How much money can you make from chicken farming if you started small? What would be your gross and net profit?

Okuta Ngura, the Founder, Owner and Managing Director at Ngura Poultry Care, explains what making money from chicken farming really entails and how you can realistically make a net profit of Sh. 30,000 from this venture. Here is what he says;

“Is poultry farming viable in Kenya? That is a question I have been asked so many times by those interested in poultry farming.

For starters I would say start small and gradually increase your flock. Take small,calculated risks.

For hybrid layers start with a number like 500. Incase you are rearing improved kienyeji such as kuroiler, kari, sasso, premium kienyeji and rainbow rooster aim at maximizing the profits by selling them at 3 months for meat.

Feed them on chickmash from day 1 to 8 weeks then growers mash for 4 weeks.

Alternatively you can start them of on kienyeji mash from a good feed company such as bidco or fugo feeds.Sell them at between 500kshs to 700kshs each. Have at least different batches in different houses so that you have birds in circulation at any given time.

You can offset your expenses by selling some birds e.g 1 month old chicks to some farmers for rearing. Let’s say you sell them each at 300kshs. You will still make a kill.You can only remain with some for the purposes of rearing them for meat or breeding as long as you maintain the genetic strength.

I sell mahindi choma; how can I start car wash business, buy boda boda?

For broilers you can keep as much as 200 to 300 birds for the purposes of making profits when still an amateur. Once you get the grasp you can keep them in batches of 300 ensuring that you have 300 birds for slaughter every week.

Let’s say you divide your poultry house into 5 sections. In each house you keep 200 broilers therefore in total you have 1000 broilers but in different batches and different ages say 5 weeks, 4 weeks, 3 weeks old, 2 weeks and 1 week old. Once you slaughter the older ones you introduce new chicks.

If you have 500 hybrid layers you will get at least 14 trays by the third month into laying at peak production will be 84%. Sell each tray at 300/= and you get 4,200/=.

Deduct the cost of feeds which is a bag of 70kgs layers mash sold at 2800/= and you get 1400/= per day. Per month you get 42,000/= Now deduct electricity bills,water bills, egg breakages and cost of transport you would probably get 30,000/= per month.

Put in the cost of selling manure and you have something good in your pocket.

Any poultry farming venture is profitable with good strategies. Always aim for the lion’s share. Don’t be afraid to start small with a great goal in mind.

Your ultimate goal should be to work with numbers. You can’t remain a small -scale farmer forever. Make small calculated steps.”

You can reach Mr. Ngura on +254729568151 for poultry consultancy.