Poultry can be used to refer to farm birds kept for agricultural
purposes. They include turkey, chicken, duck, guinea fowl, quial, etc.
Such birds are kept for three basic reasons:
* for meat
* for table eggs
* for young birds
There are three basic systems of keeping poultry birds, they are:
1 intensive system: this system involves keeping the birds in an
enclosed pen where their movement is restricted. This method is
capital intensive as all the food needs are to be provided. Moreover
spread of diseases can be very fast as the birds are close to each
other. However, this method is widely used in commercial animal
husbandry. In this system the birds can be protected from bad weather,
thieves, predators, etc.
2. Semi-intensive: this system involves the housing of birds in mobile
pens which have openings that can allow the birds to pick food
materials from the surrounding. This system is seldom practised. This
may be because the system is labour intensive and most of the food
requirements are to be provided.
3. Extensive system: this system involves allowing the birds to roam
freely around the environment with little or no restriction. In this
system little or no food is provided a the birds feed from their
environment. The spread of disease is not very fast as birds are
seperated fom each other. However, the birds are prone to theft,
predation, bad weather, etc.
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