oultry Farming in Nigeria is probably one of the
most lucrative in the world especially when it is setup
and managed properly. The farmers we currently have
are not even enough and will not be enough in the
next ten years! 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.
With over 160 Million consumers in the country who
buys poultry products on daily basis, the market is
always there.
PROFIT POTENTIAL IN POULTRY BUSINESS
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 twice in three days.
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 may 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 this calculation.
3. Chicken sells at a very good price – A fully grown
healthy chicken sells between 2,000 to 2,500 naira in
Nigeria. Therefore, if you produce 12,000 chickens in
your farm, you will be making N24 million by the time
they are completely sold.
4. Egg market in Large too – Apart from the chicken,
the egg is another money 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.
WHAT YOUR POULTRY BUSINESS PLAN SHOULD LOOK LIKE
Draw out your effective business plan . Poultry
business plan is like a road map leading you to where
you are going in you business. It will help you know
where you are at any point in time. Hence your
business plan should include:
1. Type of Bird you want to concentrate on – Here
you choose Chickens ( Layers and Broilers). We
choose chicken because that’s what this article
focuses on. There are other types of birds that are
good for livestock business too, 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. If you can do two area,
no problem. Below are some of the major Niches 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.
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 – With location in mind, you
now have clearer idea of the capital required of you.
Write down your detailed capital and investment
requirements and set to source it.
Like every other farming projects, the bigger you plan
to start, the more investment required. 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 N70,000 to start.
(b) A medium scale poultry farming that requires land
and housing and other materials in 1 – 2 plots of
Land takes about N500,000 to N5 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 .
Set Up Your Poultry Farm
With your business plan is in place, the next is to
proceed to setting up your farm without delay! At this
point, it is my believe that you already have the
money in your hands. So 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. A place like Ijebu Ode, Remo Area , Imota in
Ikorodu – these places are perfect if you are in Lagos.
Other places like towards Oshogbo after Ibadan isn’t
too far too from the major city like Ibadan.
You can get Acre of land there for cheap price, cost of
lands in most cases is determined by the sellers. But
we may suggest price during commenting. So drop
your comments below and let’s get the discussion
going.
2. Build your Structure – House is very important for
chicken rearing and effective keeping and
management. Poultry housing 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.
Other Items you need – Feeders, Drinkers, Perches.
Nests, Crates, Lighting system, Waste disposal
system, Incubator, Heaters or brooders, Egg tray,
Cages and coops.