(a) State seven characteristic features of a good layer. (b) Describe the preparations to be carried out for receiving day old chicks for rearing. (b) Expla...

(a) Seven characteristic features of a good layer:

1. It has a bright, red and well-developed comb and wattles.
2. It has bright, prominent and alert eyes.
3. It has a large, moist, soft and expanded vent (cloaca).
4. It has a wide span between the pubic (pelvic) bones, able to admit two to three fingers.
5. It has a soft, pliable and large abdomen (well-developed egg-laying capacity).
6. It is active, alert and has a good appetite (feeds well).
7. It has smooth, well-bleached shanks/beak (in yellow-skinned birds) and a good, healthy body condition free from disease.

(b) Preparations for receiving day-old chicks:

1. Clean, wash and disinfect the brooder house and all equipment thoroughly and allow it to rest before the chicks arrive.
2. Spread clean, dry litter (such as wood shavings) on the floor and set up the brooder guard (chick guard) in a circle.
3. Provide and test the source of heat (brooder/lamp) and warm the house to the correct brooding temperature (about 35 degrees Celsius) before the chicks arrive.
4. Arrange clean feeders and drinkers, and provide feed (chick mash) and clean water (with glucose/vitamins) ready for the chicks.
5. Ensure the house is well ventilated, rodent-proof and predator-proof, and count and inspect the chicks on arrival, placing them gently under the brooder.

(c) How poor storage facilities affect agricultural marketing: Without adequate storage, farmers cannot hold their produce, so they are forced to sell perishable produce quickly and cheaply immediately after harvest; much produce spoils, rots or is attacked by pests, causing heavy losses. This leads to gluts and low prices at harvest and scarcity and high prices off-season, unstable prices, poor produce quality, reduced farmers' income and difficulty in storing goods to await better market prices.