By Maphuti Machabaphala
Magatle farmers in attendance of the farmers day
The farmers of Zebediela and surrounding villages in the Lepelle-Nkumpi Local Municipality were hosted at the Magatle Agricultural Offices for a capacity-building session on broiler production and management. The training aimed to equip farmers with practical knowledge and skills to ensure sustainability, productivity, profitability in their poultry enterprises, and to become active contributors to the agricultural economy.
Extension and advisory practitioner Muronga Petrose led the training on broiler management, highlighting that success in the industry, begins with sourcing chicks from trusted suppliers to guarantee quality birds capable of meeting market demands.
The farmers of Magatle were enlightened on biosecurity, whereby the need to maintain strict hygiene to prevent disease outbreaks was stressed. Muronga emphasized the need for proper housing that provides adequate ventilation, lighting, warmth, and power supply. Farmers were advised to prepare brooders in advance, using appropriate sawdust, proper spacing of feeding and drinking troughs, and correct feed types - starters, growers, and finishers - to ensure consistent growth rates. Stress packs and vitamins were recommended to support the health of chicks, while consistent and careful monitoring for early detection of disease symptoms was also on topic of the day.
Muronga further highlighted the importance of record-keeping to help farmers identify disease outbreaks, improve decision-making and track expenses, monitor production cycles, and determine profitability.
Farmers were encouraged to disinfect housing regularly, restrict visitor entry, control rodents, and maintain clean feed storage facilities. Also, they received insights on Indigenous Knowledge Systems, demonstrating how trees such as Mokgoba can serve as natural remedies for Newcastle disease and Mologa as a treatment against ticks and parasites, offering cost-effective alternatives to conventional medicines.
On nutrition, Maibelo Shohn from Rossgro highlighted that intentional feeding is key to reducing the growth cycle of broilers. He cautioned farmers against skipping feeding stages and stressed that strategic placement of feeding and drinking troughs, use of white lighting, can stimulate feed intake and improve performance.
Maibelo encouraged farmers to build long-term relationships with feed suppliers to ensure consistency in quality, pricing, and traceability. The session concluded with a strong call for farmers to apply the knowledge gained, adopt proper management practices, and work towards building sustainable and profitable poultry enterprises.
