Why goats produce bloody droppings
Diseases in goats are caused by several factors not limited to the environment, nutrition and infectious agents. Similarly, different diseases and conditions present in varied signs and symptoms, for example, sometimes droppings may contain blood or mucous and be smelly, strain in passing the droppings/manure.
In this case, you best need immediate on-site intervention, that is, attention from a qualified vet or animal health practitioner to assess the condition or if more symptoms are manifested.
Preventive measures for common health issues in farms include observing regular deworming, vaccination, proper nutrition and routine veterinary care or check-up.
Felix Akatch Opinya, Livestock Production adviser
How to stop rotting of the jackfruit
i) Fruit flies lay eggs under the skin of the fruits. The eggs hatch after five to six days into larva. The larvae make their way into the fruit, causing it to rot and fall off.
ii) Rhizopus rot is a fungal disease characterised by soft, watery, brown spots on the flowers and fruits.
One should apply several Management practices.
Pruning involves removal of unproductive, diseased or pest-damaged branches. Remove unwanted branches to give more light to the developing fruits.
The best plants for making manure
There are two types of organic manure that can be prepared using plants. These are green and compost manure.
Green manure is prepared from green plants. The plants are grown for the purpose of incorporating them into the soil.
Leguminous crops like cowpeas, beans, lucerne, clovers, groundnuts and sunflowers are preferred as they fix nitrogen into the soil.
The crop for green manure is planted and allowed to grow to the flowering stage, after which it is incorporated into the soil by ploughing.
It is then left for two weeks to decompose. The field is then prepared for planting the major crop. Green manure provides nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium, calcium, magnesium and sulphur but the nutrients may vary, depending on the crop used for the manure.
It is ideal for growing of cereals like maize which need a lot of nitrogen.
There are two methods of preparing – pit and heap. Pit method is used in dry areas and involves digging a pit 1.2m long, 1.2m wide and 1.2m deep and as you dig separate top soil from sub soil and heap it on one side because you will need it later.
Arrange the materials from the bottom of the pit, starting with fibrous materials like maize stalks to act as the foundation. Put a layer of grass, leaves or refuse materials.
The best plant leaves to use are those of tithonia, leucaena, sesbania, crotolaria and lantana as they contain nitrogen.
Add a layer of well-rotten manure to provide nutrients to the living organisms. A thin layer of wood ash is then added to improve the level of phosphorous and potassium in the resulting manure.
This is followed by addition of top soil to introduce micro-organisms necessary for decomposition of organic materials.
Follow the above procedure is to fill the pit. A layer of soil is added to cover the pit and some dry leaves are placed on top.
During the dry season, the material is kept moist by adding water. The heap method is used in high rainfall areas and is just the same as described in the pit method. The only difference is that there is no pit but the materials are heaped in layers.
The heap should also be 1.2m long, 1.2 m wide and 1.2 m high. Check temperature and moisture by inserting a stick in the pit or heap. Regular turning of the pit or heap is recommended for even decomposition.
