Produce more local chicken

Moritz, a poultry science and poultry extension specialist at the West Virginia University, made the comments in an interview with journalists following a Poultry Nutrition and Management Seminar held at the University of Trinidad and Tobago (UTT) ECIAF Campus at Centeno.

During the seminar he described his work at West Virginia University where he develops poultry feed that enhance the growth of the birds. A statement from UTT said the seminar was designed to provide information on some of the current best practices that can be employed in the poultry sector, in order to ensure sustainability and efficiencies within the industry. It was attended by ECIAF students working in the area of poultry and agri-business development.

Moritz told participants that the climate in West Virginia is cool to cold unlike this country where the temperatures are higher and poultry farmers are probably more concerned with keeping their birds cool.

He said rearing broilers is probably easier in West Virginia because of that cool climate but if the focus remains on the small broiler in Trinidad and Tobago, the bird that is reared for 38-40 days, which is the current practice this is very intelligent because that bird is less susceptible to disease and health issues due to heat stress. He said his meetings with the commercial feed mill and the poultry producers went very well, adding that those groups were very interested in food security for the country and maintaining a very strong industry and socio- economic development.