Nairobi — Poultry farmers are calling the Government to crackdown on unregulated poultry hatcheries as cases of day-old chick dying rises.
The Kenya Poultry Breeders Association (KPBA) is requesting farmers to buy hatchlings from reputable hatcheries.
Cases of chicks dying prematurely have been on the rise linked to unlicensed and unregulated breeders.
"Most of the poultry farmers who have experienced death, stunted growth amongst others, are basically buying the day-old chick from unlicensed hatcheries,"
"These unlicensed hatcheries don't immunize the chicks with the necessary drugs and nutrients needed to ensure the day-old-chicks are safe. Some of the breeders want to take short cuts. Day-old chicks must be vaccinated against Mareks disease before sale," the association spokesperson Humphrey Mbugua said.
Rising number of unregulated hatcheries poses a risk to Kenya's poultry industry that employs thousands of people.
In the country, there are 10 operational licensed hatcheries, including one distributor of day-old chicks with thousands of unregulated facilities and incubators churning out millions of chicks every three-weeks.
One must have a license from the Directorate of Veterinary Services and adhere to various industry standards.
"I bought 100 day old chick, that were meant to be for Kienyenji. Then 80 died within the first one month, only 20 that have survived,"
"They said it is wrong food, and throwing all the blame, but they stole our money," Virginia Marega, a poultry farmer from Ngecha, Kiambu adds.
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Although farmers are allowed to hatch eggs for their farm poultry production, it is illegal under the Animal Diseases Act chapter 364, legal notice 47 (Hatcheries Rules, 1985) for a person to operate a hatchery for sale of chicks to farmers without a licence from the Director of Veterinary Services (DVS).
As per the law, contravening the act could attract imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months or a fine not more than Sh5,000 or both.
The licence is issued after an entrepreneur has constructed a hatchery as per the 'Kenya Poultry Hatchery and Breeding Farm Inspection Protocol 2018', which was developed by the DVS in collaboration with poultry industry players.
According to a recent study by the lobby group, among the unlicensed sellers, 50.9 percent sold their poultry and poultry products daily and 27 percent sold them in readiness of festivities season.
