Experts linked balanced feeding, disease prevention and food safety to stronger poultry businesses—and challenged researchers to bring their findings closer to farmers.
A cheaper bag of feed may seem like relief to a poultry farmer facing rising production costs. But if birds grow slowly, take longer to reach market weight or produce fewer eggs, the saving can disappear before the farmer makes a sale.
That was one practical lesson from the poultry session at the National Farmers Knowledge Exchange during Farmers Pitso Agriculture Week. Farmers and specialists examined how feeding, disease prevention, and everyday management affect both farm income and food safety.
“The cheapest bag is not always the cheapest feed, because it can lead to delays in production time and a failure to reach the target market,” said Reentseng Thakabanna, a feed formulator from Lesotho Flour Mills.
His message connected an immediate purchasing decision with the performance of the entire enterprise. Farmers need to assess what feed delivers, alongside what it costs.
Moderated by Refiloe Ranthamane, the session brought producers into conversation with specialists from the National University of Lesotho (NUL), the Ministry of Agriculture, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and Lesotho Flour Mills.
High feed costs, preventable disease, weak records and access to research were among the concerns discussed.
“This gathering aims to create a space where farmers can share experiences and learn practical solutions from experts to improve the poultry industry, management, and market access. Let’s all work together and be able to voice out most of the challenges facing us,” Ranthamane said.
The exchange reflected Agriculture Week’s purpose of connecting technical knowledge with the realities of production. For poultry farmers, that means understanding what happens between buying chicks and delivering birds or eggs to a customer.
Animal nutritionist Motselisi Mahlehla challenged feeding practices that rely on unmeasured quantities of maize, sunflower seeds or household leftovers without ensuring a balanced diet.
“Our farmers still employ unprofessional methods of feeding chickens; their approach to feeding chickens to reach their maximum potential is inadequate,” she said.
Mahlehla explained that feeding must match the birds’ age, type, and stage of production. Giving more feed does not automatically deliver better performance, while inadequate feeding can undermine growth.
“Underfeeding can stunt growth and weaken birds, while overfeeding wastes expensive feed and can also hinder their full production potential.”
She also cautioned against treating maize as a complete ration.
“While maize provides energy, it lacks the complete nutrient profile necessary for healthy development, strong immunity, egg production, or quality meat. Feeding unmeasured amounts of plain grains like maize and sunflower seeds leaves birds deficient in essential daily nutrients,” she said.
The discussion emphasised the different requirements of chicks, growing birds, broilers approaching market weight and laying hens.
“Feeding decisions must suit those requirements if farmers are to manage costs and achieve consistent output.”
Thakabanna explained that commercial feed formulation brings ingredients together to meet nutritional needs.
“When formulating, we use many raw materials because we aim for chickens to receive different nutrients,” he said.
He urged farmers to consider feed quality and suitability when purchasing, rather than choosing solely by the price printed on a bag.
Appropriate phase feeding, he said, also helps producers plan their operations around the birds they intend to sell.
“For farmers aiming to compete in the market, correct feeding makes it possible to manage costs, estimate production timelines, and deliver birds when buyers need them.”
The conversation then followed poultry beyond the farm gate. Chicken meat and eggs become household food and enter informal markets, school meals, and retail outlets. Production decisions therefore carry responsibilities towards consumers as well as the enterprise.
FAO nutritionist, Kekeletso Mabeleng, said food safety begins long before cooking or sale.
“Food safety begins when farmers decide what to feed birds, how to manage medication, and how to maintain cleanliness on the farm. As FAO, we examine food from production through to the later stages when people consume it; the main issue is the food environment, where we consider the value at which food arrives in the human body in terms of accessibility and affordability,” she said.
Mabeleng urged producers to consider safety and quality throughout production, handling and preparation.
“In poultry, I would like to focus on safety and quality; if chickens fail to meet safety standards and reach people, such meat harms people’s lives. It is crucial for farmers to prioritise public health throughout the entire food preparation process, from the initial stage to the final product.”
Her message placed feed, water, medication, housing, slaughter hygiene and storage within the same food-safety chain. Failures along that chain can affect consumers and confidence in local products.
Ministry of Agriculture veterinarian Dr Mookho Ntia turned attention to preventing disease from entering poultry houses.
“Farmers must take precautions to prevent disease from entering poultry houses instead of waiting to respond after birds become ill.”
She urged producers to ask suppliers about the origin and vaccination status of chicks before buying them.
“It is risky to acquire chicks without knowing their disease history or vaccination status; farmers should always seek this information from their suppliers,” she said.
Ntia also highlighted the movement of people and equipment as a concern. Visitors, footwear, clothing, crates and vehicles can introduce disease-causing organisms into production areas.
“As farmers, we must restrict access to poultry houses by limiting unnecessary visitors to prevent disease transmission. People can also be carriers of disease, so sanitisers should be readily available on farms,” she said.
“Farmers should sanitise egg trays, equipment, and vehicle tyres before they enter farm premises.”
The session also addressed responsible medicine use, observance of applicable withdrawal periods before marketing treated birds or their products, and the wider concern of antimicrobial resistance. Ntia encouraged veterinary guidance rather than improvised treatment.
Safe disposal of dead birds and waste, along with removing spilt feed that attracts rodents and wild animals, formed part of the discussion on farm hygiene.
For farmers already struggling with costs, disease prevention can seem like another demand on limited resources. The session framed it in terms of production economics: protecting a flock helps protect the investment in chicks, feed and labour.
Professor Setsumi Molapo said NUL researchers were examining ways to make poultry feeding more affordable while maintaining performance and product quality.
“At the National University of Lesotho, many researchers are focused on poultry; research related to poultry feeding significantly impacts farmers’ costs, and our research aims to lower feeding costs to a level that local farmers can afford,” he said.
He described work involving indigenous poultry breeds, alternative feed ingredients and substances being investigated for possible benefits to bird health. He also explained how researchers assess meat from birds raised on different diets.
“We are researching animal feeds that promote optimal chicken growth. As an institution, we take meat from chickens fed different diets, dry it, process it into a meal, and analyse it in the laboratory to determine which meat provides the best protein and quality for consumption,” he said.
That research raised another question: how do findings reach the farmers who could use them?
Ranthamane asked how Basotho producers could benefit directly from university studies. Molapo acknowledged that producing research and communicating it to farmers are separate responsibilities.
“That question is eye-opening, as I can now see the importance of information dissemination; we might be doing an injustice to the nation by not providing feedback after our research, and I would like to take this question as a learning point and explore how, as an institution, we can close that gap,” he said.
The exchange identified an opportunity for universities, extension officers, feed companies and farmer organisations to make technical information more accessible. Research must be explained in language and formats that help producers understand what is ready to apply and what remains under investigation.
The session also encouraged young Basotho to consider poultry as an enterprise, with opportunities across meat, eggs, chick production and other products. Pursuing those opportunities requires careful management and an understanding of the market.