WORLD POULTRY - Elsevier Volume 17, No 9. '01. 53. The indigenous grey-
breasted guinea fowl is perhaps the most important poultry bird in Northern
Ghana ...
BREEDING
The benefits of intensive indigenous guinea fowl production in Ghana The indigenous guinea fowl is widely found in Northern Ghana. Although generally kept under traditional extensive conditions there is good reason to believe that efficiency can be improved dramatically when keeping the birds under an intensive management regime. Trials state the expectations . By Mr. G.A. Tye and Mr. P. Gyawu, Department of Animal Science, University for Development Studies, Tamale, Ghana
T
he indigenous grey- breasted guinea fowl is perhaps the most important poultry bird in Northern Ghana. It is a common bird raised under the traditional extensive system by almost all farmers due to its economic and socio-cultural importance. Although the bird is reported to be less susceptible to most poultry diseases, colossal losses are depriving the farmers of the full benefit of the bird. The main causes of these losses are high keet (young guinea fowl) mortalities, loss of eggs and stealing of matured birds. The major causes of keet mortalities, which may be as high as 80 – 100% are; exposure of keets to bad weather, poor feeding and worm infestation. Though a local guinea hen can lay as many as 200 – 300 eggs per annum, only half or less of this number of eggs are collected by farmers due to frequent change of laying spot in the bush. Picking of eggs and keets by hawks are another form of loss. Sometimes a whole crop of birds may desert their home for the bush, relapsing into their wild habitat when less attention is given to their management (especially feeding). Apparently, the above listed constraints are the disadvantages of the extensive production system.
Can they be raised? There is a general notion among farmers that the local bird cannot be raised under the intensive system because of their inherent wild-like character. However, it is known that there are large-scale commercial farms of improved guinea fowls in Europe and the USA. The Department of Animal Science of the University for Development Studies, Tamale, with financial assistance from the Small-holder Agricultural Development Project (SADEP) in Tamale, started a project on the intensive scientific management of the indigenous guinea fowl in 1998. Two trials were conducted at the Nyankpala WORLD POULTRY - Elsevier Volume 17, No 9. '01
campus of the University in Northern Ghana. Nyankpala is within the Guinea Savanna zone and located on latitude 9.5˚N. The zone is characterised by a wide diurnal temperature variation during the dry season (Nov.April). The annual mean temperature is 28.8˚C with average minimum and maximum temperatures of 15˚C and 35˚C respectively during the coolest months Keets are raised on wood shavings and heated by means (Dec.-Jan.). The temperature ris- of 100 Watt bulb lamps and charcoal pots es to a minimum of 23˚C and a maximum of 42˚C in the hottest months (Feb.-May). The average annual rainfall is about 1060 mm.
Source of keets The first trial in 1998 involved 306 day-old keets, hatched from eggs bought from farmers in and around Nyankpala. These eggs were hatched using an electric incubator. The second trial in 1999 involved 106 keets hatched from eggs collected from the first batch of local birds raised at the project site. Birds were initially weighed in groups of ten. The group size was reduced to five birds in the 5th and 6th weeks, while individual weighing started in the 7th week. Keets were brooded in a 3m x 3m brooder house for eight weeks on a bed of dried wood shaving litter. The keets were given glucose in water on arrival and continued for the first two days. Brooding temperatures varied from 35°C to 32°C with a 2°C reduction per week in the first four weeks. The required temperatures were provided by means of five 100 watt white incandescent electric bulbs and four coal pots. Hurricane lanterns were used whenever there was a power cut. Covering windows with jute sacks checked draught into the house. Keet starter diet was formulated with maize, wheat bran and commercial
Under extensive rearing the mortality among keets is high concentrated feed (ingredients in Table 1). The maize was finely ground to sizes that enhanced feed intake by keets. The starter diet had a crude protein (CP) value of 23% and metabolisable energy (ME) of 2,700.00 Kcal/Kg. This was based on the recommended diet for exotic ISA ESSOR Guinea Fowls from Belgium. The feed was changed to a grower phase I diet with 20% CP and 2,700.00 Kcal/Kg ME from the 4th to the 8th 53
Table 1. Calculated feed composition (protein and energy) for keets and growers Crude Protein (%) 23 20 16
ME (Kcal/kg) 2,700.00 2,700.00 2,650.00
BREEDING
Age (weeks) 1-3 4-8 9-18
16 week old guinea fowl growers in a deep litter house week. Feed and water were provided ad libitum. Feeding troughs were filled twice daily, i.e. early in the morning and late afternoon, while water was always available.
Keet performance during brooding The average performances of the two crops of keets during the brooding period regarding feed intake, weight gain, rate of gain, and feed conversion efficiency were as shown in Table 2. The growth pattern shows a steady increase in body weight from day-old to the 8th week. However, the rate of gain per day, which initially follows a similar trend, peaked at the 6th week and then declined sharply. Feed intake per bird per day also increased steadily up to the 5th week, remained almost the same in the 6th week and peaked in the 7th week followed with a sharp decline in the 8th week. The efficiency of gain shows an undulating pattern with peaks at the second and the 6th weeks.
Post brooding performance During the grower phase II period (9-18th weeks), the birds were fed a ration of 16% CP and 2,700.00 Kcal/Kg MR. The birds exhibited a relatively better rate of gain in the first two weeks (9th % 10th week). Thereafter, the pattern of weight gain resumed the undulating nature similar to the brooding pattern. The birds nevertheless, attained an average body weight of 1.057 kg by the 17th week. This indicates a better performance and a great achievement of the birds under the intensive system as compared to the extensive system where it takes about 10 to 12 months to attain 1 kg body weight. The possible reasons for the improved performance under intensive production are: • Better feeding which provided all the necessary body building blocks. • The energy use on the free range system to roam in search of food and flying about was saved and converted into growth and 54
Table 2. Growth performance of indigenous guinea fowls from day-old to 18 weeks of age Age (weeks) Day-old 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18
Weight Rate of gain Feed intake FCE gain/ gain (g) (g/day) (g/day) feed 25.00 46.75 3.11 9.6 0.324 84.75 5.33 15.2 0.351 130.20 6.59 20.4 0.323 184.09 7.70 27.8 0.277 237.75 10.52 30.2 0.348 394.31 15.94 30.4 0.524 414.99 9.38 33.7 0.278 465.50 7.22 28.1 0.257 551.50 12.29 33.5 0.367 638.00 12.36 37.9 0.326 678.00 5.73 55.4 0.103 735.10 6.73 54.2 0.124 787.00 8.84 56.0 0.158 844.20 8.17 53.0 0.154 915.00 10.14 52.0 0.195 995.00 11.43 50.0 0.229 1057.0 8.86 49.0 0.181 1112.0 7.86 50.3 0.156
Table 3. Health management guide adopted in the trials Age Medication (Days) 1-2 Glucose in water 6 Antibiotic plus vitamin premix* 10 Coccodiostat 16 Newcastle (HB1) 23 Gumboro 25 Antibiotic plus vitamin premix 30 Coccodiostat 35 Dewormer 38 Fowl pox 44 Coccodiostat 49 Newcastle (Lasota) 52 Antibiotic plus vitamin premix 56 Dewormer 60 Coccidiostat 84 Fowl pox 98 Dewormer 112 Newcastle (Lasota) *-Vitamins: (A, C, D3, E, K, riboflavine, thiamine, B6, B12, pantothenate)
development of muscles because the birds were confined.
Health management The birds generally exhibited considerable tolerance to common avian diseases. The only diseases observed were leg paralysis and yolk sac infection. However, recommended preventative measures usually employed in conventional poultry production in the zone (Table 3) were put in place to prevent the occurrence of diseases such as Newcastle, Coddidiosis, Fowl pox, Gumboro and worm infestation.
Layers in a wooden coop with laying nests at each lateral end
Mortality rate during brooding The cumulative mortality rates during the brooding periods were 33.0% in the first trial and 9.8% in the second trial. The major causes of these mortalities were physical injuries. The local keets exhibited a strange, inquisitive feeding habit by scratching the wood shavings and swallowing objects such as pieces of wood, ropes and nails in the litter. These objects got stuck in the gizzard resulting in the high mortality (30%) in the fourth week. This problem was solved when the litter was changed to rice husk. In the second trial, keet mortality was reduced to about 10% by the use of very clean litter devoid of those objects ingested in the first instance. The causes of death in this case were paralysis and yolk sac infection. The mortalities were, however, less than those under the extensive system. It is obvious that intensive brooding will enhance keets survivability.
is 22 weeks. However, some of the birds dropped their first egg by the 17th week of age. These eggs were laid in laying nests provided in the deep litter house or in wooden coops. It indicates that all the eggs that will be laid shall be available for collection unlike the situation with the extensive system where many eggs are lost to predators or due to frequent change of laying spots. It also indicates that the local guinea hen is capable of laying in confinement. h
Laying performance The reported point of lay of the guinea fowl WORLD POULTRY - Elsevier Volume 17, No 9. '01
