicken as they can easily fend for themselves by scavenging. Thanks to their appetite, they put on weight very fast.
It is a bird that has changed the fortunes of many families in rural areas. These families are able to produce a lot of meat and a large number if eggs without any massive investment. The birds also have a very high survival rate compared to other exotic breeds. The Kuroilers survive in the same condition just like the local kienyeji birds and the most important thing is that they have a higher rate of productivity than the local kienyeji birds.
Kuroiler chicken grow faster
Perhaps this is the biggest advantage of the Kuroiler chickens. They grow very fast. The best thing is that they grow fast without any special commercial feeding. They can put on weight very quickly in scavenging environment while feeding on leftovers of food, grass, termites and many other kinds of food. If a farmer is able to supplement the Kuroiler feeding with some commercial feeding or even locally available feeds such as yellow maize, soya, omena and even the chicken mash, the Kurpiler can do really well. You need to vaccinate and deworm them just like you would other kinds of chicken on a regular schedule but that’s just about the kind of management effort that you will have to put up for your Kuroiler hens.
When Do Kuroiler Start Laying Eggs?
The Kuroiler chickens begin laying eggs at five months. Once they start, they will lay continuously for a period of 2 years. They also produce very big eggs with bright dark yellow egg yolks which are much preferred by many buyers. The Kuroiler eggs also contain more nutrients thanks to their scavenging lifestyle which exposes them to more nutrients during their feeding.
Get More Eggs with Kuroiler
The Kuroiler hens produce at least 150-200 eggs per year compared to the ordinary kienyeji chickens which produce about 40 eggs per year. This is one of the reasons why the Kuroiler hens have been billed as the number one poverty eradicators. A farmer is able to increase their production four-fold without any costly investments in feeding or housing. It is important to note that unlike the local chicken, the Kuroiler hens do not brood i.e., they do not sit on their eggs. So if you want Kuroiler chicks, you will need to invest in an incubator.
Hatchability
The Kuroiler will not brood or sit on their eggs. However, when their eggs are put in the incubators or hatchery, they produce good hatchability results, meaning majority of these eggs will hatch compared to those of the local Kienyeji chicken. You can get hatchability of 80% and above.
Get More Meat with Kuroiler
The Kuroiler chickens will mature in 10 weeks compared to other ordinary birds which can take as many as months before they mature. At maturity, the Kuroiler chickens will weigh up to 3.5Kgs which makes them better than broilers which generally weigh 2.0 to 2.5Kgs at maturity.
Kuroiler Housing and Rearing System
Kuroiler have all the advantages of the local kienyeji which means you can keep them in the same housing where you keep your kienyeji. You can rear them in a fully free range or in semi free range conditions. The Kuroiler can also be reared in small spaces in the urban centres.
In summary
This breed entered Kenya from Uganda but it originates from India.It is a hybrid of chicken developed be Keggfarm Groups in Gurgaon. Kuroilers have been in the kenyan market for a long time thus they are popular to Kenyans
Characteristics
- * Kuroilers are multicoloured.
- * Kuroilers are dual purpose for producing meat and eggs.
- * Kuroilers are adapted for free range and scavenging.
- * Kuroilers have high resistance to common poultry diseases.
- * Kuroilers are fast maturity-Mature males 3.5-4 Kgs, Females 2.5-3 Kgs.
- * Kuroilers have a high egg production: 20-25 eggs per month.
- * Kuroilers have an economical laying period;1.5 years.
- * Kuroilers feed consumption; average (medium) feeder.
- * Kuroiler Sitting characteristics; Does not sit on eggs(does not get broody