Poultry farming refers to the raising of various types of domestic birds like chicken, turkey, emu, ducks, geese, etc. for their eggs or meat. This has been a common practice in Nigeria for such a long time that it has become an indispensable part of the farming and agriculture system.
Poultry farming could be considered as one of the most lucrative agricultural business ideas in Nigeria today. It requires not huge capital to start as you can start from the comfort of your house if you have enough space to take the number of birds that you desire.
Poultry farming is one of the fastest growing segments in the Agricultural industry in Nigeria.
In this article, our focus will be on fowl, but we all know it as Chicken. I know you are asking, Why choose chicken farming? Chicken is the most common type of poultry in the world.
Chicken meat and eggs are among the major source of animal protein many people consume beside snail, beef, and fish.
Poultry farming is a very profitable agribusiness. But you need to know how to manage a poultry farm very well to succeed in this business. Also, you need to pay attention to the marketing and sales aspect of your business.
Are you planning to start your own poultry farm? If so, then you should enter the business well prepared by considering all of its aspects. Right from setting up some basic equipment to raising the birds and marketing your business, you have to take every step wisely.
How to start poultry farming in Nigeria
Before starting out a poultry farming business in Nigeria, you need to first go through these steps below.
- Learn poultry farming from the nearest poultry farm
- Decide the chicken products to focus on
- Set the location of your poultry farm
- Set up a poultry cage for the birds
- Procure equipment for the poultry farm
- Buy starter chicks from a trusted supplier
- Workers for the poultry
- Feed the chicks properly
- Maintain a proper poultry health management program
- Market and sell your poultry harvests
Here is the full details of each of these necessary poultry farming steps below.
#1. Learning poultry farming from the nearest poultry farm
Many people who rush to start making a profit from poultry farming after hearing about the business often regret afterwards.
Poultry farming is a very delicate business and only those who understand the rules succeed.
Breeding day old chicks, for instance, is not something you can be careless about lest the entire chicks die before you wake up from your slumber.
So, the first thing you do after deciding to go into the business is to start a training course on how to breed chicks.
There are several agencies that teach courses on how to succeed in poultry farming.
Preferably, you can enrol or consult a farmer nearest to you, pay a token fee, and he/she will put you through.
The reason for getting training on poultry farming is to learn the technicalities in the handling of day-old chicks.
#2. Decide the chicken products to focus on
There are many business areas to invest in when considering poultry farming business;
1. Broiler chicken for meat
2. Layers chicken for egg production.
3. Running a hatchery
4. Poultry feed production
5. Produce poultry farming equipment
6. Chicken processing
Whichever niche you decide to go into, your scale of operation will depend on the amount of money you have.
It also depends on how much you can access from financial institutions before you finally break even in the business.
So if your investment runs into millions of Naira, you can begin by acquiring a plot of land and putting up a structure deemed appropriate for the business.
But for the sake of starting small, producing broiler chicken or focusing on egg production is less expensive.
It still depends on the scale of production though.
You must consult an expert in this area if you do not want to lose money.
#3. Select a good poultry farm location
It is very important to select a very good poultry farm location for your poultry farming venture.
Start by selecting a location that has access to roads, medical facilities, adequate security, power and clean water supply, etc.
You should consider a farm site that is close to the market where you will sell your products.
This does not mean your farm must be in the town or close to residential areas.
As a matter of fact, siting a poultry farm in residential areas is restricted by law because poultry farms produce an offensive odour.
The poultry farm can be located slightly far away from the town, where you can access cheaper land and labour.
However, do not set up the farm too far from the town so that transportation cost will not be an issue for you to achieve your goal of targeting the high-density market in the town.
#4. Set up a poultry cage for the birds
After selecting a good location for setting up your poultry farm, construct a good chicken house for your birds.
Before you start constructing a poultry house, I urge you to visit a few farms near you.
This will help you to come up with better ideas on what works best for you. Ensure you provide all facilities necessary for running the poultry farm efficiently.
There are different types of poultry house or chicken coops.
An ideal poultry house should provide the birds with a comfortable environment.
It should protect them from harsh weather conditions such as rain, sunshine, wind, pests, and diseases.
#5. Purchase some poultry farming equipment
Poultry farming equipment makes poultry farming very easy.
It also helps you to manage your birds properly so that they can eat healthily, drink healthy and live in a healthy environment.
The equipment you need to run your poultry business are many and they are all important.
Some of the essential poultry farming equipment are;
1. Feeders: This is a device you use for supplying feeds to the birds
2. Waterers: You use this device for supplying water to the birds
3. Nests: This is a well-prepared place where chickens lay eggs.
4. Ventilation system: Odour vents, perforated walls etc. can serve this purpose
5. Cages: These are boxes you provide especially for keeping birds
6. Coops: Just like cages, a chicken coop provides housing for the birds.
7. Incubators: A device to keep eggs warm for hatching.
8. Perches: These are logs you place a little above the floor of the chicken house for the birds to rest.
9. Brooders or heaters: This device provides heat for raising young chicks.
10. Waste disposal system: This helps for proper disposal of the waste you produce in your poultry farm.
11. Lighting instruments: This provides light in the poultry house
12. Egg tray: For handling of chicken eggs.
#6. Buy starter chicks from a trusted supplier
After setting up your poultry house and buying the necessary equipment for running the poultry, it’s time to start stocking the farm with chicks.
Do your research properly and purchase quality chicks from trusted breeders in your area.
Try to avoid the risk of buying unhealthy chicks or chicks already suffering from malnutrition.
Ensure you set the brooder ready before stocking your poultry with the chicks.
If you are a complete beginner without any prior poultry farming experience, try to keep the number of chicks you buy below 500.
#7. Feed the chicks properly
Like with other livestock farming, feeding is the most important part of the poultry farming business.
Poultry feed will take about 70% of your production cost.
Your success in this business depends largely on the quality of feed and the birds feeding schedule you choose.
You can decide to produce your own feed using ingredients available in the market or purchase processed poultry feeds from the market.
As a beginner in poultry farming, I will advise you to start with the feeds sold in the market.
By the time you’ve learnt how to prepare feeds, you can then produce some for your birds.
There are different feeds for different poultry farming purpose. Just be aware of what you are buying and also consider the age of your birds when buying feeds.
#8. Maintain a proper poultry health management program
There are a lot of unusual reasons that lead to high mortality in a poultry farm.
Therefore the need for proper management of the farm.
Poultry health management is very fundamental for your business success.
You have to ensure a proper medication system is available in your poultry farm.
This is important because birds are prone to various types of poultry diseases and you have to be proactive to manage them.
We all know that ‘prevention is better than cure’, therefore, it is wise to always prevent diseases by taking proper care of your birds.
You must vaccinate the birds at the right time.
#9. Market and sell your poultry harvests
The topic of marketing your poultry products is, in fact, the most fundamental thing to know before you start your poultry farming business.
If you can’t sell your poultry products immediately they are ripe for the market, you will incur losses.
A good marketing strategy is what you need to influence the profit from your poultry business.
Anybody can learn how to grow chicken, but not everybody can sell chicken.
Before you even decide to start a poultry farming business, you must first find out the feasibility of the business.
You must ascertain by carrying out a market analysis to know whether the business will thrive in your location.
A proper market analysis will even help you determine whether you will go for poultry egg production or meat production.
A good strategy is to collect the names and addresses of your potential buyers and inform them that you can supply them with eggs and live chicken.
Do not underestimate the power of social media for your marketing.
I highly recommend you learn how to use the power of social media to grow your poultry business.
You will profit from the knowledge in the long run.
