Using azolla for feed

Chicks after 20 days before you feed Using azolla as livestock feed NARDEP method of azolla production 1. It is important to keep azolla at the rapid multiplication growth phase with the minimum doubling time. Therefore biomass (around 200 g per square meter) should be removed every day or on alternate days to avoid overcrowding 2. Periodic application of cow-dung slurry, super phosphate and other macro and micronutrients except nitrogen, will keep the fern multiplying rapidly. 3. The temperature should be kept below 25 °C. If the temperature goes up the light intensity should be reduced by providing shade. If possible, it is best to place the production unit where it is shady. 4. The pH should be tested periodically and should be maintained between 5.5 and 7. 5. About 5 kg of bed soil should be replaced with fresh soil, once in 30 days, to avoid nitrogen build up and prevent micro-nutrient deficiency. 6. 25 to 30 percent of the water also needs to be replaced with fresh water, once every 10 days, to prevent nitrogen build up in the bed. 7. The bed should be cleaned, the water and soil replaced and new azolla inoculated once every six months. 8. A fresh bed has to be prepared and inoculated with pure culture of azolla, when contaminated by pest and diseases. 9. The azolla should be washed in fresh water before use to remove the smell of cow dung. Azolla should be harvested with a plastic tray having holes of 1 cm2 mesh size to drain the water. Azolla should be washed to get rid of the cow dung smell. Washing also helps in separating the small plantlets which drain out of the tray. The plantlets along with water in the bucket can be poured back into the original bed. When introducing azolla as feed, the fresh azolla should be mixed with commercial feed in 1:1 ratio to feed livestock. After a fortnight of feeding on azolla mixed with concentrate, livestock may be fed with azolla without added concentrate. For poultry, azolla can be fed to layers as well as broilers. Though there is no large-scale incidence of pests and diseases in silpauline based production system, pest and disease problems have been noticed during intensive cultivation. In case of severe pest attack the best option is to empty the entire bed and lay out a fresh bed in a different location. With this method the cost of production of azolla is less than Rs 0.65 per kilogram, which is equivalent to US$0.015 (see Table 2). Conclusion Azolla can be used as an ideal feed for cattle, fish, pigs and poultry, and also is of value as a bio-fertilizer for wetland paddy. It is popular and cultivated widely in other countries like China, Vietnam, and the Philippines, but has yet to be taken up in India, in a big way. Dairy farmers in South Kerala and Kanyakumari have started to take up the low cost production technology and we hope that the azolla technology will be taken up more widely by dairy farmers, in particular those who have too little land for fodder production.

Heat, Light and After four weeks

You can use this or bulb for day old chicks HEAT: The temperature where the birds are should be 90 to 95 degrees for the first week. Reduce the temperature 5 degrees per week until you get to 70 degrees. Then they shouldn't need any more heat. A good source of heat is a 250 watt bulb. (Red bulbs are better than white. They cause less picking.) Hang it 18 inches from the floor. The temperature directly under the bulb will be higher than 90 degrees but the birds will adjust themselves to the area they like. Use 1 bulb for each 50 chicks in cold weather. Use 1 bulb for each 100 chicks in warm weather. LIGHT: If you use a heat bulb, this will also serve as the light you need. Otherwise, be sure to give your birds light. Use a 75 watt bulb on dark days. Have a small light for night - 15 watts or similar - to keep them from piling. AFTER FOUR WEEKS: 1. Increase floor area to 3/4 square feet per bird. 2. Increase feeders to provide 2-1/2" to 3" of space per bird. 3. Increase waterers to one 5-gallon fount per 100 birds. 4. Make sure grit hopper is filled with proper sized grit. Check with your feed man. 5. Install roosts at back of brooder area. Allow four inches per bird with roost poles six inches apart. 6. Open windows in day-time. Leave only partly open at night. 7. Prevent water puddles around founts. Place founts on low wire platforms. 8. Birds can range outside on warm, sunny days, but only if clean range is available.

Draft Shield, Litter, Grit and Picking

DRAFT SHIELD: Cardboard put in a circle about 12 inches high around the birds helps cut down drafts on the floor. Be sure the circle is large enough to allow the birds to get away from the heat if they want to. LITTER: Wood shavings, rice hulls, or ground cobs make good litter. Do not use cedar chips,sawdust (It is too small and the birds may eat it instead of their food), or treated wood chips. Sand, straw, or dirt will also work but are not as good as the others. Put the litter all over the floor at least 1 inch thick. Keep it covered for the first day with newspapers to keep the chicks from eating the litter instead of the feed. To avoid possible leg problems, remove the papers after the first day for heavy breeds and meat birds and after the third day for lighter breeds. GRIT: Starting the 3rd day sprinkle baby grit on the feed daily as if you were salting your food. Avoid putting too much at any one time as the bird may fill up on it instead of the feed. PICKING: Baby birds will often pick each other if they are too hot, too crowded,or without fresh air. Occasionally bright light also causes them to pick. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure when it comes to picking. Sometimes, however, they pick for no apparent reason. To stop it try putting in fresh green grass clippings several times a day and darken the room. As a last resort, debeaking might have to be done. Try cutting off about one-third of the top bill. Do not cut the lower bill, just the top one. To treat birds that have been picked, smear pine tar or black grease on the injured area.