World Veterinary Day (April 27) - A Message on Remembering Rural Farmers

The selected theme for the upcoming World Veterinary Day on April 27 this year is “Vaccination to prevent and protect,” highlighting the importance of vaccination not just for humans but for animals as well. However, as we talk about all the advances in the pharmaceutical industry and celebrate the protection of animals, we need to think about who has access to the vaccination services. 

In the field of poultry farming, especially in the developing world, there has been a lot of effort to reach commercial farmers and give them access to the vaccinations they need to support their businesses. However, it is now imperative that we turn our attention to rural farmers who continue to struggle to have this same privilege.

At Brentec Vaccines, our philosophy is to do business in a manner that will transform the livelihood of rural households in Africa by delivering animal health solutions for farmers. Our first step is with rural poultry farmers, manufacturing our KUKUSTAR I-2 Thermostable Newcastle Disease Vaccine that will help them protect their poultry from a killer disease that wipes out thousands of birds every year. We designed KUKUSTAR with these farmers in mind, producing a thermostable vaccine that it is easier to transport to remote areas unlike other Newcastle Disease vaccines that require a cold chain delivery system.

We chose to address a marginalized group that has been overlooked in the fight to “prevent and to protect.” Rural poultry farming is real. The farmers are real. Their goals and challenges are real. Therefore it is our responsibility to give them the opportunity to acquire the vaccines they need to be successful. So as we discuss vaccination and celebrate this important day, let us please remember that purchasing vaccinations, even in the animal world, should be a choice and not a privilege. Rural farmers should have this choice. 


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How to Outsmart A Rooster (Breeding Poultry in Rural Africa)

 

Chickens at the home of a client that were vaccinated with KUKUSTAR.

Much like human beings, inbreeding can be a concern in poultry farming, especially with rural poultry farmers who only have a small number of birds to start with. For this reason, introducing new bloodlines from new roosters to the breeding process is important because although it is not as taboo as human inbreeding, the problems are still the same with poultry.

There are mixed feelings towards inbreeding in animals because although it may have negative effects if done in an uncontrolled environment, there are also positive ones when it is done systematically. Inbreeding or in this case poultry line breeding, which is the selective breeding of birds for a desired feature or characteristic by mating them within a closely related line, allows a controlled environment in which you can produce the best birds without any undesirable genes. By introducing new bloodlines to this group of birds, you would make them vulnerable to potentially harmful genes.

This type of breeding may work with big poultry breeders who have the ability to monitor this method of breeding. However, in rural Africa, such technology, information, and education is not available to poultry farmers so it would be too risky a practice. Therefore, outcrossing (where the two parents are unrelated) becomes a necessary precaution for these farmers after three to four generations of breeding these birds.

For this reason, these rural poultry farmers need to either sell off their roosters and buy new ones, or trade their roosters with neighboring farmers every one and a half years to help prevent their birds from having any problems. The more common practice has become trading their birds. Now as simple as this may sound in theory, it is far from simple when it comes to executing it. This is unless you are trading these birds with households that are several kilometers away.

Roosters (or chickens in general) are smarter than we give them credit for and believe it or not, actually have a pretty good memory and sense of direction when it comes to their homestead and coop, especially when trained. So, when trading a rooster with your neighbor, there are certain things that need to happen. The first is that the neighbor cannot live next door. The obvious reason is that when the rooster sees or hears any bird from its previous flock, it will return to this flock and its original home at the end of the day. The second thing is that the bird is taken at night so that it goes straight into roosting and does not have the freedom to wonder back by following the farmer back to his or her homestead. It also has poor vision at night. The third act is that the bird be blindfolded (although they have poor night vision this is an extra precaution) because chickens have a good hearing sense when it comes to motion and detail so it is able to trace its path back home.

In short, breeding poultry even in rural Africa is a systematic process that requires communication, organization, observation and planning even without higher levels of education (post-primary school) and complex technology. Word-of-mouth education and information, as well as a passion for farming and a keen observation of your flock, can make a top-notch poultry farmer despite having limited resources. 

Chickens feeding during the day.