One of the recent trends of the poultry farming in Kenya has been the introduction of the improved indigenous chicken breeds from India into the Kenyan market. You have already heard of the Kuroiler breeds and the Rainbow Rooster. Today we introduce you to another breed that is fast catching fire in the Kenyan market amongst well-informed poultry farmers and this is the Indbro Brown Layers.
The IndBro is a very hardy and reliable brown layer and it is capable of producing up to 300 eggs in its laying circle under the most difficult rural rearing conditions and with low cost feeding requirements. In other words, they are like the ordinary kienyeji hens that we rear in the rural areas with the exception that they produce a very high number of eggs.
Characteristics of the Indbro Bown Layers
At maturity, the hens weigh 1600gm and at the end of the lay, they will weigh 2200gm. By 19 weeks or just shy of five months, they start laying their large brown eggs. If you are looking for a suitable hen that you keep in the rural areas with minimal management, then this is the best choice. It doesn’t put too much financial strain on you in terms of feeding and care and at the end of the day, it lays numerous eggs that you can sell and earn lost of cash. You can also sell them for meat at the end of the lay and still recoup some of your investments. The best environment to rear these productive “kienyeji” hens is in the improved kienyeji farming system where you will build good housing according to the right specifications and allow a chicken run.
Thanks to the sturdy nature of these birds, you can also give them the commercial feeds and mix these with the locally available feeds such as grains, omena etc.
Which Climate is Suitable for the Indbro Birds?
Because these birds are very hardy and rugged, they do very well in the hotter climates.
Characteristics of the IndBro Brown Layers Birds
- The Age of Maturity: 140 Days
- Age when they hit 50% Production Level: 154 days
- Age when they hit Peak Production Levels: 190 days
- Their peak production levels: 93%
- The Color of the Eggs: Dark brown just like in the local kienyeji hens
- The body weight at maturity: 1650gm
- The body weight at the end of lay: 2200gm or 2.2kg
- Amount of Feed to 20 Weeks of Age: 7kg
- Feed Consumed During Lay: 120gm/day
Suggested Feed Formulation for the IndBro Brown Layers