Tips on making rabbit pellets

Making rabbit pellets and pig feeds

What materials should I use to make my own rabbit pellets?

Joseph

Explain how I can make my own pig feeds as commercial ones have become expensive.

James

Feeds account for the highest management cost in livestock production. The best way to go about it is to have an effective and economical feeding programme. Ideally, the nutrients obtained from the feeds are used for growth, maintenance and reproduction.

This implies that the feed should contain sufficient and well-balanced amounts of nutrients to meet the varying dietary needs.

Many livestock producers formulate and make feeds at home, but research and laboratory tests suggest that the majority hardly meet the nutritional requirements for the various livestock species. 

Mixing feed ingredients into a complete meal is not based on a single ration formula; it should take into account numerous factors including the variation of the quality of ingredients and cost-effectiveness.

You may be interested in enrolling for a short course on feed formulation to acquire the skills, knowledge and competence. Check online if the Dairy Training Institute in Naivasha has scheduled any training.

Felix Akatch Opinya, Livestock production advisor, AgriDairy Innovations.

I need a farm manager

We are an upcoming farm in Kiambu County and have been placing advertisements for farm managers and their assistants but for unknown reasons, we have not been successful in matching papers and quality of work. Kindly advise on how we can overcome this challenge. 

Hellen Githendu for Organic Farmer

Sometimes some of the graduates don’t get an opportunity to go for internship and know what is required of them in the field. Next time when you are looking for a farm manager or an assistant, look at the credibility of the university, like years of existence among other things, and the area and level of specialisation that the university is known for.

In addition, you could offer field attachment to horticulture or agriculture students and they will gain hands-on experience and when they graduate, you can employ them to work for you.

Carol Mutua, crop production specialist.

Growing crops amid scarce rains

I live in Athi River. For two years, I have been trying to engage in farming with little success because it only rains for two months and stops before the crops are ready. What can I plant and get good yields without losses? 

Ndunda

To overcome this problem, you can grow fast-maturing crops like spinach, collard greens, amaranthus (terere), spider plant (saget), night shade (managu) and cowpeas.

You can also try crops like sorghum, millet, cassava, sweet potato and pigeon peas, which don’t require a lot of rain. Fruit farming is another area to venture into; you can grow mangos, avocados, oranges, lemons, bananas, papayas or yellow passion fruits. 

In addition, look for drought-tolerant crop varieties so that even if the rains disappear, you can still harvest. You can also try rainwater harvesting for the two months it rains. You can harvest the water from the rooftops of your house and direct it into a tank or you can decide to construct a dam and use the water to irrigate your crops during the dry spell. 

Drip irrigation is good because it uses very little water and it can be practised using an inverted bottle with water or if you have resources, you can purchase drip lines which are perforated pipes that emit water directly at the root zone of the crop.

Carol Mutua, Crop production specialist.

Farming okra

I would like to know how to grow okra as I have a farm in Kilifi County and tried to grow the crop but failed due to low rainfall.

Irene

Okra can tolerate drought but it has high water requirements during emergence, flowering and pod formation. Therefore, it is advisable to irrigate the plants if there are no rains or during the dry season to avoid crop failure. Okra does very well in Kilifi.

Below is a guide on okra farming.

Okra is a herbaceous annual plant which belongs to the family Malvaceae and is grown for its young immature pods. It’s also known as lady’s fingers, bhindi or bhendi.

Immature pods are eaten fresh or cooked as vegetables and oil is extracted from the dry seeds. Okra is a warm-season crop and will do well in hot areas or in the greenhouse.

Soil: Requires drain, light sandy to medium loam soil, which should be of high organic matter. The pH should range between 5.8 and 6.8.

Temperature: It should be grown in areas with high sunlight and hot temperatures, at least 19°C. Optimum growth occurs at a temperature of between 24°C and 30°C.

Propagation: Okra is planted direct into the field or from propagated from seeds. Seeds are soaked overnight in water together to break dormancy and enhance germination.

Spacing: Spacing will vary 60x45cm or 60×30cm, 45×45cm, 50×30cm, or 60×15cm between rows and within the plants respectively.

Irrigation: Okra requires moist soil for optimum development. Okra requires 400mm of water for the first three months of growth. Water should be applied at a rate of 35 litres per square metre per week. The critical water requirement stage is at emergence and from flowering to pod formation

Fertiliser application: Well-decomposed manure is applied at a rate of 15-20 tonnes per hectare. Mix the manure thoroughly with the soil in the planting holes. Fertiliser application is mainly based on soil tests.

Weed control: Shallow cultivation can help to control weeds after emerging between crop rows.

Harvesting: Okra pods are ready for harvesting two months after planting. Pods are generally ready to harvest four to six days after flowering depending on the variety.

Carol Mutua, crop production specialist.