Experts' take on issues affecting farming productivity

Improving cow conception rate: Would bringing in a bull work?

I have a cow that has not conceived since August last year despite being served four times. It has since gone silent. I tried GnRH and PG hormones, which still didn't work. The vet confirmed that the ovaries are fine.

Please advise on the action I should take. Would introducing a bull work?

-Farmer 

Profitability of any dairy enterprise lies not only in milk production but also sound reproductive performance of the herd, expressed by regular calving activity.

The latter is influenced by a combination of factors including the health of the herd/cow, maturity, nutrition, heat (oestrus) detection and insemination, among others.

On the other hand, successful insemination relies on efficient oestrus detection in cows using a combination of heat detection aids that range from animal to management factors.

Less known to many are simple but important factors like slippery footing surfaces and muddy conditions and sores in cattle feet and legs, which can inhibit mounting activities.

All the same, when a cow does not conceive regularly, producers mostly opt for use of heat booster powders or even oestrus synchronising hormones such as gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) and Prostaglandin.

Use of these hormones is suitable for cyclic females and also depends on understanding how to administer them. They are best done by a qualified animal health assistant or veterinarian.

This is where people lose it. When using the hormones, timing of insemination is also a critical factor.

Whereas it is incorrect to assume that keeping your cows separate from bulls does not allow you to detect heat, keeping/introducing a bull supplements routine visual observation and provides greater opportunity for mounting and standing behaviour to be expressed when the cattle interact.

Poor herd/cow fertility could prove to be costly and sometimes may call for culling.

Felix Akatch Opinya, Department of Animal Science, Egerton University.

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Strawberries

I want to venture into strawberry farming. Is the market wide?

-James Ciira

You can never lack market for strawberries because the demand is higher than the supply. Strawberry farming is for sure a profitable venture.

You can sell your produce to supermarkets, groceries, food processors (like Zesta and Peptang), milk processing companies (Brookside, KCC or Fresha), hotels, hospitals and at open-air markets.

You can also advertise on social media platforms like Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram and even in print media. If you add value to the strawberries, you will even earn more.

Carol Mutua
Department of Crops, Horticulture and Soils, Egerton University.

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My worker about to lose his  land

The government will forcibly acquire land my worker owns in Malindi. We assisted him in buying the land for his family years ago and they live and farm on it.

Now it has been marked as part of a football stadium. While I understand the basic theoretical stages of notification and proceedings, could you kindly assist with some more clarification?

What document should have been issued to him and how would it be possible to get a copy of it. Currently, he is thinking of urgently buying another land to secure his family and then wait to see what happens to the other piece.

This does not sound correct to me. Please assist. 

-Brian

Do the land owners in the area hold any legal documents/title deeds? Approach the acquiring body/agency to understand why they are encroaching on the land without following due process.

Alternatively, seek an injunction on that acquisition in court until their consent is obtained and payment is effected before moving out from the land.

Betty Rono and Dr. C. Lenashuru, Department of Natural Resources, Egerton University.

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Egg-eating hens

I have been rearing Kienyeji chickens for the past two years and for the last three months, they have been eating their eggs, which has really affected my production. What could be the issue? 

-Pauline Muchiku

Chickens need a balanced diet to produce eggs, meat and develop resistance to diseases. To provide a balanced diet, poultry feed must contain all the necessary nutrients.

These include proteins, energy, minerals and vitamins. Minerals are important for bone formation, eggshell development and for an optimal health status.

The most important minerals for laying birds are calcium and phosphorous. If there is a deficiency in calcium, chickens can get it from eggs.

They can also eat the eggs if the environment has challenges like overcrowding or if the birds are bored. The egg-eating challenge can be alleviated through housing and feeding.

Ensure the house allows in sunlight. This provides Vitamin D, which is essential for calcium absorption. In feeding, the calcium: phosphorus ratio should be high (6:1).

To avoid boredom, hang bunches of leafy vegetables such as sukuma wiki (collard greens) about one-and-a-half to two feet above the ground at strategic positions in the poultry house.

This keeps the birds busy as they try to reach the vegetables, hence reduced interest in eggs. Further, the vegetables are a rich source of calcium.

The birds can also be supplemented with calcium salts such as Dicalcium Phosphate (DCP). Other alternatives include supplementation with high calcium sources such as bone meal, burned/crushed egg shells, milk, limestone and fish meal, among others.

For birds under free-range management, sunlight and green grass or green fodder normally provide calcium and vitamin D and are, therefore, unlikely to engage in the egg-eating vice. Feed sources with high calcium levels include grass, legumes and vegetable wastes.

Department of Animal Sciences, Egerton University