To start with, the food
industry is a very lucrative and ever present one. Face it, everyone has got to
eat and food production all around the world is not even enough to go round. Poultry
Farming is one of the most lucrative in the world, especially when it is setup
and managed properly. This aspect of livestock farming presents one of the
finest opportunity for entrepreneurs to make good money within the shortest
period of time possible due to the quick maturity of chickens.
Anyone can engage in poultry
business, it doesn't matter your education background nor how rich you are. You
can start at any level and grow as big as you want with time. The most
important thing is that you are interested in starting somewhere.
What make poultry business ideal with this model is because chickens grows very fast. A chicken will be ready for the market within 28 weeks from birth. That is why it is considered ideal business.
What make poultry business ideal with this model is because chickens grows very fast. A chicken will be ready for the market within 28 weeks from birth. That is why it is considered ideal business.
Breakdown of
profit potential
1. Chicken do
reproduce fast and in large numbers - Average
healthy Layer lays egg almost everyday or at least 4 times in a week. Some
Breeds can lay as much as 325 eggs in a year and take 21 days to hatch. This
means that technically a Layer is capable of producing another chicken
everyday.
So, if you have 500 healthy layers of good breeds (such as California white) they are capable of reproducing a whooping 12,000 chicks within 40 days!
2. Chicken grows very fast - Within 21 days, the egg is hatched and within 28 weeks, they are ready for the market. That means a farmer will start making his money in just 34 weeks after successfully setting up his farm and whatever returns he make could be doubled in a year based on our calculation.
3. Chicken sells at a very good price - A fully grown healthy chicken sells between 2,000 to 2,500 naira. Therefore, if you produce 12,000 chickens in your farm, you will be makingN24 million by the time they are completely sold.
4. The egg market is also large - Apart from the chicken, egg is another money-spinner of it's own. A crate of eggs sells for N500 - N550 for smaller eggs and N600 - N650 for bigger ones. Each crate contains 30 eggs. Therefore, if you have 500 layers that produces 12,000 pullet in a month and decides to sell all, you will be making N200,000 to N260,000 monthly.
As you can see, the profit in poultry business is mouth watering and the turn over time is fantastic as well, but the big question now is how to start. Mind you, it is no good venturing into a business you have no interest in.
Business Plan:
So, if you have 500 healthy layers of good breeds (such as California white) they are capable of reproducing a whooping 12,000 chicks within 40 days!
2. Chicken grows very fast - Within 21 days, the egg is hatched and within 28 weeks, they are ready for the market. That means a farmer will start making his money in just 34 weeks after successfully setting up his farm and whatever returns he make could be doubled in a year based on our calculation.
3. Chicken sells at a very good price - A fully grown healthy chicken sells between 2,000 to 2,500 naira. Therefore, if you produce 12,000 chickens in your farm, you will be makingN24 million by the time they are completely sold.
4. The egg market is also large - Apart from the chicken, egg is another money-spinner of it's own. A crate of eggs sells for N500 - N550 for smaller eggs and N600 - N650 for bigger ones. Each crate contains 30 eggs. Therefore, if you have 500 layers that produces 12,000 pullet in a month and decides to sell all, you will be making N200,000 to N260,000 monthly.
As you can see, the profit in poultry business is mouth watering and the turn over time is fantastic as well, but the big question now is how to start. Mind you, it is no good venturing into a business you have no interest in.
Business Plan:
Drawing out an effective business plan is one of, if not
the most important aspect to be undertaken before venturing into any business.
Your business plan should include:
|
1. Type of Bird
to concentrate on - Here
you may decide to choose which ever kind of birds suits you. There are other
types of birds that are good for livestock business too other than chicken,
such as Goose, Duck, Turkey, etc.
2. Write down your area of interest - You can't just be in all aspect of poultry farming. You have to choose your area of interest where you would like to concentrate your business. This will ensure high level of focus and professionalism. Some of the major areas in Poultry Farming
2. Write down your area of interest - You can't just be in all aspect of poultry farming. You have to choose your area of interest where you would like to concentrate your business. This will ensure high level of focus and professionalism. Some of the major areas in Poultry Farming
·
Layers Breeding which is egg production by Layers
·
Broilers breeding which referrers to the chicken meat production by Broilers
·
Hatchery which has to do with breeding chicken for the purpose of Hatching new chicks
·
Poultry feed which is producing feeds for other poultry farmers
You may choose to Breed
Layers and Broilers at a time or one of them. Hatchery is better done
independently just like feed production. So, you choose your area of focus
3. Sort out Location - This has a direct effect to your startup cost. A location in a very remote rural area will cost far less than the one close to the urban area. Remote rural area with good road is the ideal location as you will be free from regulatory agencies and drive down the cost of labor too. Caution: Consider snake and other predatory retiles when setting up your site.
As a new person to Livestock business, you don't want to invest all your capital into buying lands in urban area which may turn out not being used because Government policy is against setting up poultry farm near residential/urban areas for health implication.
4. Investment Capital - Like every other project, the magnitude of a project will determine on the level of investment put into it. But this does not in any way mean that one cannot start small and grow big. You need to decide on the level of capital investment you are willing to commit into this business before starting.
(a) Small scale Chicken Rearing (of about 50 birds) kept in cages at the backyard of your resident will take about N80,000 to start.
(b) A medium scale poultry farming that requires land and housing and other materials in 1 - 2 plots of Land takes about N250,000 to N1-2 Million to start.
(c) Large scale or Intensive poultry farming that requires high level of sophistication and more careful planning and professionalism, using advance Livestock farming techniques takes from N10 Million.
Setting Up Your Poultry Farm
3. Sort out Location - This has a direct effect to your startup cost. A location in a very remote rural area will cost far less than the one close to the urban area. Remote rural area with good road is the ideal location as you will be free from regulatory agencies and drive down the cost of labor too. Caution: Consider snake and other predatory retiles when setting up your site.
As a new person to Livestock business, you don't want to invest all your capital into buying lands in urban area which may turn out not being used because Government policy is against setting up poultry farm near residential/urban areas for health implication.
4. Investment Capital - Like every other project, the magnitude of a project will determine on the level of investment put into it. But this does not in any way mean that one cannot start small and grow big. You need to decide on the level of capital investment you are willing to commit into this business before starting.
(a) Small scale Chicken Rearing (of about 50 birds) kept in cages at the backyard of your resident will take about N80,000 to start.
(b) A medium scale poultry farming that requires land and housing and other materials in 1 - 2 plots of Land takes about N250,000 to N1-2 Million to start.
(c) Large scale or Intensive poultry farming that requires high level of sophistication and more careful planning and professionalism, using advance Livestock farming techniques takes from N10 Million.
Setting Up Your Poultry Farm
With your business plan is in place, the next phase is to start the execution without delay! Here are the things you need to acquire and put in place.
1. Buy land - Like we said earlier, look for land in a remote location but make sure it's not too far from the city.
2. Build your Structure – A good house is very important for chicken farming. Poultry houses are classified according to the scale and the management system. The most common types of poultry housing used in Nigeria are:
• Deep litter-
• Half litter and half slats -
• Battery -
• Semi-fold -
Buy day old chick - Look for good Hatchery where you can get healthy day old chicks to start with. It costs from N140 to N200 sometimes up to N300. If you are looking for where to get day old chicks in Nigeria? You can get good day old chick at Choice Farm Ltd. KM 11 Lekki-Epe Expressway, Okegun, Epe Town, Lagos. Or any other farm you know in your area.
BEST OF LUCK!
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