Kenchic has announced that it has opened a poultry center in Kiambu County as part of plans to build a nationwide network to cater to poultry farmers. At the centre, they will provide farmers with day-old chicks, veterinary and husbandry services, and technical assistance.
The move comes just a year after Kiambu lost a significant number of birds in one of the country’s worst ever outbreaks of the deadly poultry disease, and Newcastle disease. This follow forecasts by the Food and Agricultural Organisation that the country needs to double its poultry output over the next three decades to keep up with the growing demand for chicken meat in the country.
Kenchic developed its poultry center model as a one shop stop for local poultry farmers. It has since opened poultry centers in Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu, Nakuru, Nyeri and Meru. It has now launched the newest center in Rironi in a move to get closer to farmers in the county with the company’s vital technical assistance services. Key functions of the poultry centers include providing essential poultry products that farmers need such as day-old chicks, feeds, equipment, multi-vitamins, vaccines, and disinfectants, as well as technical assistance.
The centre is run by a registered vet and will serve an estimated 6000 poultry farmers in Kiambu, many of whom were affected by the disease outreak last year.
“At Kenchic, we vaccinate every chick at birth against Newcastle Disease, Infectious Bursal Disease (IBD) or Gumboro and Marek’s Disease (MD), which means that we have an opportunity with this new center to play a social and economic role, as well as an agricultural role, in rebuilding Kiambu’s poultry industry,” said Mr. Jim Tozer, the managing director of Kenchic.
The center will help in providing protection against a range of other diseases too, offering related vaccines, as well as vitamins to promote growth, equipment to ensure chicken get regular food and drink in sufficient quantities. They will help share knowledge in providing sufficient space and protection from weather, pests, wildlife, and infections to prevent them becoming stressed, which affects both their health and their growth.