The donkey, a beast of burden that is reared in small numbers only in the northern sector of the country and is used in carting farm produce and water, is in high demand for its meat and other services.

Increasing numbers of farmers are now using the animal for ploughing and northerners who work on cocoa farms in the south are buying it to cart cocoa and other produce from the farms. Mr. Samuel Y Apiiga, Animal Scientist, Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA), said this in an interview with the Ghana News Agency on Thursday in Bolgatanga.

He said because of the many uses of the donkey, many people are demanding it not only as a beast of burden but also to breed it since the market for it is increasing.

He said the animal is less susceptible to diseases, not choosy in its feeding and is easier to breed than other animals. "An adult donkey cost at least 200 Ghana cedis and if taken good care of, has a good life span and can do a lot of work", he said. Mr. Apiiga said the meat had become a delicacy in Bolgatanga and is prepared in various forms, light soup, Khebab or cooked with vegetables for the family meal. It is also smoked and sent to the south where chop bar operators use it to prepare soup to go with fufu or 'omu tuo'.

Mr. Apiiga, talking about the guinea fowl, said May and June are the best months to hatch them because July and August would be too wet for the chicks.

He said the ordinary hen, turkey or duck could be used to hatch guinea fowl eggs, with the ordinary hen capable of sitting on 20 or fewer eggs while the turkey and duck could sit on a maximum of 50 guinea fowl eggs.

He said the chicks should be taken away from mother turkey or duck as soon as they are hatched because when the birds realize the little ones are not their own kind, they would kill them. Mr. Apiiga urged all poultry farmers, both large and small, to contact the Veterinary Services Department often so that their birds could get good care and not die of curable diseases. 14 May 09