Your Animal Doctor

Keeping ornamental birds

Which ornamental birds would you recommend for one to keep? They should have ready market, ease of acquisition and have low maintenance?
Festo, Malindi

You can keep the following; turkeys; guinea fowls; geese; blue and gold macaws; ducks (pekin/mallards) and silkies.

There are many people already keeping these birds, you may contact Rina and Green Gate farms both in Ukunda for your initial flock.

The birds are housed according to species and in cages. The houses should be sheltered and well-ventilated with a confined open space.

The house is made of wood, iron sheet and chicken wire reinforced with wire mesh. They are fed on commercial poultry feeds (kienyeji mash/chick and duckling mash) and clean fresh drinking water.

The birds may be left to scavenge for themselves in addition to the commercial feeds. Once you have determined which birds you intend to keep, call a veterinarian to advise you on which vaccines to give.

Market includes tourist facilities and even some locals who have interest in keeping exotic birds as pets.

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Best rabbits for meat

Which are the best rabbit breeds to keep in terms of meat production and how can I access markets for their meat?
Alice M’Mbijiwe, Tigania

They are California white, New Zealand white, Chinchilla, Flemish giant, Earlop Giant and Dutch, among others.

You can look for market in hotels, supermarkets and restaurants across the country.

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Proper care of goat kids

I need in-depth information on proper care of goat kids to ensure they are healthy and free of diseases.
Timothy Odera, Bungoma

Once they are born, the kids and the does should be kept in a clean and warm environment. Let the umbilical cord cut by itself and only trim the cord if it is more than 4 inches long. Use clean and disinfected pair of scissors to cut.

Ensure that the kid ingests enough colostrum in the first six hours of life as this will provide immunity that protects the kid from diseases. The rest of the time the kid should be breastfed preferably at specific times.

Introduce the kids gradually to grass or alfalfa hay, sweet potato vines and some grains. They may also go to browse with the rest of the flock.

The kid should be weaned at 4-5 weeks of age. You may supplement them with Intromin mineral block for a strong and healthy skeletal frame. The kids should be dewormed once every three months after weaning.

To prevent diseases, you should vaccinate your kids at a month of age against clostridium and tetanus. Look out for digestive system and respiratory problems common in kids. Get a vet to treat any such conditions.

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I need these sheep breeds

I am searching for these three sheep breeds; the Suffolk, the Poll Dorset and Texel. Kindly advise me on where I can get them.

Njuguna Karathi, Kiambu

They are not available in Kenya, thus, you may have to import them. The common sheep breeds in Kenya include the Merino, Red Maasai, Dorper, Corriedale, South down, Hampshire down, Romney marsh and the Somali sheep.

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Farming lucerne

I am interested in lucerne farming. Please help me get information that I need to undertake the project.
Dennis Ngaruiya

Simlaw Seeds is best placed to assist you. Reach them on 0722200545/0734811861 or [email protected]

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I weeded my lucerne and now they appear yellow, what should I do?
Dmitry Nahor, University of the Western Cape

An agronomist colleague said if you used a herbicide, you should water and then use a bio-stimulant based on proteins for recovery.

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Dr John Muchibi is a Veterinary Surgeon and the Animal Health Manager at Elgon Kenya Ltd. Reach him through 0733715102 or e-mail [email protected]