Lesotho: The Government Urged Poultry Farmers to Align Production With Demand in Order to Improve Quality and Meet International Market Standards

Poultry farmers in Teyateyaneng had been urged to align production with market demand to improve product quality, ensure a consistent supply of poultry products and sustain their businesses. The call was made during a three-day workshop organized by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Security and Nutrition for broiler and layer poultry farmers at the Teyateyaneng Resource Centre. The workshop introduced participants to the Smallholder Horticulture Empowerment and Promotion (SHEP) approach. Addressing participants, Agricultural Assistant Mrs. Joalane Mekeleli said the SHEP approach encouraged farmers to identify markets before starting production to ensure that their products met customer requirements. She said gaps in poultry farming practices needed to be addressed to improve production and ensure proper feeding and farm management to meet market demand. Mrs. Mekeleli encouraged farmers to adopt uniform feeding practices and maintain a consistent supply of poultry products to sustain their businesses. Meanwhile, Livestock Area Technical Officer Mrs. Itumeleng Lekhafola Masupha advised farmers to select suitable locations for their poultry farms, taking possible future expansion into account. She said poultry farm sites should be free from marshy conditions and excessive moisture. Trees near poultry houses should also be avoided because they could obstruct air circulation and attract birds that might transmit diseases to chickens. Mrs. Masupha added that farmers should choose warm locations where electricity or solar energy could be used to provide lighting and heating in poultry houses. On poultry housing, she said farmers could determine the length of their structures according to their needs but recommended a width of 12 meters. She explained that poultry houses should have floors that prevent water from accumulating, adequate lighting, mesh to allow proper air circulation and ceilings to prevent rainwater from dripping inside. Essential equipment, she said, included feeders, drinkers, weighing scales, thermometers and cages for laying hens. Mrs. Masupha said farmers could use different heating systems, including gas brooders, electric brooders, infrared heaters, coal stoves and gas heaters. However, she advised them to choose equipment that produced minimal smoke to protect the birds. Other essential supplies included feed, medication, a book and pen for record-keeping, as well as a wheelbarrow and spade for cleaning. Regarding chick management, Mrs. Masupha said farmers should prepare brooders measuring between 30 and 60 centimeters and provide bedding material with a depth of five to 10 centimeters. She said sawdust or grass could be used as bedding and covered with newspapers to prevent chicks from eating the material. Mrs. Masupha advised farmers to provide chicks with sufficient warmth until they were three weeks old, noting that additional heating might be necessary during particularly cold weather. On hygiene, she said farmers should wash and rinse poultry houses and use disinfectants to eliminate germs. She emphasized the importance of daily cleaning and encouraged farmers to use sanitizers and footbaths as part of routine hygiene practices to prevent the spread of diseases. Mrs. Masupha advised farmers keeping laying hens to collect broken eggs before handling fresh ones to reduce the risk of contamination. Farmers were further encouraged to consider customer preferences when preparing their products for sale, as some customers might prefer specific chicken portions rather than whole chickens. Improving product quality was also highlighted as important for farmers seeking to compete in international markets. The workshop is also expected to cover proper feeding practices and ways of engaging with different markets to understand and meet their specific requirements.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Government of Lesotho.