HOW TO MANAGE EGG INCUBATION AND COMMERCIAL POULTRY BUSINESSES

Protecting bird welfare and maximizing farm output relies on balanced rationing, steady heating setups, and clear financial plans.

• Compare free-range, semi-intensive, deep litter, and battery system housing requirements.
• Learn natural and artificial egg incubation steps, turning schedules, and humidity adjustments.
• Manage canopy, infra-red, and hay box brooder systems for high chick survival rates.
• Identify viral or bacterial flock illnesses early to prevent severe stress and farm losses.
• Study business plans, egg records, compatibility options, and poultry marketing pipelines.

Course Duration: 100 hours

Course Structure

There are eight lessons in this course.

1. Introduction, Terminology and Breeds
   • History of Poultry
   • Terminology
   • Contract Growing
   • Regulations
   • Management Factors
   • Small Scale Production
   • Breeds
   • Classifying Fowls (Egg Laying Breeds, Meat or Table Birds, Dual Purpose Breeds)
   • Cross Breed Poultry
   • Sex Linkage
   • Brooders
   • Skeletal System
   • Poultry Husbandry (Stock Selection, Feeding, Watering, Housing, Health)
   • Turkeys
   • Geese
   • Ducks
2. Poultry Nutrition
   • Digestive System (Gullet, Crop, Proventriculus, Gizzard, Intestine, Caecum, etc)
   • Nutrient Sources (Carbohydrate, Protein, Minerals etc)
   • Rationing
   • Palatability
   • The End Product
   • Modern Feed Requirements
   • Phase Feeding
   • Limited Feeding
   • Consumption Feeding
3. Diseases
   • Avoiding Stress
   • Viral diseases
   • Bacterial diseases
   • Mycoplasmosis, fungal and protozoan disease
   • Non-infectious diseases
4. Layers
   • Extensive (free-range) System
   • Semi-Intensive System
   • Intensive Systems
   • Housing
   • Deep Litter System
   • Feeders
   • Battery Units
   • Feeding the Laying Hen
   • Replacing the Flock
5. Broilers
   • Caponising
   • Brooding Period
   • Feeding Broilers (Starter Period, Finisher Period)
   • Housing
   • Hygiene and Health
6. Incubation
   • The natural method (using broody hens)
   • The artificial method (using incubators)
   • Selecting Eggs
   • Storing Hatching Eggs
   • Turning Eggs
   • Managing a Incubator (Temperature, Humidity, Testing, Hatching)
   • Reasons for Poor Hatchability
7. Brooding
   • Heating
   • The canopy brooder
   • The infra-red lamp
   • The battery brooder
   • The hay box brooder
   • Feeders
   • Drinkers
   • Floor Space
   • Rearing
   • Problems during rearing
8. Record Keeping, economics and Marketing
   • Growth Records
   • Egg Production records
   • Small Scale Business
   • Compatible Ventures (Manure, etc)
   • Preparing a Farm Business plan
   • Finance3
   • Land Management
   • Analyzing the Market place
   • Developing a Marketing Plan

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