My fellow Nairaland Members, I want to start a poultry after school as a second means of getting my money knowing fully well that its a good means of getting money.

I want to know if N60,000 will be enough to raise up a hundred birds that's including all expenses such as feeding and medical.

Response will be appreciated.

You can start small and grow BIG

But it cant raise 100 birds bro

60,000 can not get you 100 birds likey 50 birds

it is good to start small and you can add turkey farming too it,turkey is very lucrative

If you have access to some financing, i will advice you to go ahead with it, especially during festive periods in Nigeria

Or better still those that knows more could break it down, like the cost of the cages or the house for the chicks, the cost of feeding and how long and medications and all that.
how much would he sell.
Help out the dude

60 Tons? well that depends on the type. broilers or layers. if its broilers that can do if you have other things like housing, drinking and feeding troughs already. As a vet, i must encourage you that poultry business is one of the manny hidden money spinding ventures you can embark on in this country. Wish you the best, Take the risk its worth it.

start small and increase layer. also get your timing right. when purchasing start with broilers. it grows very fast (3months). with time you can add few layers. good luck

i am a poultry farmer and can talk from experience.
Yes, it is a lucrative venture as poultry products are in high demand and guaranteed by a large market in Nigeria.
Also,it is a high risk venture as there are many critical factors to consider to make headway in the business
Authoritatively, i can tell you that u will need about N200K to maintain about 200 pullets(aka layers) from day 1 to 22 weeks if you are using poultry feed i.e. factory feed. it is a capital intensive business. But once the birds start to lay eggs from about 18 wks to 22 weeks,depending on the breed, the income from sales of eggs will cover the cost of feed and profit.
Layers are more stressful to handle but will fetch you daily income from sales of eggs.
However, if you want to make a living from poultry as a sole source of income, i suggest that you target a farm of at least 500 birds and employ just one staff. this is not to say that you will start with 500 birds at once. You can start with 150-200 birds and grow by adding new birds every 6 months. within 18 months ,you can have about 500 birds laying about 13-15 crates of eggs per day.
The income from sales from cycle one can feed the birds in cycle 1 plus the growing pullets in cycle 2.
The factors to consider are many and they are very critical:
1) There must be a vet doctor who will be available on demand. No vet, the business is as good as dead from day 1.
2) The construction of the Chicken house is important. if u get the construction wrong, the result will be poor production.
3) The source of drugs and the quality of drugs is a critical issue too
4)Source of regular supply of clean water
5)Poultry requires 101 % attention, so the farm must be sited close to where the owner is or someone must be living on or close to the farm
6)Good farm mgt skills required to avoid high death rate. The skills can be acquired before you start the farm
7) Availability of clean,good quality feed is essential
8 Hygiene is the most important factor
9) Many other details which i can not write now. As the days go by, i will explain at lenght each of the factors so that you dont get your fingers burnt. the number of small farmers who exit the business are greater than the entrants. The reason is that most small farmers look at the profit potential only and jump in without considering the critical risk elements. then they jump out of it in frustration.
You can start small. As a beginner,it is better and wiser to start smaller. With N60k, u can start a micro farm and learn.

Dont be discouraged. its a good business but you must have the right information.
Further details later

i want to talk about the necessity of the vet or a livestock consultant.
The farm i have in mind is the small farm of about 100-500 birds which a beginner can operate in his backyard.
A beginner must in his own best interest engage the services of a vet or livestock consultant,who will be visiting the farm to attend to health issues of the birds which a layman cannot handle without disastrous effects. They are indispensable and their services are cheap.
for a beginner who has no training/experience, he can get the necessary training from the vet/livestock consultant
the vet or livestock consultant is needed to determine the minimum space requirements to avoid overcrowding and suffocation,for efficient production and to check the outbreak or spread of diseases
He is the one to advise the farmer on the design of an appropriate chicken house in terms of ADEQUATE ventilation for the birds. Ventilation is very important and a MUST
In view of the prevalence of fake drugs/vaccines, it is advisable for a beginner to involve the vet in the purchase of quality drugs for the birds and to purchase the foundation stock of birds for the farm. the source of purchase of the birds and the drugs is IMPORTANT.
In the course of time,the beginner farmer will be able to attend to the simpler health issues by himself and may not find it neccessary to call the vet at every point.The vet/consultant will have to always attend to complex health issues

Beware of quacks who parade themselves as qualified vets but are experienced poultry attendants
For a small home based poultry farmer, who has no formal training and experience, the services of a vet or livestock consultant cannot be wished away.This is the point where many small farmers have burnt their fingers in bitter regret

Thanks Ayodele for breaking down the info for whoever is interested.
That's how it should be

My comments are based on my own poultry farming experience and experiences may vary from farmer to farmer.

A beginner has to take note of the following before going into the business.

Money is required to build a suitable chicken house to accomodate the birds, to purchase feed and drinking troughs, battery cages(for layers),buckets and feed the birds for up to 22 weeks when laying will commence

The beginner should obtain some training from a vet or livestock consultant or from an experienced farmer. Poultry is sensitive and requires knowledge to operate to avoid loss of investmeent. It is an investment.

You must have a sincere interest in it, determined to go all the way and not to see it as a get-rich -quick scheme. it requires hardwork and patience to see results. You must be able to persevere in the face of challenges. It is an interesting business

if you are buying day old chicks, its better this way but ensure that you get them from a recognised,reputable hatchery,through the assistance of a vet/consultant. the initial 5-6 weeks in the life of the chicks is a critical period that will task the energy of the beginner farmer. If not properly handled at this stage, most may die. Maximum attention is required. The temperature has to be regulated and the farmer must be observant to read the mood of the birds to know what they want for eg whether to increase or reduce the heating.

Some buy fairly grown birds of about 12-16 weeks and rear from that point. It can save you money and stress but you must be very careful about it. the source of purchase must be considered. You must be sure that the birds are healthy and be able to confirm that the vaccination/mdication is up-to-date before you can buy them. If you are not sure, please do not buy. it is better for you to buy day old chicks and go through the stress of rearing them. if you can do it, you are the real farmer. Buying unhealthy birds is a fast lane to disaster.

Marketing ability to promptly sell the eggs quickly before deterioration. 3 weeks is the life of an egg.
Farm records and an accounting system to monitor progress is also important and security for the birds is essential to prevent theft


Prepare your mind for the fact that no matter how diligent one is,some birds will die.Are they not living things also subject to death?. Dont human beings with the best comforts die? However a death rate of 8-10% of the stock per year is normal. if it rises above 10-15%,it is clearly abnormal and has to be investigated

Pay prompt attention to details no matter how little. A stitch in time saves ten in poultry farming.
If the farmer to be has no time to give attention to the birds or cannot get a capable hand to do so,please do not invest in it. Chickens of the type discussed here are not goats or dogs that can fend for themselves and are not the free range type that has a mother hen to attend to their needs.


Poultry housing constrution is very crucial and plays a huge role. visit www.johnayodele. for details.

Great insight. 'cant wait for the poultry house construction info

Thanks a lot ayodele123

@ayodele123 thnx 4 d valuable info. u could have chosen to sell a manual on d topic for a fee but u gave it to all for free. God bless u. looking foward to read more from u on dis topic

Great info here on this topic.
My brother,just learn and learn if possible
visit poultry farms maybe of a friend or someone
you know for at least a month. Spend sometime there
and see what goes on.
Observe and ask questions.

This will save you from some unnecessary confusion
when you get started.

Wish you tons of good luck.

Good for you.

First rule of the game, and same rule applies to all games, security for thy capital. How do you get security?

Go and LEARN the trade. GO and be an APPRENTICE and LEARN the trade. Simple, this is while you are still in skool, then move on from there.

There are a lot of short cuts to do this and that, when you already know how start from the people that have done it before. best of luck!

i have a poultry with 500 broilers but looking to expand to about 5000bird in september. in need of someone with extensive experience in the industry as i'm fairly new to the business. but have been able to raise the bird with minimum fatality. how can set up the new poultry with minimum upsets?

Raylight_1:

My fellow Nairaland Members, I want to start a poultry after school as a second means of getting my money knowing fully well that its a good means of getting money.

I want to know if N60,000 will be enough to raise up a hundred birds that's including all expenses such as feeding and medical.

Response will be appreciated.

Have you constructed your poultry house or is it part of the 60k?
Do you have source of water or is it part of the 60k?
No need to ask questions anyway, we run a family poultry and I can assure you without meaning to frustrate anyone that 60k won't do. Get some more money.

An interesting area in chick farming, go to India and bring chemicals that would help you raise soft chicks in 3 weeks. You'd be rich in no time. That's all I can add for you.

Holla!

@Precap2,
An interesting area in chick farming, go to India and bring chemicals that would help you raise soft chicks in 3 weeks. You'd be rich in no time. That's all I can add for you.



please throw more light on the above statement, must d chemicals be bought 4rm india? do they hv side effects?

I'm raylight and I'm very happy with the numerous contributions ayodele123 has made on this topic. it will go a long way to helping me and others who wish to start this business. I'll store this link for future use.

Thanks to everyone in the house.

floxybrown:

@Precap2,
An interesting area in chick farming, go to India and bring chemicals that would help you raise soft chicks in 3 weeks. You'd be rich in no time. That's all I can add for you.

please throw more light on the above statement, must d chemicals be bought 4rm india? do they hv side effects?

It can also be bought from Holland and other countries.
The side effect is that the chickens grow big fast but with soft bones. They die fast if you don't sell them off or kill and process them for coldroom storage, but they're good chickens. No human side effect, except that my grandma who's used to home-grown chickens believes that one doesn't equal her prima in taste.

Holla!

Contact ANIMAL CARE SERVICES KONSULT, OGERE , OGUN STATE.
The company organises quarterly Free Training on Poultry Management (comprehensive). One is going on presently(application had closed), though it's supposed to have been held in June.
They charge u no kobo, u'll even get Free Tea Break, free Lunch & free manual. You may not believe this but it's true.
Check their website, www.animalcare-ng.com

If you need more info, you can post your interest.

Precap, please give more details about the soft chickens from India and Holland
Is there a website we can consult?

Chemical? When did poultry began eating chemical eh? There is a feed that is given to them that increases their growth rapidly within six weeks. You have to find the right feed, along with clean water and environment if not feeding them the "so-called chemicals" without clean water and etc, you taking the risk because them chickens are not feeding freely.

can one get birds at point of lay to buy?

Good response.
I insist that you start small and grow big, it is a good strategy.

@ayodele123, many thanks. We are still waiting for the info on the poultry farm construction. Hope it will come soon. I had a poultry farm, the farmhouse is still there, but like you rightly said, lack of experience & unqualified vet doctor made my 800 layer day-old birds to reduce to 500. Even at the point of laying, the best I could get from the 500 was 10-11 crates at the beginning, but gradually reduced to 2-3 crates. The 'vet doctor' did all he knew, but there was no change. I was forced to sell them out at give away prices. Could my housing had any effect on them? I want to start again, but so scared of another failure. Waiting to read your advice on farm house construction and any other info. Thank you again.

Hello ayodele,
I can conclude that you have a lot of experience in Poultry and i will really like to know more from an experienced hand like you , I will appreciate it if you can send your email or number to my email (abiodun28@yahoo.com), I will appreciate your reply.