Poultry farmers in Plateau State have expressed concern over the level of challenges they face, particularly in Jos, the state capital, and other parts of the state experiencing intense cold.
According to the state chairman, Johnson Bagudu, the harmattan that comes with extreme cold, especially in January, has impacted the poultry business in many aspects due to the severe cold, which has had a severe impact on poultry livestock.
This weather, according to him, makes poultry farmers vulnerable to challenges while they make strenuous efforts to remain in business and stay afloat.
“In fact, the hurricane is a disaster for us because the cold severely affects the chickens and their production.” The production of the chickens in this harmattan has dropped to about 70 percent.
“Yet the chickens keep eating at the normal rate which must be provided by the poultry owners despite their low production. That implies that the business undoubtedly suffers some setbacks this period.
“Besides, many chickens have died due to the weather, and since no one can actually regulate or control the weather, the chicken owners leave everything to fate.
“During this harmattan period you will see the chickens looking sickly, dull and cold, but whenever the weather is a little bit warm, you will see them very agile/active and jumping from one place to the other,” he noted.
Speaking further, Bagudu stated that much can’t be done to keep the chickens warm during the harmattan, due to their maturity stage, in which their feathers serve as protection. He noted that the eggs produced in Plateau State before were among the best in the country and that it is important for the government to assist them because the employment opportunity the poultry industry provided the youths in the state has helped to decrease crime and criminality, drug abuse, and other vicious acts associated with unemployment and idleness.
The post “Production Drops by 70%”, Poultry Farmers in Plateau Lament Extreme Weather first appeared on AgroNigeria.