How to identify fake feeds

By Vision Reporter

Dr. Nicholas Kauta, the commissioner for livestock health and entomology in the Ministry of Agriculture, advises farmers to look out for visible inedible particles like sand, stones and sawdust, which are easy to identify in unmashed feeds.

Farmers should also avoid buying maize bran and other feeds that have mould. Kauta says mold generates aflatoxins which kill poultry and animals. People who consume such meat are prone to cancer.

According to Kauta, a naked eye cannot detect adulterations in mashed feeds expect in agricultural research laboratories where farmers can seek services at a fee.

However, Pastor Solomon Male, the secretary general of the Uganda Poultry Farmers’ Network, says one can identify sand, soil, sawdust and other particles in mukene (unground silver fish) simply by touching it.

One can also identify sawdust or sand in maize bran if he chews/licks little of it.

If a farmer buys packed feeds from main manufacturers, Male says chicks will have normal growth if the feeds are not adulterated.

However, they get fowl diarrhoea and stunted growth once they eat adulterated feeds. Egg production also reduces if layers eat contaminated feeds, an indication that a farmer has got to change the feeds.

Pastor Male also advises farmers to feel the warmth of packed feeds before buying. If the temperature is abnormal, it means the feeds have mold and thus contain aflatoxins.

Farmers are advised to avoid buying already-ground feeds.