Poultry farming business is one of the most profitable businesses among farm businesses. Many people are trying to make money all over the world through poultry farming. However, is it easy? The steps are 1. Buy some chicks, 2. Give them some feed, 3. See them grow, 4. Sell the product – Eggs or meat…….Sorry, it is not exactly like that, honestly, to be a successful and sustainable broiler poultry farming business, it is required to you some sufficient knowledge of how to raise the birds efficiently, good management skills, and a well-defined poultry farming business plan.
Table of Contents
Poultry Farming:
Decision Making
Broiler poultry farming is a lucrative business as it is providing income for millions of people, but there are some important things you have to do before you enter into the business.
First, you have to think about the size of your poultry farming business or project which means the number of broiler chickens you want to keep per cycle.
Second, you have to find out a suitable location for the poultry farming business and a chicken farm.
Finally, find out your target market. All these choices are affected by the amount of capital you have in hand, and the size of your target market. If you do not have enough capital to set up a large farm, you can always start small and grow your broiler farming business over time, remember that Rome was not built in a day.
In the time you also have to carry out market research and write a broiler poultry farming business plan doc before you venture into the broiler production business.
Bill Gates, the richest man in the world regards the poultry farming business as a good and profitable business. He donates thousands of chickens as a means of empowering people to earn an income by starting poultry farming businesses easily. He also says poultry farming is a good investment that can generate a lot of income for the people.
LAND, HOUSING AND EQUIPMENT
The kind of housing that you need and the size of the land will depend on the size of your poultry farming business project. When you choose the location for your poultry farming business, you need to balance the need for proximity to the market, the cost of land, labor costs, security, and also a good water supply. Your broiler poultry farming business plan must consider all the costs of running the business.
1. LAND SELECTION
When you are planning to construct a broiler chicken house commercially then you have to select a site that is well-drained and has plenty of natural air movement. Broiler Chickens cannot adjust well to extreme temperatures, so it is very essential that the hens are in be well housed, cared and provided with an environment that will enable them to continue their natural thermal balance.
You also have to reduce temperature fluctuations, and this can be achieved by having the broiler chicken house oriented on an east-west axis or north-south face which will help to decrease the effect of direct sunlight on the sidewalls during the hottest part of the day. Good control of temperature will enhance feed conversion and growth rate and also make your poultry farming business more profitable.
2. HOUSING
Broiler chickens need sufficient space for them to grow properly in time, there should not be crowded, otherwise, they may throttle to death and that may lead to a bad impact on the farm even to a loss in your poultry farming business. Generally, each broiler chicken requires about 0.1 square meters of floor space, which means to 10 hens per square meter. So the size of the poultry house will depend on the number of birds.
3. EQUIPMENT
Your chicken house can be larger so that chicken runs or hutches, and the cost of construction will depend on the materials you will use, and the size of the broiler poultry house that you will build. You also need poultry farming equipment which includes better chicken feeders, drinkers, lighting systems, and well waste disposal systems.
The cost of the equipment should also be taken into account in your broiler poultry business plan properly. So you have to purchase some equipment for your poultry farm. A list of required equipment is given below for running a poultry farm successfully.
- Feeders
- Water suppliers
- Nests
- Cages
- Coops
- Crates
- Egg tray
- Lighting instruments
- Perches
- Brooders or heaters
- Ventilation system
- Waste disposal system
4. CHICKS COLLECTION
The success of your broiler poultry farming business partly depends on the chicks which you buy. Well, checks mean well production. So now you should collect one-day-old chicks from a reliable authorized hatchery or company where the parents are well managed.
Broiler chicks from different hatcheries vary greatly in terms of quality and thus it will be a determining factor in the success of your poultry farming business.
You should be ensured the quality of the chicks by checking the following steps: (1) whether they are clean and dry, (2) have bright eyes, (3) active and alert, and (4) should not have any deformity on the body.
Buy your stock from trusted hatcheries which have a comprehensive background of vaccination and health management programs in case of breeding a flock. If you are new to the poultry farming business, you should find out from other farmers to hear where they buy their chicks from, as they will usually have experience with various hatcheries or companies.
When you have purchased the day-old chicks, you need to transport them carefully to avoid mortality also, as the day-old chicks are tender and have to be handled very carefully. And finally, the costs of the chicks should be properly accounted also for in your broiler chicken business plan.
5. FEED AND NUTRITION
To be profitable in any business there are two things first one is cost minimization and the second one is profit maximization. So to be successful in the poultry farming business, you have to minimize the costs as well as the mortality rate and optimize the target weight of the broiler chickens. The high cost of feed is associated with the energy and protein contents of the diet.
In an unbalanced diet, with excess protein, the feed would cost more, thus increasing production costs and low protein diets, chickens will take more time to grow mature, and could be at a higher risk of catching diseases as well.
Most broiler chickens get mature and are sold to the target market when they are six weeks old. Each bird will consume about 4 Kg of feed from 0 to 6 weeks on average. At this time, they will be an average of 2.2 KG to 2.5 KG. The broiler chickens are given a specific type of feed depending on the stage of production time.
There are three types of broiler poultry feeds available, which are Starter feeds, Grower feeds, and Finisher feeds. The chickens have also required enough water for proper growth.
You will also need a broiler stress pack or vitamin supplements which may be used for promoting the growth of commercial broilers and chicks, and also to combat stress during periods of high temperature.
6. DISEASE MANAGEMENT
In the management of poultry farms business, probably one of the most difficult phases is the disease management of the new chicks. For the operation to be profitable, a good disease prevention program should be provided for the newly introduced chicks and try to avoid any future losses.
Diseases may be transmitted via humans, other birds, new chicks, or contaminated by the equipment. Controlling diseases from the beginning is an important initiative for the success of the operation or continuing the business properly.
7. VACCINATION
Vaccination is one of the effective ways to reduce the negative effects of diseases that can cause losses in a poultry operation or farming system. Diseases may be caused by viruses, mycoplasma, bacteria, fungi, protozoa, and others. Viruses are the number one cause of poultry disease and are considered to be one of the largest threats to poultry farming.
Diseases can be reduced by proper sanitation on the farm, biosecurity measures, and vaccination of the chicks and chickens on time. Viruses can cause several diseases; the major ones include Newcastle disease, infectious bronchitis, fowl pox, and fowl cholera. Vaccination is mainly done to prevent disease, which can infect laying hens and hence, a whole flock if the eggs are infected.
There are number of vaccination methods. Some vaccines are administered via drinking water.
Others can be sprayed, whereby the spray enters the nostril or the eye to form antibodies.
Another way is by injection using an automatic syringe in the neck. Chicks are normally vaccinated between 2 to 16 weeks of age. Some vaccines are marketed as mixtures to prevent more than one disease as well.
8. MARKETING
A good marketing technic always affects the profit of your business. If you can sell your products in the target market easily and at the expected price, then it will encourage you in getting more profit and more production. We always suggest making a determination of marketing facilities in your area before starting any farming business. Because your business will not be much profitable if you cannot market your products properly.
9. CLEANING AND SANITIZING
After poultry are removed from the poultry house or marketing, they must be cleaned and sanitized properly. The sanitation process differs from the floor type and type of poultry house. Several cleaners can be used to clean and sanitize the poultry house nicely. However, the bactericides have to choose carefully to avoid problems with newly introduced chicks.
