CHAPTER ONE

1.0 INTRODUCTION
1.1 STUDENT INDUSTRIAL WORK EXPERIENCE SCHEME (SIWES)

In the earlier stage of science and technology education in Nigeria, students were graduating
from their respective institutions without any technical knowledge or working experience. It was
in this view that students undergoing science and technology related courses were mandated for
students in different institution in view of widening their horizons so as to enable them have
technical knowledge or working experience before graduating from their various institutions.

The Student Industrial Work Experience Scheme (SIWES) was established by the Industrial
Training Fund (ITF) in 1973 to enable students of tertiary institution have technical knowledge
of industrial work base on their course of study before the completion of their program in their
respective institutions. The scheme was designed to expose students to industrial environment
and enable them develop occupational competencies so that they can readily contribute their
quota to national economic and technological development after graduation. The major
background behind the embarkment of students in SIWES was to expose them to the industrial
environment and enable them develop occupational competencies so that they can readily
contribute their quota to national economic and technological development after graduation. The
major benefit accruing to students who participate conscientiously in Students Industrial Work
Experience Scheme (SIWES) are the skills and competencies they acquire. The relevant
production skills remain a part of the recipients of industrial training as life-long assets which
cannot be taken away from them. This is because the knowledge and skills acquired through
training are internalized and become relevant when required to perform jobs or functions.

1.2 OBJECTIVES

The Industrial Training Funds policy Document No. 1 of 1973 which established SIWES
outlined the objectives of the scheme. The objectives are to:

1. Provide an avenue for students in higher institutions of learning to acquire industrial

skills and experiences during their course of study.
2. Prepare students for industrial work situations that they are likely to meet after
graduation.
 3. Expose students to work methods and techniques in handling equipment and machinery
that may not be available in their institutions.
4. Make the transition from school to the world of work easier and enhance students’
contacts for later job placements.
5. Provide students with the opportunities to apply their educational knowledge in real work
situations, thereby bridging the gap between theory and practice.
6. Enlist and strengthen employers’ involvement in the entire educational process and
prepare students for employment in Industry and Commerce (Information and Guideline
for SIWES, 2002).
1.3 BODIES INVOLVED IN THE MANAGEMENT OF SIWES

The bodies involved are: The Federal Government, Industrial Training Fund (ITF). Other
supervising agents are: National University Commission (NUC), National Board for Technical
Education (NBTE) and National Council for Colleges of Education (NCE)

The functions of these agencies above include among others to:

• Ensure adequate funding of the scheme;

• Establish SIWES and accredit SIWWES unit in the approved institutions;
• Formulate policies and guideline for participating bodies and institutions as well
as appointing SIWES coordinators and supporting staff;
• Supervise students at their places of attachment and sign their lob-book and IT
forms;
• Vet and process student’s log-book and forward same to ITF Area office;
• Ensure payment of allowances for the students and supervisors.
1.4 BRIEF HISTORY OF (Farm name)

(Farm name) has been a major force in poultry business, they produces up to standard day old
chicks (Broilers, pullet, and cockerels) and table eggs (natnudo eggs). It also has its own parent
stock broiler site where artificial insemination is done to produce fertile (hatchable) eggs. It also
has a slaughter house where birds are processed for sale. There is also a commercial laying site
where table eggs are produced. There is also a feed mill where poultry feeds and concentrate are
being produced.
(Farm name) is an integrated farm which combines crop production and poultry business such as
the production of water melon, vegetables, quail farming, rabbit farming and feed mill. The farm
is well known because of its rapid rise especially in the poultry industry.

1.4.1 OBJECTIVES OF (Farm name)

1. To be a leading poultry company in Nigeria, operating at international standard in order
to provide excellent healthy and nutritious poultry products.
2. To operate modern and mechanized integrated poultry company that will consistently
provide the best quality products available in Nigeria.
3. To be among the top three companies in the market for all our products.
4. To constantly strive to improve relentlessly.
5. Cutting waste to achievable profitable growth.
6. To minimize rate of unemployment among youths.
7. To respond to customers within twenty-four hours.
1.4.2 ORGANOGRAM

DIRECT
OR

FARM FEED
MILL
SUPERVIS
OR SUPERVIS

FARM FARM FARM

ATTENDA SECRETA GUARDS

FEED FEED FEED

MILL MILL MILL
1.5 OPERATIONS ON THE FARM

During my stay at (Farm name), I gained practical knowledge in the following sections:

1. Hatchery (AFSH)
2. Commercial broiler rearing site
3. Slaughter house/ processing plant
4. Feed mill section

HATCHERY: This section involves in the incubating and the hatching of the fertile eggs with
the use of incubators (setters and hatchers). The main aim of this section is to produce healthy
day old chicks for customers, prior to incubation and hatching the fertile eggs pass through
different sub-sections in the hatchery.

COMMERCIAL BROILER REARING SITE: This site is where birds (broilers) are being
raised from day old to 5 weeks for consumption and the birds raised are transferred to the
slaughter house for processing. The provision of feed, water, ventilation, heat is automated (i.e.
done automatically using a central processing unit CPU). The things done at this site is
vaccination and removal of dead birds using human strength.

SLAUGHTER HOUSE: This site is the processing section for birds reared at the CBRS for
consumption here also the processing procedures here is automated. Birds follow different sub –
sections before being stored finally.

FEED MILL UNIT: The feed mill is the power house of the farm and here feed are being
produced for sale and for Amo farms. Also concentrates are produced here for sale. Feeds
produced here are done with the use of machines. Full-fat soya is produced here.
 CHAPTER TWO

2.1 HATCHERY SECTION

This section is involved in the collection of eggs in batch from the farm and then these eggs
follow through some sub-sections before being put through incubation (keeping of fertile eggs in
a favourable condition that encourages embryo growth). The eggs pass through the setters and
hatchers, in the setters they spend 18 days before they pass through the candling process and are
moved into the hatchers where they hatch after 3 days. Then the day old chicks are vaccinated
and then boxed (placing them into cartons) and then sold immediately.

The various sub-sections include:

EGG GRADING ROOM: Eggs brought from the parent stock site are sorted to remove cracked
eggs, broken eggs, shelless eggs and deformed eggs. Good quality eggs are oval in shape and
when eggs are being graded. The crates which they were brought in from the farm is changed,
new crates are used during grading. After this, the eggs are carried to the fumigation room.

FUMIGATION ROOM: Eggs from the grading room are fumigated to reduce the microbial
load on the eggs brought in from the farm and the fumigant used is potassium permanganate and
formalin mixed together to give formaldehyde gas. The door of the fumigation room is locked
and left for a while before they are removed and moved to the cold room.

COLD ROOM: Eggs brought into the cold room from the fumigation room are kept here to stop
embryo development prior to when the eggs are moved to the setter incubators. Eggs kept in the
cold room are kept at a degree of 16-180 c and eggs are not kept here for more than seven days
because the hatchability percentage drops. Pre-warming is done to make the temperature of the
eggs to be normal room temperature and also cools eggs cause the incubator to work for a longer
time. After seven days when eggs are set to be moved into the setter incubator, they are carried
back to the grading room where with the aid of an egg lifter, eggs are graded into the hatching
tray then placed on the trolley. Eggs on the setter tray are 150 in number and the trolley can carry
32 trays. Eggs on the trolleys are then moved into the setter room.

SETTER ROOM: The setter room is the room which houses the setter incubators. Here egg
spends 18 days out of their 21 days incubation period and during their stay in the setter Incubator
different observations must be carried out like checking the temperature and humidity and
making sure they are at their optimum for good embryo development. For the temperature it is
99.599.8 for good embryo development and the humidity is kept at this range to check the
moisture level and if the optimal humidity of the setter incubator is above optimal requirement,
there is a ventilation vent at the ear end of the setter incubator which is slightly opened to drop
moisture level in the incubator and if the temperature of the incubator is getting above the
required range. There are two temperature switches which are provided above the setter
incubator (The primary heater and the secondary heater), the secondary heater is switched off
and monitored until the temperature drops down to the optimum range, and if the temperature
drops below optimum, both switch are left on and observed until it reaches optimum then the
secondary heater is switched off. Also eggs must be turned hourly and it is done automatically by
the setter incubator and for those which turning devices are spoilt, it is done manually hourly in
order to prevent developing embryo attaching to one part of the egg which might create
complication during hatching and also allow the egg as a whole being heated. The temperature
and the humidity of the setter incubator are checked on a glass thermometer provided. The setter
incubators are cleaned every morning (sweeping). This is a process/ set of procedures that goes
on for 18 days until they are brought out and carried to the candling room.

CANDLING ROOM: Candling is a process which involves the separating of fertile eggs and
Infertile eggs. This is done using a candling box, where ray of light is attached to and the eggs on
the setter tray are put on the candling box, the ray of light passes through the eggs, the complete
transparent ones are candled out i.e. they don’t show sign of embryo development, while the
opaque ones show sign of embryo development (fertile). Then after candling process must have
been done, the eggs are gently turned into already line hatching basket (150 eggs/ basket). They
are then moved to the Hatcher.

HATCHING ROOM: Eggs brought here spend the last three days of their incubation period.
On the third day, they hatch and are brought out of the Hatcher. The day old chicks are then
sorted (removal of weak chicks). The eggs unhatched are removed and the healthy chicks are
placed in newspaper wind basket. Sexing is done, this involves the separation of the cockerel
from the pullets, and cockerels are usually white in colour while the pullet is brown in colour.
Broiler has no problem during sexing because new eggs are bigger and whiter in colour than
those of the pullets so they are not hatched in the same baskets / Hatcher. After all these must
have been done, birds are moved to the vaccination room where they are given marek vaccine
then packaged into boxes for already waiting customers.

2.6 COMMERCIAL BROILER REARING SITE (CBRS)

The commercial broiler rearing site where broiler birds (Aboracre breed) are been reared for the
slaughter house is an agrologic site (turnkey project) whereby the feeding of the birds and the
provision of drinking water for the birds are both automated. The only thing done by humans is
the vaccination programme. There is a control room which houses a central processing unit
(CPU) and a keyboard. The central processing unit consist of a ventilation system, heating
system, cooling system, feeding and watering system and the lighting system. The heater works
from day old until the birds can heat themselves. The brooding temperature from 32-32.50 c
from day one.

2.6.1 VENTILATION SYSTEM

The ventilation system consists of the small vent and the big vent. The big vent starts to work
when the birds get to a certain age, while the small vent works on a duty cycle. The small vent
have dampers on them which serve to bring in fresh air while the small vent itself takes out heat
and gas build up in the house. The big vent sucks air through the cooling to bring maximum air
into the house. The heating system regulates automatically when the weather is hot/cold.

2.6.2 LIGHTING SYSTEM

The birds in the commercial broiler rearing site are subjected to dark period so that they can get
adapted to heat. When the birds are matured enough for slaughter the lights are switched off for
easy catching because the birds will be still. Blue and green bulbs are used for the rearing house
because test have shown that during the first ten days of the broiler raising period, green light
using the proper light spectrum stimulates growth, but blue light spectrum has proven most
effective for growth stimulation.

2.6.3 FEEDING AND DRINKING SYSTEM (FEEDERS AND NIPPLE LINE)

Feed is loaded into the silo which then transfers into the oppa where it stores and with the use of
the sensor at the downward side of the feeder it signals to the CPU when feed is needed and it
activates transfer of feed from the oppa via the auger.

Water is conveyed from the reservoir and it is activated by the central processing unit which in
turns sends it through the nipple line throughout the rearing house.

2.6.4 VACCINATION PROGRAMME

Newcastle vaccination using Lasota strain was done orally and gumboro vaccination was done
also and the administrative route orally.

2.7 SLAUGHTER HOUSE (NATNUDO FOODS)

The slaughter house is the processing site for broiler birds for sale. The site is a turnkey project,
everything is automated, but the site comprises of different sub sections where different activities
take place in the production chain.
2.7.1 RECEIVING AND HANDLING DEPARTMENT

Birds are kept in the receiving and hanging department a day before production (i.e. the evening
before production). The receiving and hanging department houses the shackle chains on which
the birds are attached to and passed through to the stunner.

2.7.2 SLAUGHTERING ROOM

Electric stunner/ killer section:

Birds are passed through the electric stunner for electrocution which makes the birds
unconscious and it increases their heart beat so that when they are cut it allows for the free flow
of blood and after electrocution the birds are cut by someone using a sharp knife. After this the
shackle chain carries the birds into the scalding tank.

Scalding Tank/ Defeathering machine

The birds are moved into the scalding tank to add easy plucking of feather and the temperature of
the scalding tank is 58-59.50 c. After they are removed from the scalding tank they are moved
into a defeathering machine to defeather the birds (removal of birds). There is also a bird counter
with a red light that counts the number of birds that passes. A head puller removes the head and
hock cutter cuts the leg; after all these are done the bird is then passed into the evisceration
department.

Evisceration department

When the birds drop from the hock removal and is re hanged by someone, a vent cutter is used to
create a small opening and an evisceration fork is used to remove the visceral and the visceral are
then passed to the evisceration belt and the visceral are picked up and placed in a basket. The
birds pass into the screw chiller which is filled with cool water to reduce the temperature of the
bird and it has two compartments (dirty and clean water compartments) and it takes ten minutes
to leave the machine and it passes to the dropping machine which removes excess water which
removes excess water and then it moves into the Packaging room.

2.7.3 PACKAGING SECTION

The birds pass into a parking hole then moves into the sealing hole where it is sealed by a
polycap seal, then it is arranged on the transfer trays then unto the trolley. Thereafterinto the
chiller room to cool it for some hours then it is moved into the blast freezer (-300 c) to freeze it
till the next day and it is re-weighed and packed into sacs (15/sac) and sent into the cold room (-
20oc). The capacity of the cold room in our farm was 100 tonnes.

2.8 FEED MILL SECTION (50 & 100 KG)

The feed mill is the power house of the farm; it is involved in the production of feed for Amo
farms and for sale. It is an automated feed mill. There are two earthen bins where ingredients are
poured. The first earthen bin allows for the passage of light materials that cannot be crushed e.g.
limestone, wheat offal and other calcium sources while the second earthen bin allows for
crushable ingredients. Examples include maize, soybean meal, full fat soya etc. After the feed is
grind to in the crusher. All ingredients from the earthen bins move via the individual elevator to
the mixer, where the ingredients are mixed together. After mixing additives are measured in
different proportions based on the type of feed being produced. Examples of additives added to
the mixer are “Furadan” or “Oxytocin”, chlorine chloride, Antitox (use to replace synthetic
vitamin E), Phytocee (to replace synthetic vitamin C), industrial salt and Di – calcium phosphate.

There is also a pelletizing machine which is used to produce pelletized feeds (small, rounded
compressed mass of a substance) which is used specially within a short period of time which
helps in saving money. Feeds are produced in the ration of 25kg for sale and 50 kg for (Farm
name).

Feeds produced in (Farm name) Nig. Ltd:

1. Chicks mash
2. Grower mash
3. Pre-layer mash
4. Broiler starter
5. Concentrate.
 CHAPTER THREE

3.1 PRACTICAL KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCES ACQUIRED AND ALSO

CHALLENGES ENCOUNTERED.

3.1.1 HATCHERY

Practical knowledge and experiences acquired:

 I acquired knowledge and gained experience of all hatchery operations which involves
the sorting/grading of eggs, the candling process, proper use of setter incubators and also
adequate maintenance of the Hatcher. I also gained experience on sexing of birds.
 I acquired knowledge and gained experience in the area of vaccination, I learnt how to
vaccinate day old chicks subcutaneously (administration route) in the hatchery, I also
acquired knowledge of biosecurity practices.

Challenges encountered:

 I had a challenge with the setter incubators egg turning device which made work more
stressful and cumbersome.
 Language barrier was also a challenge I encountered.
 Tardiness of workers to work was yet another challenge I was faced with.

3.1.5 COMMERCIAL BROILER REARING SITE

Practical knowledge and experience acquired:

 I acquired practical knowledge and experience in the operation of the central processing
unit and keyboard in the automated rearing house.
 I also acquired practical knowledge in the preparation of the rearing house before the
arrival of day old chicks.
  I gained experience in the new technology of rearing birds for slaughter which entails
automated feeding, supply of water, ventilation system. Challenges encountered in
commercial broiler rearing site:

Silo problem: The silo was constantly stuck with moist feed which caused delay in the
availability of feed to the birds.

Poor feed sensor: The sensor had issues which actually lead to delay in feed availability.

New technology for rearing poultry birds is too expensive.

3.1.6 SLAUGHTER HOUSE (PROCESSING SITE)

Practical knowledge and experience acquired:

 I gained practical knowledge and experience in the area of bird processing using
automated machines in the production chain for final consumption.
 I also gained experience in the processing of birds in to Whole chicken, portioned
chicken and economic parts.
 I gained experience in particular to a new technology of processing poultry birds
(broilers) which makes work easier and faster.

Challenges encountered in slaughter house:

 Laziness of workers to stay in sub- units they are attached to due to difficulty of work for
example some workers were posted to remove birds from the cold room but because of
the freezing temperature (35 degree centigrade) they refused pushing the work on us
industrial training students.
 Poor attitude from casual workers in relating with industrial training students.
 Language barrier.
 New technology for processing birds is too expensive.

3.1.7 FEED MILL UNIT

Practical knowledge and experience acquired:

With all sincerity and truthfulness the feed mill unit wasn’t a place where too much experience
was gained although I gained practical knowledge in the production of feed (not in depth) and I
experienced the production chain, the bagging and finally the weighing of sold products.

Challenges encountered in the feed mill unit

 Poor willingness of supervisors to teach industrial training students.

 There was preferential treatment in the case that some industrial training students were
carried to the control room and taught the process and way of controlling the feed mill
machines but us industrial training students from Landmark University were left in the
dark..
 The technology of feed production (amo byng) used is too expensive.
 CHAPTER FOUR

CONCLUSION

My siwes was a very successful one; I had an insight of the agricultural world, I have now
known the power of agriculture. With the knowledge I gained about farm operations, I will be
able to setup a farm and manage it and be an employer of labour. SIWES as a course has truly
exposed me to the challenges faced in the world like poverty that is dependent on Agriculture. I
thank GOD for experiences amassed during the SIWES Programme.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Based on the experiences amassed at (FARM NAME), I therefore make the following
recommendations:

 The SIWES program as it were should be improved on, as many students could not get a
placement on time; if the school and the ITF could be responsible for the placement of
the students, it will make the programme more effective.
 Better salary package should be arranged for industrial training students as incentive in
keeping their interest in the siwes programme in other to achieve the objective of the
programme.
 The companies or organizations where students are posted should ensure students work in
places relevant to their course of study.
 Regular visits should be paid to industrial training students at their place of attachment by
their various institutions.