Come let’s celebrate this year’s International Poultry Day!

Maybe you didn’t know that March 19is the International Poultry Day. Now you know! Come that day, poultry organizations and enthusiasts around the world would be celebrating all poultry birds, the livelihood of poultry farming and the opportunity they offer for the so many available poultry dishes.

What is poultry you may ask? Poultry are domesticated birds kept by humans for the purpose of producing eggs, meat, and/or feathers. They include chickens, turkeys, ducks, geese, quails and pheasants.  

While some of us in this part of the globe might make less of this celebration, it is indeed a big one in many other climes around the world. And, why shouldn’t that be? Poultry birds give us an assortment of meats andeggs, food commodities that some us cannot do without.

Think about a world withoutpoultry meats oreggs, asa source of protein and you’ll see why the International Poultry Day is a big deal.Without chicken or turkey, some of our popular festivities and special days would not be complete. Then, what about eggs – our lovely, ever nutritious eggs, the completion for the balanced breakfast? Add to that the so many uses of poultry feathers.

Certainly, a world without poultry birds won’t be fun at all. It is on record that poultry is the second most eaten meat in the world, accounting for 30% of global meat production, next only to pork, which accounts for 38%. Besides, humans keep chicken, turkey, duck, geese, ostrich and other poultry birds for their eggs and feathers or skin (in the case of ostrich).As such, the importance of poultry cannot be over emphasized.

In view of the usefulness of these birds, it’s only right and reasonable that we appreciate and celebrate them. Moreover, since they are susceptible to a variety of diseases, just like humans are, as much as they serve our needs, they rely on us to ensure that they stay healthy at all times, with good shelter, good nutrition and adequate medical attention. That way, they are even better positioned to serve us better.

This explains why your favourite Vital Feed goes to various lengths in formulating an assortment of nutritionally balanced feeds for different classes of poultry birds. And to make this year’s International Poultry Day special, the feed producer has put together some poultry games, tagged 10 Day, 50 Winners, which will see them reward participants and poultry enthusiasts with freebies for a period of ten days leading to March 19 – the International Poultry Day. If you are a poultry enthusiast, then you can also be part of it.

The point in this celebration is that poultry birds, be they chickens, turkeys, ducks, geese, quails or ostriches, matter a lot and all deserve to be appreciated. Not only that, March 19 gives you that opportunity to celebrate poultry birds for all they mean to our world and the special unique tasting meals they afford us.

As we end this short discussion on poultry, here are some more facts about poultry products that will interest you.
1. If properly packaged, frozen chicken or turkey, should maintain top quality in your home freezer for up to one year.
2. A hen lays an average of 240 eggs per year.
3. It takes about 24 hours for a hen to lay an egg.
4. There are no nutritional differences between brown and white eggs.

(Source: The Poultry Federation)
On a last note, how you intend to celebrate the International Poultry Day is completely up to you, but here are some tips that could get you started.

You could visit a poultry farm close to you and learn a few things about poultry farming. Secondly, you can go on social media and share pictures of you performing different activities at the farm. Then, you can also start by participating in the Vital Feed 10 Day, 50 Winners trivia game.

The D-Day is just some days to go. So, get ready!