₦airaland Forum

jethro2:
Extremely low but thats what we have here. Gen Abubakars Farm, Maizube in Minna however have some of the good cows. He uses the cow milk for yoghurt. There is massive oppourtunity in that line

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I visited the farm during my nysc days, though I wasnt opportuned to see the cows. It is a big farm with a big pond where they say contains crocodiles. I also buy the maizube yogurt regularly.

Angoni:
Following with interest. I like the pictures, so please keep them coming, even if for now they only show elephant grass and pests

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This is just great. Such networking is exactly what we need here. Following.

endy247:
@farmtech pls which feed do u use for ur birds, i've abt a thousand birds @ 5weeks and i'm currently using vital feed starter bt i don't want to continue wit it, i heard top feeds is better. Pls ur advice is needed.

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I use mostly vital feed but people say top is better. But the problem is that top is scarce sometimes in my area, so I've not used it. It is more costly too.
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Do you still sell eggs @newparts?

toskilo:
Which antibiotics would clear the fowl pox. Thank you in anticipation.

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Dont waste time, revaccinate immediately. After vaccination you can use neoceryl plus. Check out this link: http://www.researchgate.net/publication/235793441_The_effects_of_vaccination_antibiotic_and_vitamin_therapy_on_some_clinical_parameters_associated_with_natural_outbreak_of_fowlpox_in_chickens

mercylicious:
pavore, always inspiring.

will show this to a friend of mine. he will know d ibo name and know if its found around here in our bushes or gardens.

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I'll also like to see the plant oo. There is a lot of info to explore. Pavore tnks for the tip.

fayahsoul:
This is exactly the problem. A theoretical grasscutter farmer is here lecturing a practical farmer. You really believe that your ebooks has taught you all you need to know about grasscutter farming. well good luck with that. Your ebooks says a "manger" should be used but you dont know how grasscutters eat. In your theoretical mind you think that they will eat from the "manger" like humans eat from a plate. Will you also put grass in a "manger?". Then you talk about resting pad; what exactly is that? what is it made of? pls explain further. Yes literature will tell you that grasscutters are sensitive to cold but does it tell you what the symptoms are? you cant know exactly how sensitive they are to cold unless you observe their response to it. It's quite amusing that you claim to have read far and wide yet you dont know what natural laws are and how they differ from theory. Quietly go and read up on that ok. You also seem to have difficulty with comprehension. Look, i'm not saying research is inconsequential rather i'm saying people shouldnt follow it like zombie. Dont swallow every thing you read hook, line and sinker. Be analytical and observant. The flaws in any given theory becomes apparent when it's being put to practice. na wa o.

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We're not fighting any war here oo. Before I became a practicing poultry farmer, I was telling some practicing farmers mistakes they were making. Being a practicing farmers does not mean u shudnt be open to corrections and suggestions.
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No, my ebks hav not taught me all I need to know about grasscutters or rabbits, but they've thought me a lot. For eg, most practicing grasscutter farmers believe that grasscutter need only the succulent stem from grasses, so they usually strip off the leaves. But I've come across one research that proves this wrong. The leaves are higher in nutrients and lead to faster growth. Grasscutters teeth grow continuously and they need something like wood, twigs to wear the teeths down, so u give it to them.
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Manger: yes, grasscutters and rabbits can comfortably eat from a manger. Although most practicing grasscutter farmers place grasses on the solid floor of their cages, that practice is not better than using a manger. The manger is made of mesh wire and the animals pull the grass through the mesh and it is cleaner this way. For feeding concentrates, you'll have to use a feeding trough made of heavy material like clay. Lighter materials shud to fastened to the floor so they wont knock it over. Another ebook said that feed wastage (concentrate feed) can be greatly reduced by using a deep feed trough. They specified a depth which I can't remember.
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Resting pad: wire floor can sometimes cause footpad injury to heavy animals, so such animals need a resting pad where they can rest on most of the time. Rabbits like the newzealand and california white have become use to wire floor and they dont need resting pads. But u hav to use a thick gauge wire for the floor, one ebooks specified the gauge but I cant recall now. If u like the resting pad can be of hardwood so that they can also use it to wear down their teeth. Or you can use metal or fired clay slabs.
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Sensitivity to cold: bro, it u search for that you'll find it. I dont have time now I would have done that for you.
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Natural law and theories: we're not fighting a war pls, if you use a term in a discussion, kindly define what u mean bc our understanding differs. It's not a matter of reading far and wide and I may not hav the time to search for that.
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That I hav difficulty in comprehension: that's quite a rude way of talking to somebody who's trying to add knowledge to a discussion.
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Dont follow what u read like zombie: you're right, but this also applies to what practicing farmers tells you. It is very wrong to glorify practice and look down on books/theory. Non among the two are greater, they go hand in hand.
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And finally folks, I want to say this again: don't look down on theory, neither shud u look down on practice, dont reveal secrets that when exposed, can threaten ur bizness. Thanks.

toskilo:
Please help. We gave fowl pox vaccine to our birds. This is just their second month into lay and fowl pox has affected the eyes of some of them. Gurus in the house, please advice us of the way out. Thank you.

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Revaccinate.

milvet:
Hello farmtech can u help pls

I don't know much about cassava. Buchika will be in a better position to help. He said that if you don't have a reliable peeling machine, don't go into cassava farming in large scale.

kaybosedemi:
Please, moderators I discovered that I was banned yesterday after making some posts. Kindly let me know what I did wrong so that I will be mindful.

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Check out the rules here: https://www.nairaland.com/1026/nairaland-forum-rules-regulations

fayahsoul:
ok but does your theory tell you the exact size of that square holed mesh wire that's suitable for use in cage construction? Does it tell you that is ok to construct all sides of the cage with said mesh wire? does it also say that grasscutters can lie comfortably on the mesh wire? does it mention any possible problems that the mesh wire could pose when it comes to feeding? nwanne like you rightly said; theory is based on observation which is acquired through practice or experiment and this goes back to what i have been saying all along. Only natural laws are constant and universal. Theory on the other hand can be adjusted and improved on through better practice and technology. Mind you grasscutter is not like goat or chicken or cow and so on that have been domesticated for millions of yrs. It hasnt been up to three decades since Grasscutter farming began and a lot is still not known about these interesting creatures. More, since you agree with me that most successfull practical farmers are unwilling to divulge their secrets then it should also be understood that the reason behind it is the desire to monopilize supply of goods. So if the drive to monopolize isnt driven by selfishness then do tell me what is. lol.

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If I shud go back to my ebooks on rabbits and grasscutter, I'll get all those things u asked. Common sense will also tell u that if the rabbit/grasscutter head can pass through the mesh, then it is unsuitable for the cage. For feeding, u can use a manger, u dont place the feed on the floor bc they'll trample on it and soil it. This can cause disease problem and a lot of wasted feed bc they dont eat soiled feed. If there is problem with foot pad injury due to the floor, u can put a resting pad in the cages. Theory can answer all these questns and more - bc some theories are the experiences of practical farmers in writing, and those experiences contains the natural laws u talked about.
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A saying says that "if u want to hide sth from a black man, put it inside a book". Whoever said this know that it is either a black man will not read, or if he read he'll not believe what he read. So folks, I want to encourage everyone to be a believing and thinking reader.
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Both theory and natural laws (if our definition of natural law is the same) can be adjusted, eg, if ur climate is different from that of the writer, of course the house design and other things have to be adjusted, u may need to cover some sides in cold weathers bc grasscutter are sensitive to cold. The natural law wrt weather in both places are different.
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Revealing or concealing secrets can be a selfish act sometimes, but not at all times. Do you know what glut or oversupply can do to a bizness man? Well, if u discover a secret in bizness, go out and tell everyone. Then wait and expect to keep making profit for the next 4 years. A rich, single player can come in with economics of scale and wipe u out from the biz. I hope u'll understand me better here, I'm not trying to challenge u, but to point out facts we shud do right in order to succeed. U can fail in life if u look down on theory and tell ur farming secrets to everyone. Note: some farming tips are not worth hiding, but those ones that will threaten ur bizness when exposed are worth hiding.

mercylicious:
The villagers are currently selling govt @ agric. I pity d ppl dt are buying dt land.

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How can such a case be reported to the government?

mercylicious:
nice one sha.

land is expensive here in anambra. do u know if govt lease land anywhere- like for ten years? having a farm in d west migh nt be easy for us to run.

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I'll like to know if that is possible.

Nwogbe:
I noticed yesterday that my laying birds of about a yr old wasn't able 2 finish their feed, infact the ate only half of their normal ration. This morning things are still same(low consumption) and hv dropped in production as well. They look quite healthy and are active but I noticed few green droppings in their Penn this morg. What might be wrong with them?
Pls let the gurus in d huz help out here.

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Act fast, u shud hav acted earlier. Give them an antibiotic immediately.

Lesgupnigeria:
Let me know the state are you based so that i can give you contact that will assist you on the procedures to take to be a registered farmer.

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I'm in anambra, thanks a lot.

world1:
My boss thanks sk much am really afraid to post again make I no get banned again.
Am I free to fire on?

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Of course. I'll always unban u. The antibot is not in the hands of the moderators or super mod, but seun. So let's hope it will be updated some day.

fayahsoul:
lol. first of all it's difficult to find a practical farmer that will divulge all the secrets of his practice even when paid to do so. Yes humans are innately selfish like that. Secondly, you dont seem to understand that there is always a chasm between theory and practice; not to mention the contradictions in literature. I did a lot of research before starting my farm. I was also aware that grasscutters gnaw on wood like you stated hence the wood ought to be covered by mesh wire. In fact that was why my first cage was made of metal all through but still the grasscutters gnawed on it. And mind you there different types of mesh wire and certain types are suitable. So it's only through practice that the weakness of theory can be exposed and then reformulated to fit a farmers unique situation.

when I say mesh, I dont mean all those chicken mesh oo, i was refering the those ones with square holes and thick gauge. I'll like to say this again - theory is very important bc when u practice or experiment, you put it in writing and that's theory. If u know how to access the right info there will be no much gap b/w theory and practice. Like I said, read wide and deep, and read the right stuffs.
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And when it come to the part of keeping secrets and being selfish, I'll say that's not totally correct bc everyone and every bizness have their secrets, that's how u stay competitive and remain in bizness. Those secrets cost them sth b4 they could get it and it is not selfish to keep it.

world1:
Am so sorry for the delay in posting detail explanation of what Highhill Plantain Village is all about, can I've been banned 2 twice this week based on this thread.
Help me beg them I no know wetin i do them ooooo.
So sit down and relax as I explain in detail the HPV project concept.

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The problem has actually been from antispam bot, the script makes mistakes sometimes.

FarmTech:
Does anyone know the location of any of the following places?
1. Lower Mamu (achalla nando) river project
2. Niger flood plain (umuere-anam oroma etiti) project
3. Uzo-Uwani in Igboeze division nsuka agric zone
4. Lower anambra irrigatn project Omor
how can I visit any of them from Onitsha?

Kobo Ideas later answered this s. Maybe it will help someone someday, so let me post it here:

Going to Omor, l know you can get a Tracas or any other bus going there from Onitsha, You will stop at the last bus stop (the park at omor) the Anambra Imo River basin is just about some minutes walk from the park then you inquire where the Lower anambra irrigation project is.
Then from Omor junction, you can get a bus going to Adani (Enugu state) it will drive through lfite-ogwari umueje. Omasi-uno, Omasi-agu (this is the last community in Anambra before you enter Adani in state) lt is a straight road l recall Peter Obi building it way back in 2009. Most traders from Jos, Lafia etc who go to Onitsha to buy goods, use this route cutting off the old route of plying through Awka heading to 9th Mile before moving upward to Nsukka rather they use the old Onitsha-Nsukka road that cuts through otuocha junction, nando-anaku-omor-ifite-ogwari-umeje-omasi-adani-nsukka. lt is about 40km from Adani to Nsukka town.

When you get Adani which is in Uzo-uwani local government, they will direct you where want to go Then on your return journey you will get a bus going straight to Onitsha there.When l worked around there l know for sure foodstuff happens to be cheap in Adani.
As for Niger flood plain (umuere-anam oroma etiti) project, ask for the place when you get to Otuocha junction.

As for the . Lower Mamu (achalla nando) river project, you will have to get down to Achalla to make enquiries. Take a bus from Onitsha going to Awka and stop at Igbariam junction, cross the expressway and enter a bus going to oye achalla, you will passby the lgbariam campus of anambra state university., at oye achalla where there are many ricemills, make inquiries of what you seek,

Anambrarians, what's happening.

jethro2:
This is true
The N2500 are the official payments for land leasing in Ogun Oshun River Basin
The Project Managers of the Basins has turned it to a personal business. They extort farmers to the last penny. Security pay, Operator pay etc
Even worst when you are using the irrigation system, they overcharge for water without pumping the water.
please take your time in investigating the Basins through the rural farmers within the environment before committing a dime
Writing from experience

Is this true? That would be very bad.

Updates pls.

Lesgupnigeria:
If you are not using tissue cultured suckers, you may never make profit from your plantain farm.

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Pls can u expantiate more on this?

Wonderful happenings, I'm still contemplating how the 3 months old is fruiting, let's watch and see what the size would be.
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And please remind me where u said ur plantation is, I may pay a visit.

Lesgupnigeria:
Boa have few branches in the south eastern part of Nigeria.
Your best bet is to register with a vibrant recognised association to access loan.

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That's interesting, like where can I access list of cooperatives?

justified19:
one bag of ur feed is how many kg?

25kg.

Soloxam:
Thanks so much for sharing with us here on this thread. You have made a good point that A FARMER shld have plan B while practising farming.... It a very good point which is applicable to all area of Agriculture... Sincerely sir you were able to over come this problem because u are financially buoyant, pls what advice will u give to small scale farmer who can not afford to buy feed in such a large qty? Pls what are the alternative source of poultry feeds, pls poultry farmer @ farmtech help us out.

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I'm not into feed formulatn but I have an idea how to go about it. You can either use concentrates, formulate ur feed with ur own machines or through a feed miller. This article will be helpful: http://www.farmersjoint.com/blog/livestock-farming/poultry/formulating-chicken-feed-3-ways-go/

eaglevirus:
We (Myself and my brother) run a layer farm of About 2500birds now. Some time about October - November 2014, there was scarcity of any form of poultry feed in my Uyo, Akwa Ibom state where our farm is located. Our birds were starved so bad that their feeding ration dropped from 13 bags a day to 2bags, some days no bag. We had money but could not source feed. The overall effect we lost more than 1.5million naira on feed money within two months trying to make the birds gain weight and continue production of eggs as they where guzzling feed like no mans business when the feed was eventually available and still not laying eggs. We had to be buying feed as buch as 3,200 naira from 2,250 it used to be before the scarcity. This b#llshit messed up so many of our friends that they had to sell off their layers birds for meet as there was no feed and they birds where dying or not laying egss anymore.
They birds have picked up production now and we can breathe some air. They only reason we culd battle this was cos we could source money (I mean a million plus in naira) to feed this guys for two straight months while not sure if they will pickup production.
Now this is no farmers mistake but a farmers problem.
Lesson: Have a plan B source of feed.

We now buy feed in trucks and sell some. if we hear any sign of scarcity we will quickly readjust. Have your plan B my fellow farmers. I have seen friends loose bigtime, and it was no fault of thiers.

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It affected us also in anambra, but in my area there was growers and finishers, so we have to use those. Since then feed price have jumped and refused to drop. Feed fmlation is the way to go.

cbrass:
The seating room alone have like 5 big windows while other rooms have two windows.Please could you give me the thread link?

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Sometimes in a yr, the heat is so much that ur proposed pen might not be enough, except u want to install fans and burn some fuel when the time comes.

Lesgupnigeria:
Thanks soloxam for creating this thread .
I have learn a lot from the bitter experiences of other farmers on this thread

I have a lot of bitter experiences but i will share one today.
I remember some years ago when i leased some acres of land around ogun state.
The man told me it was 16 acres and i didnot bother to measure
i thought that since the man is a farmer he should be able to know and tell me accurately so i didnot bother to measure.

I gave him the money for the lease for the whole 16 acres and he collected it.
All the labours who work on the farm also charge me based on the 16 acres.
All the chemicals,fertilisers adequate for 16 acres are bought
The tractor man who plough the land also charge for 16 acres.

I began to suspect that all is not well when i was told that some chemicals and fertilisers remained about 7 cartons.

One of the farmer in the area told me to measure the land when i harvest my corn and i discover that the harvest is far below the target yield.

The next day, i came to the farm with the workers and tape rule,measuring acre by acre......no be small stress.

I later discover i was farming just 7acres.

Since then,i dont start farm without measuring the land using a surveyor.

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Bad one bro. What is the cost of surveying?

fayahsoul:
My broda i'm not saying that internet resources are useless rather my point is that it's only through observing the happenings in the farm and then comparing and constrasting with the informate available on the net that the facts can be separated from fiction. For instance, the dimensions of the very first cage i built was based on what i read on the net. The dimensions were appropriate but the materials i used to construct it wasnt because i didnt take into consideration the powerful jaws of grasscutters which can be very destructive. They gnaw on every every. It's really remarkable. It was when i stocked the cages that i realized the inefficiency of the materials i used. So i had to start rectifying the problem and that cost me much. One irony i have noticed is that the best solutions to practical problems are usually also the simplest and cheapest. Happy new year my fellow farmers may we all reap bountifully this year. tanx.

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I understand bro. Another tip I'll like to give is that if u want to start sth and u dont have access to a practical farmer, then u must read a lot about it. Download volumes of pdf and sites and read them. From wot u read u write down further questions to do research on. I did the same when i was researching rabbits and grasscutters. My persistance reading helped me to come across documents that says that these animals will eat up wood. If u must use wood, use something like strong wire mesh or flattened tin cans to protect the woods.

gj22:
Please o, how is living together before marriage bad if any format of fornication isn't involved?

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The problem with some people is that they tend to believe they can't commit a particular sin, so instead of fleeing from temptation as the bible recommended, they pursue the temptation. If there is no reasonable reason why u and ur fiancee shud live together, dont. Even if there is my own advice is that u find an alternative, there is always one when u consider ur church members where u or her can stay. Why not leave temptatn alone now, it has pull down great men of God. It's not a matter of bragging that u can sleep in the same room with the opposite s e x without commiting. Just leave temptation alone, u are not wiser than satan, neither are u wiser than the bible that tells u to flee and to drop every weight that can easily pull u down. There is also fornication of the heart.

dbaptist1:
Secular Christians are already pissed off.
God has a standard n will never on no account ho below his standard.

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Don't mind them, some will never follow Christ until God lowers His standard to their own level.