The Poultry Association of Nigeria (PAN) has called on both Federal and State Governments to encourage big hatcheries to set up modular ones across the country. Mr. Ezekiel Ibrahim, the President of the association, made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja. He said that such measures would minimise the risk and number of hours of transporting day-old chicks from big hatcheries by road to their destinations, especially in this period of the coronavirus pandemic.

He said: “I am appealing to the government to encourage the big hatcheries to establish modular or smaller hatcheries in different locations in the country.” Ibrahim explained that if the day-old chicks were transported by road for long hours, some would die before getting to their destinations, or a few hours afterwards.

“We can reduce the stress and fatality rate of the birds by bringing modular hatcheries to different locations in the country. We know that with different weather conditions of the geographical zones in the country, it is not easy to produce hatchable eggs in all the zones, but we can set up a modular hatchery anywhere. In this case, you produce your hatchable eggs at a particular point and swift the eggs to your modular hatchery and hatch them”, he added. Sun News