A shortage of poultry feed in the market has sent many poultry farmers into panic mode. The shortage can be attributed to the current shortage of maize grain, a key raw material in the production of stock feeds.
Poultry feed is a key ingredient in rearing chickens and any stock-outs greatly affect the yield and increases cases of cannibalism. A snap survey conducted by the Newsday confirmed a number of stockfeed suppliers were running low on stocks.
For small scale farmers, stocking on feed is a challenge due to limited financial resources. Those rearing layer chickens will be mostly affected as feed shortages or changing feed suppliers can stress the birds resulting to reduced egg production.
Feed availability challenges bring to the fore the importance of knowing how to make your own chicken feed so as to ensure business sustainability. The Zimbabwe Free Range Poultry Association (ZFRPA) often conducts online training sessions in feed formulation and farmers are encouraged to enrol for such training sessions which we advertise on this blog’s Event Calendar, Facebook and Twitter pages.
Keeping roadrunner or free range chickens is proving a better choice for many farmers as free range chickens can survive under harsh conditions, can forage for own feed and can survive on kitchen leftovers.
You can check this article on the 6 Reasons To Invest In Free Range Chickens for some inspiration.
We continue to hope the good rains currently being obtained across the country will result in an improved maize yield which will go a long way in addressing stock feed supplies.
Have you been facing challenges purchasing stock feeds? Share your experiences and location in the comment box below.
