₦airaland Forum

dgitrader:
Local chickens are terrible as meat, you cant even enjoy the bone as with broilers. For most people, it's not worth keeping them, better noilers and broilers

Lol...well, you are somewhat right. Other African countries are improving on their indigenous chicken breeds, which are able to rival the other varieties in meat, taste and fast growth. Honestly speaking, aside the zero cost of raising our local birds here, especially the ones indigenous to the southwest here which are extremely bony, small stature and takes almost a year to reach maturing, it's totally pointless raising them.

Researches needs to be carried out to improve our local breeds to make them profitable. Kenya has it's own improved indigenous local improved variety. Well, I once heard funaab worked on one Funaab Alpha variety sha, but I never see am for anywhere .

Even the highly praised Fulani Chicken is nothing in comparison. Nigeria as giant of Africa needs to sit up Biko so we go stop to dey celebrate local poor variety say dey sweet gan.

Nothing beats the sweetness of Broiler chicken jare (my opinion anyways).

HansiBobo:
Those pure black female local chicken remains the GOAT

Absolutely. Spot on.

Qasa at 2weeks

Qasa has won my heart over. She's just a beautiful duckling (argue with your eyes Biko). She's well integrated with the poults and sees them as family. I always make sure I carry and pet her everyday so as to make her get use being picked up and cuddled from a very young age. She's just a damsel.

Let me give an insight...

If you were to buy a local cat (kitten), you will probably get one within the range of 3k to 7k. On the other hand, a pure black kitten goes for around 20k to 30k. Likewise, getting a local chicken (a matured Rooster) in the market right is about 9k walahi, but getting either a pure white local fowl or cock will rough go for 15k to 20k. Same applies to the pure blacks.

Let me now proceed further, do you even know local eggs are more expensive? One local egg can be sold for as much as 500naira

It's all business at the end of the day.

So once again, @kay29000, if you happen to be in possession of a pure black native fowl, could you pls sell to me.
Note: Purely native ooo...I don't want any which blood as been tainted along the line with Noilers, cockerels or broilers ooo.

kay29000:
Pure black local hen? Hmm...interesting.

How do you handle heat source when you take the chicks away from their mothers? And do the mothers gladly accept the chicks back when you return them?

Oh...I think I left that part out. Often times, I move them with the mother hen into seclusion. Same applies to the ducks.

Nevertheless, I don't think I remember when last I deliberately added extra heat source to my brooder room when raising birds, room temperature is just fine by me. Not even with the way Naija hot like this...

Yes!!!! Blaaaaaack hen.
It fetches moooore money. Black chicken, black cats, black goats, black ducks, everything gives premium prices. Same applies to pure white.

Locals? it's a sure way to go if all the right indices are put in place; secured fenced compound with lots of space, predator free, and good moderate home for them etc. Moreover, with the introduction of Cockerels or Noilers to help improve their flock, you are most likely on the right track. You could even help raise the newly hatched chicks for at least 2 weeks before releasing them with the mother hen. That's what I do to my ducklings when I still had them in numbers; I do a month with them before releasing them outside.

Make I sidon here dey watch your progress and if you by chance happen to have pure black native chicken without blemish, abeg I will be interested to buy.

opes:
Tete market is growing because people are using it to replace expensive cabbage in salad.
I know Tete to be Amaranthus.

You are quite right. Nevertheless, you'll hardly ever see a typical Yoruba person go for Efo Tete. Most don't even know why they don't.

I have asked a few of the ladies who patronize me the very question on why they don't want Tete and the replies are astonishing . You hear them say things like, it's not sweet, it makes the face of the soup dull, it eats to much ingredients, it purges... A lady went as far as saying to much of eating Efo Tete leads to impotency in man; . I was bewildered, stunned & mentally hunted after hearing that!!! Me wey dey chop Efo Tete like craze.

Well, after probing further, I realized most of them haven't even tried it once. It's just what has been passed on and on amongst us. Lol...
How person go talk say Efo Tete no sweet? You no Sabi cook biko!!! Same Efo Tete I dey chop dey carry plate lick like a bush man that I am?

Kehfie:
Quite a neat farm you've got. Thanks for sharing your experience with these local veges. Is it too late to make good money from them?

You still have till April before the rain kicks in fully. Till then, vegetables still attracts premium price.

opeyemi3737:
Please oga mi sir where did you buy seeds in Lagos please i need the address

This like I always say depends on your location and the type of seeds you want to buy. By the way, I want to assume you are asking about the vegetable seeds (Soko & Tete) right?

damble:
HI Jide, can you please recommend what to venture into in agriculture?

Can't seem to understand this question of yours. Could you be more precise?

Efe Tete

The Efo Tete (African Spinach) is just simply amazing. Two weeks after transplant with aggressive watering and, abracadabra!!! It ready to be harvested!!! It's a 4 weeks plant, way faster than the Efo Soko (Lagos Spinach) which is 6 weeks to harvest.

The only difference between the Tete and the Soko is just that I always uproot the Tete when harvesting unlike the Soko which I cut and allow branch out again. This harvesting method of the Tete always makes me have a nursing bed at all times. I am always transplanting every now and then once a bed is sold off. This could be quite tedious, then again, wetin I come do for farm before?

Top passive income earner

I must confess, these vegetables in this season is indeed a gold mine. Farming vegetables is veeeeeeeeeery profitable during the dry seasons. Every bed harvested gave me twice the normal rainy seasons prices. For me, the Tete was my top earning vegetables (well, the Soko most times were dapping off), next to the Ewedu(s) . Yoruba no dey use ewedu play oooo!!! Lastly, the Soko was fair though.

Overall sales was very very profitable.

The irony of it all is despite being a plantain farmer, I no dey chop am unless I am completely & seriously out of options. Not in my first Nigerian foods to chop

Dey just dey ripe anyhow... . Well, thank God say I get ducks & chickens to feed the ripe ones.

Plantain Palava & The Drought

It's been awhile I updated on the plantains. Good to tell, they are doing well despite the dry season at the moment. I have had to flush water into the plantains occasionally whenever I notice the severity of the heat.

One thing I love about the plantains is their tolerance level to drought. Nevertheless, plantain still requires water to get the best out of them this season. You obviously won't get those super jumbo sized plantains this period, but with your occasional supply of water to the soil, moderate sizes are assured.

Mulching is also a good way to go into the dry season. This helps conserve soil moisture. Trust me, small water like this, drought stricken plantains will rejuvenate back like say nothing happened to it.

Moreover, I have had to give a few of my plantains support. I do have some heavy bunches in the lots and supporting them is a way to go this season.

Qasa and I having fun. . Such and amazing duckling.

SoftHeart:
Did you say they're "pets"?
Will they remain as "pets" or later turn "meats"
Let's see how it goes.
Why not get a pet rabbit or two?

Meat? Naaaa... C'mon, who eats a pet? .

depopson:
Where are you located? I have a seller in Sagamu

Thanks for the response. Distance isn't an issue so long you have what I am looking for.

Any pig farmer with a Duroc for sale?

For breeding purposes preferably.

REUBEN010:
I am always looking to your updates. About starting goat husbandry on a small scale. Hoping to learn more from you.

Thanks for the positive feedback. Yes by His grace, I will be reviving my goat farming back.

Loading...

Good news brewing on the goats soonest. Can't wait.

Day 7 - Tomato Update

Beautiful Sunday to all. Today marks the 7th day of nursing the Padma tomato seeds and evidently, sprouting of the seeds are clearly visible. From my observation, it's still at 75% germination success.

The Feeding:

I got them some broilers started pelleted feed (Name withheld, no free adverts ). Both the turkeys and duck responded well to the feeds so I guess I will stick to it for now.

Qasa is a wild one hahahaha I must confess. You need to see her round around with pellets in her mouth evading the turkeys who don't even recognize her presence.

For now, the Duckling seems to be my favorite of the lots. Qasa is just soooooo full of life and energetic. Well, as for the turkeys, they were just being turkeys . The white Turkey named Nengi is also a lively one to watch.

Day 2:

Today marks their second day after receiving them from the supplier who kept asking why I wanted a day old duck alongside day old turkeys.
Yea, I know. Trying to raise a duck with turkeys is going to be a h*ll of a combination , nevertheless, i intend raising them together anyways.
I couldn't sleep all night, they were such a sight to behold and I kept glued to watching them trying know each individual personality, and knowing if the names given actually fits.

Just recently I decided to get myself a pet and all that I could think of was either a duckling or a turkey poult. After much deliberation, I decided to adopt the two based on availability of the time on my hands and the environment I intend to keep them as pets.


Meet my newly adopted family.
(5 Turkey poults and Duckling)

They already got their names on arrival by the way;
The turkeys
1. Powa
2. Nengi
3. Asuma
4. Nefi
5. Jaga

The Duckling;
1. Qasa

Let's grow some tomatoes & pepper.

Thanks to @Kehfie who gifted me the tomato seeds (Padma 108 F1) & also, another nairalander who also gave me the Avenir pepper seeds. Time to grow. Hopefully, I will be planting 500 plants of both.
The pepper has already sprouted & the tomatoes goes into mother earth just right about now.

Thanks again for the gifts.
God bless.

imeeti:
Good day Sir. I need plantain suckers to buy from you.

Sorry Boss, currently in preparation for expansion of my plantain farm.

Happy New Year

This year is already looking so beautiful and blessed. God's favour all the way.

@umuna

Interesting read.
I do have a question for you on coconuts growing. Is there any way you can fasten up the coconut growth? I actually did nurse one from a variety I got from Songhai back in the days when they still operated in Badagry. I must confess, it tested my patience ... I nursed it in July last year and it started showing signs of sprouting just last weeeeeeek!!!! . That's like 6months... I thought raising Cockerels were worse

Kehfie:
You can contact @Jidestroud @jidestroud. I think he has the suckers. Look for his thread on plantains.

Lol...
He has what he needs to grow them.
Moreover, he said he talked to them at IITA and they don't have a clue of such variety ? That's a red flag for me!!! . (Just saying.... Double heads, triple heads & even four heads plants wey full everywhere)

That Soko ehn !! all of a sudden, it just keeps becoming more and more difficult for me to nurse on my farm . It dies off just barely a week after sprouting.

Any suggestions? @emmaachile2

emmaachile2:
Soko is far better in terms of soup thickness and also quality. It doesn't loose volume and resembles more of ugu leaves than Efo tete.
I remove all efo tete from the farm and replace with Efo soko.

Spot on.

Nonetheless, my Tete market seems to be growing daily. More people are beginning to appreciate it over here. Lol . I'm indirectly making them have it as the only option.