 This video is part of a series developed for the Sustainable Wildlife Management Program to provide guidance for a successful family poultry production. It focuses on small, extensive and extensive scavenging systems, but will also be useful for semi-intensive production systems. Food is important in raising poultry, but water is even more important. Fresh, clean water should be available at all times. Chickens need a balanced diet to stay healthy, fight disease, gain weight, grow new feathers and produce eggs and meat. The diet of chickens, just like that of humans, consists of nutrients including energy feed called carbohydrates, proteins, fats, fiber, vitamins, minerals and water. Energy feed include maize, sorghum, rice, millets, cassava and cooked sweet potato. Protein-rich feed include fish, meat of various origins, blood, eggs, earthworms, termites and other insects, beans, sunflower seeds. Fiber-rich feed include grass cuttings, crop residues and vegetable scraps. Mineral-rich feed include snail shells, burnt and crushed bones and eggshells. Vitamin-rich feed include grass, fruits and vegetables. Other feeds such as grains and insects also contain vitamins in varying amounts. Oil-rich feed include tallow, fish oil and vegetable oils, which should be given to the poultry in small quantities only. Supplementary feeding in scavenging systems A huge benefit of extensive scavenging systems is the bird's ability to get most of their own food from scavenging. Long production and bird growth can both be increased by providing supplementary feed, however it is not meant to replace scavenging. The amount of scavengerable feed will change over the dry and wet seasons and from one year to another. The more chickens there are in a flock, the higher the competition for scavenging, which will result in a greater need for supplementary feeding. At any given time, the chickens may find nearly all they need in their surroundings or close to nothing at all. Commercial feed can be expensive. You will have to calculate whether using supplementary commercial feed is profitable. Sometimes the highest production is not the most profitable if the feed you have to buy is more expensive than the additional profits you will make. Remember that contrary to indigenous chicken and some crossbred birds, layers and broilers generally kept in semi-intensified and intensified systems require a well-balanced commercial diet to grow or lay eggs as expected. What to Feed Anything that can be eaten may be used as supplementary feed for chickens in scavenging systems. Left over food from the household can be collected in an organic waste container and fed to the chickens. The best results come when the nutritional needs of the chickens are considered. In dry periods, adding some green vegetables to the chicken's diet provides them with some of the minerals and vitamins they need. Egg shells are a good source of food, especially for laying hens who need more minerals to produce strong shells. But remember to burn and crush the shells before giving them to the hens so that they do not recognize them and start eating from the nests. Growing maggots, termites or earthworms will ensure a good quality source of proteins for your birds, especially for young chicks. Production of earthworms with vermicompost. 1. Install vermicompostors not far from the poultry house but always out of the sun. Build shelters if necessary. 2. Dig a pit according to the dimensions shown. 3. Put a plastic sheet, plastic bags or banana leaves on the bottom of the hole and put the following in the hole. Earthworms, manure, waste, paper, green and dead leaves. 4. Cover with a plastic sheet or banana leaves. Leave for 2 or 3 weeks, water twice a week. 5. Remove the cover and let the chicks eat the worms and worm eggs produced. 6. Cover the pit and leave for 2 or 3 weeks. Growing many vermicompostors will ensure a continuous cycle of earthworm production. Growing maggots, unpleasant odors may be produced to keep the maggots away from the house. 1. Put blad or slaughter waste, animal droppings, kitchen scraps, fleshy bones etc. in a 10 litre pot. 2. Pour water up to one third of the content. 3. Leave the pot open from morning to night. Flies will lay eggs in it. 4. At night, cover the contents with a cloth or plastic bag. Repeat steps 3 and 4 for 5 to 10 days. 5. After 5 to 10 days, carefully pour water into the pot to the rim. 6. Collect the maggots. 7. Filter the maggots and rinse them with clean water. 8. Feed them to the chickens. Growing termites. 1. Take a 10 litre pot. Fill it with animal droppings, chopped straw and water. 2. Return the filled pot upside down. 3. Place it on sandy soil. 4. After one day and one night, the pot will be filled with termites. 5. Feed the termites to the chickens. Using several pots can ensure continuous production of termites. Guidelines on supplementary feeding. Supplementary feeding can be provided in the evening to encourage the birds to come back to the poultry house or split into two feedings a day. Once in the morning and once in the evening. The feed should be placed in a feeder so it doesn't mix up with the soil or get stepped on by the chicken. Avoid spillage of feed and the accumulation of stale feed in and around the feeders. Spoiled feed can make your birds ill and encourages pests and vermin. The feeders should be cleaned daily before refilling to help reduce the spread of disease. The feed should be broken down into small pieces because chickens have no teeth. This is especially important for small chicks to be able to consume the grains. In the cafeteria approach, separate plates of feeds with sources of proteins carbohydrates and minerals are provided so that the bird can choose the type of feed they most need. You can use a bamboo pole split into three compartments. Observe your birds closely and you will learn a lot about their tastes and needs. Water. Water is important for all creatures to survive and flourish on this planet. Clean fresh water should be available at all times for the chickens. The cleaner the water, the better. Water needs and consumption can vary based on many factors such as production stage, age, breed and climactic conditions. When the weather is very hot and if there is no water shortage it is best to often replace the residue drinking water with fresh water. Drinkers can be made from local materials such as empty tins. The drinkers should be cleaned and refilled daily or more frequently if they become dirty during the day to prevent the spread of disease. They should not be so large that the chickens could climb in and contaminate the water and should not be too high so that all age groups can drink without risk of drowning. You can also place some small stones inside to make it less steep for the chicks. Check at least once a day to make sure there is enough water in the drinkers especially on hot days. Good repair should always be maintained to avoid leaks and spillage. Take home messages. In a scavenging system, chickens will be able to find most of their feed. However, supplementary feeding can be offered for better performance. Feed should be broken into small pieces especially for chicks. Clean fresh water available at all times for all birds is essential. Never feed your bird with spoiled feed or water that you would not drink yourself.