Poultry farmers urged to buy feed from licensed suppliers

By Peter Matambanadzo
HUBBARD Zimbabwe has urged poultry farmers to buy feed from reputable dealers to avoid losing their investments.
This comes amid claims by some customers that the company’s subsidiary Crest Poultry Group was selling chicks that were not growing.
However, Hubbard Zimbabwe, which is one of the leading poultry producers in the country, dismissed the claims as false and malicious meant to tarnish the image and reputation of the company.
In an interview, the company’s managing director, Dr Hope Pachena, said the problem emanated from some poultry farmers who were buying their feed from unlicensed suppliers.
“Most of the poultry farmers who experience this problem if any would have bought their feed from unlicensed vendors.
“This feed usually lacks some of the nutrients,” Dr Pachena said.
He said farmers should desist from buying feed from the street, but instead approach reputable outlets.
Dr Pachena said growth failure was a common problem, but was mainly caused by feeding the chicks wrong feed.
“Some of the farmers want to take short cuts and end up home mixing their feed.
“This feed will not have all the nutrients that make the chicks grow, as a result they blame it on us the suppliers,” Dr Pachena said.
He said another problem that contributed to growth failure was lack of proper management of the chicks by farmers.
“Farmers have to ensure that their chicken runs are clean, have enough space for the chicks and clean water,” he said.
Dr Pachena said the company has a facility to investigate such claims and advise clients on what action to take.
He dismissed the claims that their chicks were not growing saying they only sell to the public excess chicks as they also rear them.
He warned farmers to be wary of bogus chicken dealers who sell chicks in the streets under the guise that they were from reputable suppliers.
He said Hubbard Zimbabwe was selling an average of 240 000 chicks per week and at peak around 300 000 chicks to the public.
The public was urged to always seek advice from their client service department on how to look after their chicks.