chic91:
Hello All,

Please I need your suggestions and feedback on this proposed layout for a broiler production. I'm open to comments, reviews and suggestions for improvement. Thanks in anticipation.

Attit:

Why do you want the pen at the centre of the land? Maybe you move it to the end of either side of the land (blue arrows). Is there any special reason it is a the centre? Have you cleared the land? Also, the place you put borehole...why?

chic91:

Thanks for your comment.
I'd like to have roads at either or both sides in the farm to create access to the other end of the farm and also for ease of access and movement. I placed the pen at the centre to ensure sufficient setback from both sides of the road. I may likely bring it closer to either side of the road if I can fit in two pens with distance of about 100 ft in between. I just want to ensure there's a reasonable setback from the road for the safety of the birds. I'm open to any contrary view.

The borhole location is arbitrary for now. But at the same time, I'd still like to be quite a distance from the entrance gate. Kindly let me know if you have any thoughts. Thanks for your time

Attit:


Try to maximize the space. You should move it to either side as you described. Let your borehole guy tell you where to put it. It should be one of the first tasks. Where you place it determines where your residence or pen or whatever should be.

If water is surplus at the other extreme end or at the back, that is where you put it and place your buildings closer. You develop from the back instead from the front.

I am both crop and animal farmer; so, I would leave minimum of 1 acre to 1 ha near borehole since it is very essential to have high pressure. And I would move all buildings further from the farm. I dont mind spending some amount of money on 1 inch pipe to move water far across 1 hectare to reach buildings. You may want to grow corn to produce cheaper feed, or grow vegetables. It is very essential.

chic91:


You have made very excellent points and i will take everything you've recommended into consideration. The other end of the land is bushy. Only an acre in the front section has been cleared. How do you suggest I manage this? There's no access right now to the end of the farm unless i have to walk though a bushy path. Thanks once again.

I like your suggestion about getting the location of the borehole first and planning from there.

Attit:


Get the cost of using high powered machinery to clear your whole farmland. Plant trees as poles for fence round your farm perimeter, and tie them together later with galvanised lines. You should consult research institutes for seedlings for such.

Otherwise (with low budget) leave 1 ha bush (or 1.5acre plus 1 acre already cleared) in the front and go and clear at the back with cutlasses. Put borehole in the centre of this bush for irrigation. This is if you are really interested in corn and vegetables (I recommend it cos you willl see later that this is where your profit comes more from if you get it right).

By the way, how many acres in total do you have? Perhaps, I can change the plan above or improve on it.

Are you really interested in crops and vegetables? If you can learn corn and you get 6 tons on 1 ha, that's 120 bags which is N1.620million (today's price of N13,500 per bag). Do you know the kind of profit you are making? You can even decide to sell fresh and hit it big. And if its vegetables and you get it right, you will be happy.

chic91:

Thanks a lot for your valuable suggestions. I am interested in the crop production.
The total size is 5.5 acres. I look forward to any further improvement plan you may have. Thanks a lot for your time.

Attit:


Map out 4 acres for crop production, and 1.5 for poultry, store, residence, etc. Decide which crop you want to do. It is riskier, faster, and more profitable. Poultry is tough because of the cost of feed. And it may be worse when land borders are thrown opened as feed cost will not go down, but smuggled and imported chicken will force prices down. Same applies to eggs too. Not saying you should not do it, but be wise with your approach. Meanwhile, if you can get crop production done excellently, you will be grateful. Your poo will serve as manure for farm. You can also look into bio gas. Well, ideas to set up are so many. It depends on your pocket.

Goodluck!

chic91:


Thanks so much. You have opened my eyes to many things and I thank you for it. I hope I can always reach out to you should I need help along the way. Thanks once again!

Attit:

Most farmers here are small business owners, and I can tell you boldly over 95% start up small businesses in Nigeria fail in the first 5 years. Farming business is 99.9% lol. The tactic is neither starting big, nor starting small. You can start small and be ok, but you expand and you run into trouble. The trick is making sure you operate when you are available to monitor your farm, and know your limit. You do not need continuous operation except you have a faithful hand. This is where I like crops and poultry for meat, especially chicken (6 to 8 weeks batches).

Sure, you can reach out to me again. I can give you more tips. But I suggest privately so you dont expose yourself to bad people here. They will just come as your friend and hurt you. Better you talk less about your farm publicly here. But if you can handle public discussion, not an issue with me.

Attit:

Most farmers here are small business owners, and I can tell you boldly over 95% start up small businesses in Nigeria fail in the first 5 years. Farming business is 99.9% lol. The tactic is neither starting big, nor starting small. You can start small and be ok, but you expand and you run into trouble. The trick is making sure you operate when you are available to monitor your farm, and know your limit. You do not need continuous operation except you have a faithful hand. This is where I like crops and poultry for meat, especially chicken (6 to 8 weeks batches).

Sure, you can reach out to me again. I can give you more tips. But I suggest privately so you dont expose yourself to bad people here. They will just come as your friend and hurt you. Better you talk less about your farm publicly here. But if you can handle public discussion, not an issue with me.

Attit:

Most farmers here are small business owners, and I can tell you boldly over 95% start up small businesses in Nigeria fail in the first 5 years. Farming business is 99.9% lol. The tactic is neither starting big, nor starting small. You can start small and be ok, but you expand and you run into trouble. The trick is making sure you operate when you are available to monitor your farm, and know your limit. You do not need continuous operation except you have a faithful hand. This is where I like crops and poultry for meat, especially chicken (6 to 8 weeks batches).

Sure, you can reach out to me again. I can give you more tips. But I suggest privately so you dont expose yourself to bad people here. They will just come as your friend and hurt you. Better you talk less about your farm publicly here. But if you can handle public discussion, not an issue with me.

TheRealestGuy:


Yo, are you commercially into farming?

Attit:

I can handle any kind at all levels, but I dont manage. I give strategic plans, and monitor activities to achieve sustainable growth.

TheRealestGuy:


Okay, so with a manager on ground you'll be able to supervise, say, the establishment of a large farm?

Attit:

Can you see the pictures above? Can you see what I detected? Can you see how I asked my questions? These are issues I solve. I make you see what you cannot see easily. You see them before making mistakes. And I create plans for you to grow.

Did you read what I wrote? I will not even step on your farm. I will just be monitoring from my comfort zone I my house. I will give the strategic plan for your business. I monitor from far, not coming to your farm to. I handle farms outside Nigeria.

For example, someone is presently doing about 100 acres tomato in Ogun state. He can come here to verify the story. He contacted me and we started. He told me what he has done, and I looked at it. I gave him loopholes no one can ever detect easily without even getting to his farm. The guy struggled with my recommendation. He gave many alternatives and I was patient with him. And i reviewed all one by one. And i told him the pros and cons. At the end, my guy looked at the recommendations and made his decision. It was about boreholes. He thought he needed like one or 2 cos it was a powerful kind he wanted to do. I laughed. Guy ended up digging 12 powerful ones at strategic places. Of course, we used scientific approach to get it done. All he did was to give me the results of the tests, and I looked at them and interpreted even better than the expert who did it. The expert can only dig it well, but cannot advise well for what he wants to use it for. From the initial result, they felt they could get smooth operation with 2 boreholes. But after the guy contacted me, he was glad. And part of his problem was that he rushed to buy equipment. I looked at all and I started telling him all the mistakes he made. He was like...I thought I got all these things covered. I just laughed. Guy, na many years experience doing brain work all over the nation I have.

Of course, I will give you diagrams and set ups and send the details to you. What always happen is that Nigerians like free stuff. Lol. When I start and they see my approach, some pick up fast and they think they can do it. So, they cut me out. Dem go see the result na. Or some when having challenges and i had already told them i would not go there will want to turn it to managerial stuff on my part visiting there farms. The person is deceiving himself. Many make threats, but I'm always careful. At the end, they shout like empty barrels. But their conscience always tell them I did God first them. Some boast of being able to do many things and I cut down my pay. But later, they cannot do if and they want me to come. I always say no. And many issues.

And really, I have made siblings from few of these people.i mentioned above. Very little are angels. They are just too good. And today, if they call me for anything I can leave everything I'm doing to rush to their place. Or they can come anytime to my place and I will never turn them back. Never..

I am.replying you here not for you, but for everyone who has been asking me to come to their farms. I am.saying it here again. I do not go to farms. And I always make myself clear from the start. If you have a good team which I will not be involved in choosing, and you can follow what I tell you, of course, the sky is the limit.

Lastly, my fee is on the high side. But I will make sure you recover your money if you are able to do what I tell you to. If you dont return to start asking me to help you find managers and workers, and bla bla bla...if your manager is effective and efficient, you will make it.

Note: If you need a supervisor, get one, and he reports to me likewise your manager. Mine is to create strategic goals to create sustainable growth. Will draw out set ups for you. You have to execute it all yourself. Your failure, your doing. Likewise, your success, your doing. But I will show you clearly what will take you years of experience to discover. In many cases, I dont even meet my partners. I do everything online. They do not know me face to face, unless I want to just say hello...or we enter a restaurant and have lunch together.

TheRealestGuy:


Okay good. I'll keep this in mind.

I will contact you soon so we can move forward.

Thanks for your time.