Local manufacturer introduces feeds for ‘kienyeji’ chicken

A LOCAL COMPANY manufacturing animal and poultry feeds has introduced a new feed for the indigenous poultry breeds (improved kienyeji poultry).

Unga Farm Care Ltd in the country, through a press release, says the new product known as Fugo Kienyeji range is specifically formulated as a supplemental diet for the kienyeji chicken.

The formulation is suitable both to the birds on confinement and those on free range, said the company in the statement to the press.

Kienyeji poultry farming is a growing activity in the country’s poultry sector with thousands of farmers now rearing the birds.

Until recently, the kienyeji poultry rearing was carried out in non-commercial levels mostly in the rural setups on a free range basis where the birds were left to scavenge for themselves without any supplementation with commercial feeds.

However, with advanced breeding and intensive farming of kienyeji chicken, there have been questions on how to feed the increased number of birds in minimal spaces while at the same time reaping returns from the practice.

The trend led to various millers and individuals coming up with customised rations to feed the surging populations of kienyeji birds.

There was a challenge as most of the feeds were not well balanced, only had one ration to be fed to all the types of the chicken (chick, grower, layer) which poultry experts at the company terms as inappropriate.

DIFFERENT FORMULATED DIETS

“Every stage of growth of chicken has different nutritional requirements which must be provided in the diet for the required growth and production.

To ensure this is achieved, we formulated different categories of feeds to cater for each type and stage of growth.

The use of the different formulated diets ensures that there is improved productivity and maximum return on investment,” said the communication, adding the products are already available across the country.

The company produces a range of poultry feeds among them Fugo Layers range and Fugo Fast-gro broiler range for layers and broilers respectively.

The complete range of the Unga Farm Care products are found across the country through a network of distributors and retailers backed by a team of technical experts who conduct technical training to farmers and distributors on product use.

Unga Farm Care Ltd says despite the fact that the kenyeji breeds are considered more resistant to diseases, the birds should have proper housing, stocking levels, vaccination and feeding programmes to minimise any incidences of diseases.

“Commercialisation of the chicken was about layers and broilers for long, but improvement of indigenous chicken breeds has necessitated commercial feed,” the communique added.