Zambia Agribusiness Society - ZAS

Quail Farming For Beginners – ZAS

Quails are probably the smallest avian species used for production of table eggs and meat. Because of their prolific egg production and meat yield, quail farming is an economically very profitable venture.

Quails belong, along with chickens, pheasants and partridges to the Family Phasianidae of Order Galliformes of the Class Aves of the Animal Kingdom. Species or subspecies of the genus Coturnix are native to all continents except the Americas. One of them, Coturnix coturnix or common quail called Icipingila in one of the Zambian local languages (Bemba), are migratory birds of Asia, Africa and Europe. Several interbreeding subspecies are recognized. The more important being the European quail, Coturnix coturnix, and the Asiatic or Japanese quail, Coturnix japonica. They were first domesticated in Japan in 1595. Later, in other countries of the world including the USA, Canada, Kenya, Zimbabwe, India, and Zambia.

How to Start a Successful Ostrich Farm – ZAS

Cows and maize are often the first images that come to mind when thinking about farms, but many non-traditional types of farms also exist. Ostrich farming is one type of agriculture that can have many advantages.

The ostrich (Struthio camelius) is a member of the ratite family (flightless birds). The ostrich is indigenous to Africa, Syria and Arabia; at present wild ostriches are only found in Africa. The first wild ostrich was tamed in 1863. A new branch of agriculture was established in the Karoo and Eastern Cape due to the farming of tamed ostriches. A severe drought in 1865 was an incentive for farmers to keep ostriches, which are adapted to survive in arid areas, in order to supplement their income. According to research, ostriches produce meat and consume resources at a ratio that is much more profitable than beef cattle. An ostrich farm requires only a small area of land and can generate revenue in several different ways.

Ostrich farming cannot be compared with chicken farming and it is thus important to take note of the finer points of this new farming type in order to ensure good results.

Guinea Fowl Management Guide – ZAS

The domestic guinea fowl (Numida meliagris) is a poultry bird that derives its name from the guinea coast of West Africa where it originated. Many poultry farmers in Africa are doing Guinea Fowl farming business successfully, mainly for profit. The Guineas are also sometimes called Guineas, Pintades or Gleanies. The commonest variety of guinea fowl is the Peal helmeted guinea fowl. On the contrary, guinea fowl production has proven to be commercially viable and is raised in large numbers in Europe and the United States of America where it has been successfully commercialized. In India, these birds are raised as free range scavenging birds in rural areas. Guinea fowls are easier to manage by resource poor farmers with hardly any access to formal veterinary services because they are resistant to most poultry diseases at the adult stage. Housing is rudimentary and health management practices depend, largely, on ethno-veterinary medicine.

Important Poultry Diseases – Keep Up The Defence – MSD Animal Health

Disease Control and Treatment in Poultry – ZAS

Disease can be defined as any change or impairment of normal body function that affects the chickens’ ability to survive, grow or reproduce. An understanding of the cause of a disease and its method of spread (transmission) will assist in controlling it. Knowledge of the clinical signs of a disease and the characteristics of lesions found at Post-mortem will help in its diagnosis and instituting preventative measures.

Rabbits - Farming Business Venture – ZAS

All you need to Know about Feeding, Cages and Care.

Raising rabbits for meat and fur is a good way to make money but only if you do it on a large scale, and it should be done as supplementary income only. The initial costs in setting-up is small, rabbits breed quickly and frequently, they have large litters and grow to a good marketable size in a very short time. However, it is a full time job with daily rabbit care and good feeding needed.

Rabbit Production – By Dr. O.M. Sogunle

Topics covered in this resource include: 

• Reasons for keeping Rabbits 
• Disadvantages of keeping Rabbits 
• Breeds of Rabbits 
• Subdivisions of the Breeds
• Characteristics of the Breeds 
• Selection of Stock
• Reproduction 
• Pregancy & Signs of pregnancy 
• Kindling & Mother Care 

Rabbit Feed Formulation Guidelines – ZAS

The nutritional requirement of rabbits, as is the case in other mammals, varies according to age and productive performance. To obtain effective feeding efficiency, diets should be formulated to meet the needs of animals of a particular age or stage of production. Most rabbit farms are not large enough to justify the use of several different feeds, so it is a common practice to use just one diet for the entire herd. Since rabbit farming is becoming more intensive, it is suggested that rabbit producers should use at least two diets, a grower diet for fryers and a lactation diet for does.

Silage Making For Small Scale Farmers – FAO

How to improve the nutrition of farmers’ milking animals when each family keeps only one dairy cow? During the cold, continental winter, the major fodders available are wheat or maize straw, together with hay and concentrated feeds.

As a minimum, it is essential to provide a green fodder supplement to enhance rumen function for bovine animals. Therefore, one should develop winter fodder crops.

For smallholder farmers with limited production capacity, finding enough feed in the winter months to maintain good milk production is always a problem. Many are forced to buy hay, concentrates or silage just to keep their animals alive and are unable to benefit due to the higher prices paid for animal feed in the winter months.

How to Start a Honey Bee Farming Business – ZAS

Rearing of honey bees is called Apiculture. Keeping bees at a large scale for commercial purposes as a business is increasing in this fast growing world.

Apiculture is related to agriculture or is a part of agriculture.

Apiculture or bee keeping business need less investment of money and labourers with great care of them and a strong relationship between the human being (beekeeper) and the bees. It is not too hard to keep bees as a business; if you did not have some knowledge about them and the apiculture since bees are wild in nature. One can easily learn apiculture and can earn more money as profit with less effort. Honey is one of the oldest sweeteners on earth. Lucky for us, it also has many health benefits and uses. Honey is so good and is listed as power foods that should be in your kitchen right now.