Epileptic power supply has become a problem associated with most third world countries. This condition reduces productivity generally and in most cases increases the cost of production. Most people/institutions have sought to install backup power system in their homes/offices to help mitigate the adverse effect of this power unreliability but in turn, they are mostly faced with problems of deciding what they need as quality information are not readily available in the public domain. This information gap is what I intend to solve by this series.

Sizing is a very important part of energy solution reliability. An oversized system leads to having idle resources in the system. This increases cost. It is very important to size the system such that you don’t have too much wastages. In determining system size, the first thing to do is to calculate the load you intend to power with the system. This is done by adding up the wattage of all appliances in the house. For example, in a house that has 1 unit of 1.5Hp AC, 10 Light bulbs of 10watt each, 1 Refrigerator of 200watt, a Television set of 300watts. The total load in this case is 1,346watts, this implies that any inverter you choose must be able to output 1346watts at a go. It is advisable to leave margins for expansion. In the case above, I will recommend a 2KVA inverter, this can output a total of 1600watts. (Considering a power factor of 0.8, 2000 X 0.8 =1600) So even at peak load, it can serve the house. It is worth noting that a time when all the loads will be on at same time might never happen. At best you might be using 80% of your appliances at peak periods. Notwithstanding, it is always better to assume peak load in choosing inverters. Inverters do not generate power, it basically converts electrical power from DC to AC so the power you are using is what is available within the system. There are different types of inverters, checking out their technical specifications and other components of your energy system you can determine which of the inverter types that will be suitable for your need. Check out my detailed write up on inverters in this series to gain an insight into what you need to check out for in deciding on a particular inverter based on what you want to achieve.

The next thing to do is to choose the number of battery(ies) you want to use. It is worth knowing that battery doesn’t generate electric power. All it does is to store and give back at the time it is called into action. So basically, the power you get out of a battery depends on what you stored on it and this largely depends on the battery’s capacity and the charging capacity of the inverter as well. Assuming you use 2 units of 200AH,12V Batteries, at full charge the total power available for you will be 2x200x12 =4800Watts. If the DOD of the battery is 80%, then you have a total usable power of 3840Watts. Assuming you are consuming at an average of 384Watts per hour. At full charge, you will have 10hours that you can run on the battery. Things you should know about batteries before choosing includes the cycle, DOD, C rating, Current and Voltage ratings, Temperature rating and type of cell. Check out for the write up on batteries under this series, it will help you understand in full.

Power for charging batteries can be gotten through mains (I refer to power from both Generator set and any power company as mains) or through renewable sources. For this I am looking at solar panels. In determining the number of panels you will install, you have to check out your energy needs, storage capacity and irradiation level in the environment of interest. Generally, a solar PV panel rated at 300Watts should ideally supply 300Watts per hour. So if you have an energy need of 1200Watts You should be needing 4 of it. Check out details explanation of SOLAR PV CELLS in our series, this will enable you choose the type of panel that will best fit your environment and the implication on sizing.

NB. We can offer advice to you at no cost. www.roksdada.com, info@roksdada.com, +2348137353536

Livestock farming for egg production is a practice that by far predates us all. Every generation has tried to improve the system to make for efficient farming system that will guarantee high yield while also been hygienic. Farming for egg production has greatly improve lately that it seems like there is no other place to go from the point we are at, from feeding to automatic egg collection up to automated manure cleaning and been in a temperature controlled environment, it may seem that the world has finally got its mojo when it comes to housing birds for egg production.


DEEP LITTER VERSUS BATTERY CAGES IN EGG PRODUCTION
Deep litter system though been the closest in replicating the natural conditions a bird will ordinarily prefer to be in, has a lot of challenges that makes using cages more attractive for layers. The major challenge being cannibalism, egg breaking and waste of energy in running around thereby increasing the food consumption to compensate for it, ease in diseases spread as birds are clustered together. The cage system is not without its challenges also as it denies birds conducive nesting environment resulting in severe frustration each time an egg is laid, lack of dust bathing opportunities, high incidence of foot lesions. Personally, I have a preference for raising layers in Battery cage system, generally the advantages outweigh its disadvantages when placed side by side. Cage system allows for easy management of layers. Feeding can be fully or semi-automated. The birds do not have access to the eggs and as such cannot feast on it, Cleaning is easier in this system and this helps ensure that the level of ammonia in the house is largely reduced.


A TYPE CAGES VERSUS H TYPE CAGES
There are 2 types of battery cages, the A and H type, they got their names from how they look. A cages is the most popular but H type is gaining increasing popularity. Both types of Cages support full automation, the major difference is that while A type is designed to have the manure from all the tiers drop to a common manure cleaning belt, in H type all the tiers have different manure cleaning belt, making H type cage more expensive than A type cages. For same floor space, H type can take twice the number of birds A type can take. H type can equally cost twice the price of A type. With the A type cages, breakeven can be achieve in a year but you need twice the time for H type. People mostly use H type where there is land constraint. There is also a school of thought that believes that better ventilation is achieved using H type cage as against the A type cages in a closed temperature controlled housing, I seriously do not subscribe to this school of thought. All process from feeding, egg collection, manure cleaning and temperature controlled can be fully automated in any of the two cage types


CLOSED AND OPEN HOUSES
The poultry structure can utilize open air ventilation system (mostly achieved by having wire gauze round the building) or a completely closed house. In modern livestock farming, it is all about control. The more control you have of living conditions of the birds the better you can adjust it to get the best results. Personally I prefer closed housing structures. In this you use cooling pads and vent fans to achieve the exact temperature, wind speed and humidity required for optimum performance of the birds at any given age. Environmental conditions greatly affect the food conversion rate of birds so having a control of this is key. In closed house everything including lightening is under your control. The birds have limited exposure to the outside world thus reducing diseases that can gain access to them. Since a good control is needed, the structure materials should be such that it doesn’t compromise what you want to achieve. I prefer the use of properly insulated prefabricated steel structure for housing livestock. Insulation can be achieved by using EPS materials round the building. I do not like brick walls as they tend to retain cold and warmth for a longer duration of time.


SCALE CALCULATION AND COST IMPLICATIONS
Making money from automated poultry farming has everything to do with scale. Economy of scale comes into play in this type of housing livestock. For example, a feed hopper can push feed up to a distance of 120m, so if you have a structure that is for example 50m in length, you are already having an overhead cost that could have been used for more. To make the best out of a closed housing system, I advise a building with a dimension of 105m X 16m X 3.5m. (L W H). You can have a building with a length of 120m but then the vent fan might have difficulties in pushing air for that distance especially when it starts getting weak. To be safe 105m will never fail you. The height of 3.5m maybe considered too high for Layers, some people do 3m. I am in Nigeria and it can be hot here during dry season, if you have such low structure and for instance you used glass wool for insulation, if it fails, you have the heat very close to the birds except you are using a 3 tier cage which is itself a disadvantage. If the building is higher, the hot air can find a place to go up to as hotter air climbs in heat convention. So generally, if in Tropical region, I will advise you go for height of 3.5m. the cost difference is about 5000USD. For a structure that can last 50years, it is not too much of an extra cost to take. This seize of structure will accommodate up to 30000 birds if you are using 4 tier cages arranged in 4 rows. I always advice the use of 4 tier cages, this will help you maximize what you can get from same available space.
The cost of erecting a standard steel prefabricated house using EPS material for insulation will be about 55,000USD (LABOUR COST EXCLUDED) To purchase all equipment for the bird rearing (Cages with feeding and drinking line, temperature control equipment, Manure cleaning system, Egg collection system, feed hopper machine etc.) you will spend about 6500USD (INSTALLATION COST NOT INCLUDED) Also you will need to provide source of energy as the equipment are electrically driven. Generally, you will spend up to 150,000USD for structure and all equipment needed when you factor in all labor cost and installation cost, power provision and water provision. (LAND COST IS EXCLUDED IN THIS CALCULATION)
In conclusion, in this system, a person or two can successfully manage all the bird rearing as the system is fully automated. So within a year, when you compare the saved cost on labor and the extra profit from reduced number of broken eggs, you can break even when you successfully run a full cycle of 30000 laying birds. The good thing is the structure will keep serving you. Automated poultry house, though expensive is preferably in housing layers if you can afford it.

NB.
If you are interested in setting up such, contact us, we can connect you to our partners (OEM) at no cost for equipment procurement and you are welcomed to also check out our farm. In addition, we are currently working out a supply chain that will enable us buy up from farms and sell off on our own thereby absolving the farmer from the responsibility of looking for consumer so by this we would have solved the market issue for you as well.
We can completely guide you as we need farms that can feed our supply chain.

For More Enquiries Contact
Roksdada Company Limited
+2348137353536, www.roksdada.com, info@roksdada.com

Technology is changing the way we do things lately and livestock farming is not left behind. Livestock farming in general and particularly poultry farming has undergone considerably change in the ways things are done in the last 10 years. People that refuse to migrate to new technologies might experience higher cost of raising their birds and this will eventually push them out of the market as they cannot compete favorably.

CAGE AND FLOOR REARING
When it comes to raising broilers, I personally have a preference for floor rearing. Keeping broilers in cages sometimes leads lameness, breast blisters, foot-pad dermatitis etc. The difference lies in the type of deep litter you decide to run. Floor rearing in modern times have been highly automated that there is almost now no difference between it and cage systems in terms of labor requirements. You can achieve automated feeding using feeding lines and drinking lines. There’s usually a silo that your feed is stored in and through conveyor systems, you can pass same across all feeding pans in the pen house likewise water runs through the drinking lines ensuring that there is always feed and water for the birds.

CLOSED AND OPEN HOUSES
The poultry structure can utilize open air ventilation system (mostly achieved by having wire gauze round the building) or a completely closed house. In modern livestock farming, it is all about control. The more control you have of living conditions of the birds the better you can adjust it to get the best results. Personally I prefer closed housing structures. In this you use cooling pads and vent fans to achieve the exact temperature, wind speed and humidity required for optimum performance of the birds at any given age. Environmental conditions greatly affect the food conversion rate of birds so having a control of this is key. In closed house everything including lightening is under your control. The birds have limited exposure to the outside world thus reducing diseases that can gain access to them. Since a good control is needed, the structure materials should be such that it doesn’t compromise what you want to achieve. I prefer the use of properly insulated prefabricated steel structure for housing livestock. Insulation can be achieved by using EPS materials round the building. I do not like brick walls as they tend to retain cold and warmth for a longer duration of time.

SCALE CALCULATION AND COST IMPLICATIONS
Making money from automated poultry farming has everything to do with scale. Economy of scale comes into play in this type of housing livestock. For example, a conveyor line motor in feeding line can push feed up to a distance of 120m, so if you have a structure that is for example 50m in length, you are already having an overhead cost that could have been used for more. To make the best out of a closed housing system, I advise a building with a dimension of 105m X 16m X 3m. (L W H). You can have a building with a length of 120m but then the vent fan might have difficulties in pushing air for that distance especially when it starts getting weak. To be safe 105m will never fail you. The height of 3m maybe considered too high for broilers, some people do 2.5m. I am in Nigeria and it can be hot here during dry season, if you have such low structure and for instance you used glass wool for insulation, if it fails, you have the heat very close to the birds but if the building is higher, the hot air can find a place to go up to as hotter air climbs in heat convention. So generally, if in Tropical region, I will advise you go for height of 3m. the cost difference is about 5000USD. For a structure that can last 50years, it is not too much of an extra cost to take. This seize of structure will accommodate up to 25000 birds if you are rearing for 42-50 days, if lesser duration, it could take above 30,000 birds.
The cost of erecting a standard steel prefabricated house using EPS material for insulation will be about 50,000USD (LABOUR COST EXCLUDED) To purchase all equipment for the bird rearing (feeding and drinking line, temperature control equipment etc.) you will spend about 25000USD (INSTALLATION COST NOT INCLUDED) Also you will need to provide source of energy as the equipment are electrically driven. Generally, you will spend up to 100,000USD for structure and all equipment needed when you factor in all labor cost and installation cost, power provision and water provision. (LAND COST IS EXCLUDED IN THIS CALCULATION)

In conclusion, in this system, a person or two can successfully manage all the bird rearing as the system is fully automated. The cost of raising birds in this to a weight of 2kg can be less than 2USD. So within a year, when you compare the saved cost on labor and the extra profit from reduced costs, you can break even when you successfully run about 5 cycles of 25000 birds. The good thing is the structure will keep serving you. Automated poultry house, though expensive is preferably in broiler raising if you can afford it.

NB. If you are interested in setting up such, contact us, we can connect you to our partners (OEM) at no cost for equipment procurement and you are welcomed to also check out our farm. In addition, we are currently constructing 2500BPH slaughter line and will be willing to buy up your birds at maturity for our slaughter house so we have solved the market issue for you as well. We can completely guide you as we need farms that can feed our slaughter line.

For More Enquiries Contact
Roksdada Company Limited
+2348137353536, www.roksdada.com, info@roksdada.com