Najma Ahmed Jabri is the founder of Sheikh Commercial Poultry Farm in Kilifi County. The farmer who started with 1,500 chicks currently produces 20,000 chickens per month.
He shares some of the tips he employs on his farm for a successful poultry business. The farmer has heavily invested in infrastructure to ensure the birds are comfortable.
The birds are hosted in spacious structures that provide proper air ventilation. To maintain hygiene and comfort for the birds, the floors of these houses are layered with wood shavings, providing a clean and sanitary environment.
Jabri, who has so far employed 20 employees, emphasized on cleanliness and hygiene, as a single contamination can wipe out the entire flock.
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He disinfects the cages before introducing any batch of one-day-old chicks. Jabri regularly vaccinates the birds to prevent diseases and has employed a strict vaccination cycle.
He vaccinates the chicks against Newcastle disease on day seven, Gumboro on day 14, and a second Newcastle vaccination on day 21.
After the vaccines, the birds further receive antibiotics such as Aliseryl, Limoxin, and Anticox to combat Gumboro and Newcastle.
He feeds the flock a balanced diet to achieve market weights quickly as well as remain healthy. Broiler chickens consume approximately 1kg of starter mash, 1.5kg of grower’s mash, and 1.5kg of finisher feed to reach an optimal market weight of around 1.5kg.
His main customers are hotels in Mombasa and Kilifi, which buy the birds depending on weight. Each carcass weighs between 1.5kg and 2kg, with prices ranging from Sh495 to Sh660.