23 Aug 2021

An Etsha 13 poultry farmer is still reeling in shock, following the death of over 1000 broilers due to an unknown cause.

In an interview with the farm owner recently, Mr Kelebeletswe Sivako said since Wednesday last week, he has been losing over 200 chickens a day.

He said upon suspicion of the common Newcastle disease, he vaccinated his chickens, but some still continued to die days later.

He said he had reported the matter to the department of veterinary services in Gumare, who took samples from the dead chickens for examination in Gaborone and was still awaiting results. 

Mr Sivako said the deaths had badly affected his business, adding that under normal circumstances, his business does well as he supplies retailers, restaurants and individuals in Etsha, Shakawe, Gumare and Maun. He noted that in a month, he could supply about 4500 broilers to retailers.

The 39-year-old farmer said he started chicken production in 2017 with his own savings and in 2019, he enrolled for short courses in broiler production at BUAN to beef up his skills. Ends