We nurture nature

Most often, poultry breeds that are considered improved and high productive, i.e. those that lay more eggs, have more meat, etc., have one disadvantage. They are not broody. They never sit on their eggs (incubate) or raise their young ones.

Take for example, Black Australorp (Mikolongwe) or Kuroiler chickens. These are good meat and egg birds but can’t brood. This is the same with Khaki and Pekin ducks. Nice breeds of ducks – more eggs; more meat but they do not brood. Where a male is provided, their eggs will be fertile since they mate just like any other bird but the hybrid genetics in them take away some part of nature.

Multiplying these types of breeds can be tricky if you do not have an artificial incubator. You have more eggs with no means of hatching them. Are you in this fix? Do not despair. Try natural incubation with a hen. A hen that is broody (local chicken) can sit on exotic duck eggs as well as eggs of these other hybrid chickens and hatch them so long they are fertile. Upon hatching, she will raise the chicks!

In the case of chicken-to-chicken, there should not be any problem but in chicken-to-duck, the hen is likely to start staying away from the ducklings after a month or so when she starts noticing her differences with them.

For ducks, you can withdraw the ducklings at four weeks and put them in an artificial brooder. For chicks, you can let them stay with it until it is naturally time to wean them off or withdraw them at two weeks into a brooder as well. This will encourage the hen to stay laying again in a few weeks.

The trick is notice the time the hen is going to get broody. Please, note that this must be a hen which has also been laying and by the time it starts sitting on its own eggs, you simply remove hers and replace with the others. I advise not to remove all of hers, otherwise she will abandon all the eggs. Mix them up.

If you mix chicken and duck eggs, remember that the chicken’s will hatch first followed by the duck’s four or five days later. When the chicks hatch, take them away after two days. The hen will continue sitting on the duck eggs for more days to satisfy their incubation period which is 28 to 30.

Here, we have our hen which incubated Khaki Campbell and Pekin eggs, and is now raising the ducklings.

Nature is fascinating. Isn’t it?

On Malawian Local Ducks and Exotic Breeds

Do you know what we normally call ‘local ducks’ here in Malawi are closely related, if not the same as the highly-priced Muscovy ducks? I have studied most of their traits and find them to be similar. So to describe the local duck and its benefits, I will use the Muscovy.

Muscovy duck (Cairina moschata) is a large duck native to Mexico, Central, and South America and Africa according to an entry on World's Poultry Science Journal.

They are some of the largest ducks on planet Earth. The males can grow up to 76 cm long and weigh up to 7 kilos. Females are usually smaller, growing up to 3.5 kg.

The bird is predominantly black and white, with the back feathers being iridescent and glossy in males, while the females are drabber. Both sexes have pink or red wattles around the bill, those of the male being larger and more brightly colored.

The one I recently slaughtered weighed 3 kg dressed weight!

Under scavenging, backyard farming conditions, the ducks can lay between 60 and 80 eggs each per year, and about 100 and 125 eggs per bird per year with an egg weight of about 72g under improved management conditions.

Fact

Partly due to the larger yolk, duck eggs are significantly higher in both fat and cholesterol than chicken eggs. But they're also higher in protein and have a higher concentration of omega-3 fatty acids, making them a favorite of paleo dieters, who seek high-fat foods. - https://modernfarmer.com.

Duck meat has a much stronger flavor than both chicken and turkey. The nearest comparison would be the darker parts of other poultry, but duck is still more flavorful, says nutritionadvance.com. As is the case with many foods, the higher fat content positively contributes to the overall taste profile.

Do you like baking? Try duck eggs, instead of chicken egg and you’ll love them forever.

Pricing

Despite these attributes, most farmers in Malawi, especially in rural areas, sell their ducks at low prices, ranging from K2000 (US 2.6) to K3500 (US 4.7). In urban set ups, the prices go up to K5000 (US 6.6) and K7000 (US 9.3) for fully-grown meat fowls. This is very low compared to the K10, 000 and K20, 000 for foreign breeds such as Pekin and Khaki.

Now, with all these benefits, why should local ducks fetch low prices? It is high time we appreciated what a delicacy and money spinner the ‘native Muscovy’ is.

Our Homemade Breeds 2

This cockerel is brother to the hens above. They were hatched together. I am cautious not to call it Hy-Line cock since I understand Hy-Line cocks are not necessary brown in colour. Nonetheless, I patiently wait to see what offspring it will give us. The legs and neck are such tall not be confused with anything. It is simply in a class of its own. In fact, it is improved on a similar we had last time.

Our Homemade Breeds 1

Today, I would like to introduce you to some of the chicken cross breeds we have managed to come up with at Upile Poultry (upilefarm.blogspot.com; fb.me/upilepoultryandlivestock) over the years. I prefer to call some of these absolutely pure, for they do have any difference from what is considered pure breed. In other words, after repeated crossing we have reached the point of producing pure breeds. The others are what I call half castes. They take traits of both parents or dominantly those of one. I would like to make it clear that our idea for crossing is simply to improve meat and egg production – not to come up with some new breed, something like upileloiler. That’s not the idea. That’s why we maintain pure breeds for pure breeding separately, and bring in new males/females time and again to avoid mutation.

What you see here is a Hy-Line hen. As you can see, its size, colour, and, yes, indeed, the egg and docility are Hy-Line. This is about 6 months old and started laying last month. There are just two of them, apart from the young ones.

Change of Focus

Dear reader, Please note that from now onward, I've decided to dedicate this blog to Upile Poultry and Livestock. This is a farm I'm operating aside from the profession you know me for - journalism. For journalism and media issues, I shall maintain georgekalungwe.wordpress.com. Please keep following.

Refusing to Accept a Mistake is Stupidity, Mr. Minister

On Wednesday, February 13, 2019, 14-year-old Goodson Makanjira because another statistic in the sad tale of abduction, maim and murder of people with albinism in Malawi. His case was the 161st in a series of attacks on people with albinism that have happened since 2015. Of these, 20 have been killed. Because his case in court now, we include it in the 65 that are either under investigation or in court. Another 96 cases remain unresolved. These are alarming figures of targeted killings in a country that touts itself as the Warm Heart of Africa. So when one Nicholas Dausi, the minister of homeland security, said the suspected ritual killings have not reached alarming levels for our brothers and sisters with albinism to think of seeking asylum in safer countries, it was no surprise that he stirred the hornets’ nest. Surely the minister should have known that a loss of one life is a loss of too many. Probably, he has no relation with albinism or he is ignorant that his ministerial position entails providing security to all Malawians regardless of race, colour or creed. Indeed, as the Association of People with Albinism in Malawi has put it, his remarks were insensitive and shameful, not befitting a minister. Mr. Dausi should have known that the international law on asylum and refugees, to which Malawi is a signatory, provides that any person has the right to seek asylum in another country if they feel their state can no longer provide them with safety and security. Being a homeland security minister, he needed to know this law, otherwise we have no guarantee he could approve asylum of citizens from other countries should they seek asylum in Malawi for various forms of persecution in their home countries. If the attacks were not serious, the U.S government should not have told Zodiak it was ready to offer refuge status to Malawians with albinism as long as they follow the necessary procedures ascribed by the United Nations High Commission for Refugees. Public Affairs Officer for the U.S Embassy to Malawi, Douglas Johnston, says his government could resettle the victimized people with albinism just like it does with any other person who has experienced persecution or fear persecution in their home countries. Mister minister, if the attacks were not that serious, the international relations committee of the Malawi Parliament and Amnesty International should not have thrown their weight behind the suggestion for asylum. Mr. Dausi, you have one option: swallow your pride and apologise. It is that simple. After all, to err is human and apologizing is not stupidity. But refusing to accept a mistake is stupidity, in my view. Lule should have been let to live At the centre of the abduction of Goodson was one Buleya Lule, a Lilongwe based businessman. The man is now dead, and we may know the truth of what happened on the fateful day, if indeed he was involved. Buleya denied any involvement. He died as suspect, but it is incriminating that two men who confirmed abducting Goodson alleged in court they handed the young boy to Buleya. The case has only started, so I am surely positive that something would have come out of this man regarding the motive of the abduction of Goodson which, by and large, would have given us clues as to who is behind this heinous attacks on people with albinism. The sudden death, in police custody, of the key suspect in the abduction of the Dedza boy has ignited suspicions he may have been intentionally killed. I agree. Lule, was seen fit at court in Lilongwe the previous day only to be announced dead on Thursday. His body had scary wounds over the buttocks. His sister, Annie Lule, who has medical training, claims she saw suspicious blood clots in the lungs and brain of the deceased when his body was ripped open for a postmortem. According to her, these are not signs of a person who might have died high blood pressure but apparent assault. My conclusion is that the police severely beat him up – either in a bid to extract information from him, or even worse, to kill him and cover up evidence. Now that the family has requested for a forensic autopsy and the Association of People with Albinism in Malawi (Apam) obtained an injunction against the burial of Lule until the autopsy is done, we have a sigh of relieve someone will be held accountable for concealing evidence. The demos should go ahead I would like to hail the Apam for stating that they will not relent on their planned demonstrations and vigil at Kamuzu Palace, the residence of President Peter Mutharika. No police should dare disperse the protestors because doing so would only indicate the luck of seriousness by government in ending the attacks. The vigil is not a lasting solution, but it will help force President Mutharika to act with urgency in stopping the continued attacks of people with albinism. As we have seen in the case of Buleya, the repercussion of any attempt to quell the Apam vigil will be far disastrous. Police, let the voice of the oppressed be heard. ..... This article first appeared on https://zodiakmalawi.com/component/k2/refusing-to-accept-a-mistake-is-stupidity-mr-minister and the minister later apologised.