MONSOON

Tips on how to maintain healthy poultry during rainy season

The Monsoon-rainy wet season is usually synonymous with an increase in relative humidity and a decrease in temperature. During the rainy season, the temperature decreases and the relative humidity increases, so it starts to rain, and the cold air from the north starts to blow the wind. The rain during this time affects both the quality and quantity of food, and the wind that blows during this time affects the onset of disease. So during the rainy monsoon, farmers need to be a little more careful with their livestock and crops.

In general, although poultry aquaculture continues to grow as a lucrative business worldwide, including in Malaysia, the seasonal monsoon season has a significant impact on poultry farms, causing many concerns and sometimes painful consequences for poultry farmers. It is also very important to learn how to operate a farm suitable for the rainy season before the rain and wind blow.

Birds generally increase their feed intake to keep warm and generate heat during the wet/winter. For farmers, however, raising the level of feeding increases the cost of production, in addition to wasting nutrients not needed for heat generation. To cut costs and avoid wastage, you can add energy-rich sources such as oils/fats to your diet or reduce the levels of other nutrients while keeping your energy at the same level.

Feed should not be wet and should not be stored in large quantities. Do not over-prepare to prevent the feed in the house from recovering moisture and mold, and place the feed in the barn on a platform above the ground to prevent it from getting wet.

Poultry houses must be ensured of adequate housing space or stocking density in such a way that ventilation is also taken into account while providing all the comfort the birds need in the cold season. Raising the floor above the ground level can provide a solid foundation to prevent water overflow, and the direction of the building to the wind and sun affects the external surface temperature and amount of light. Therefore, it is always a good idea to repair the house and clean the drains around the chicken coop before the rainy season.

Inside the chicken coop, the humidity of the coop increases due to the influence of the rainy season, the litter is damp, the feed becomes moldy, the occurrence of E. coli and the increase in ammonia concentration, and the risk of mycotoxin poisoning and respiratory disease infection may increase. If it rains, close the doors and windows or install some curtains to prevent rain from entering the chicken coop. Also, if water from the drinking faucet falls on the chicken, adjust the faucet or remove the chicken from the coop. To avoid problems such as losing, have enough dry padding on the floor, turn it over frequently to keep it dry, and take any wet clumps of padding out of the house. When the litter is kept below pH 7.0, little ammonia is released, but above pH 8.0 it is rapidly released. Sprinkling and mixing 1 kilogram of superphosphate per 10 square feet is effective in controlling ammonia.

Grazing systems provide supplemental feed to birds to meet nutritional deficiencies. During this rainy season, provide your birds with warm water regularly so they can stay warm without using up their stored energy in the process. Also, drinking water from rain can infect you with parasites from intestinal worms. An anthelmintic dosing every three months will help with anthelmintic management, but it is important to remember the take-back period set by the manufacturer.

With better care by the farmer, the livestock will remain healthy and productive during the monsoon season.