Thursday, March 28, 2024

Susan Chege: Inside my farm where I keep 30 cows, 10,000 chicken layers

With 10,000 layers and 30 dairy cattle, Susan Chege’s Hilltop Agribusiness Enterprise in Lanet, on the outskirts of Nakuru town, is a remarkable spectacle.

The farm, which sits on half-acre, has been operational for 12 years, with the former high school teacher noting she began farming as a hobby before she resigned to do it as a business.

“I started with two cows and about 10 chickens to keep me busy during the long holidays and provide milk and eggs for the family. A few months later, neighbours started placing orders for both milk and eggs and that was when I decided to make it my full time business,” Susan told us this week.

She then resigned from her job and bought 1,200 chicks as she sunk Sh100,000 into the business.

Paul Kamau, a veterinary doctor who works closely with Susan, guided us and visiting farmers around, explaining best practices on the farm.

“Each bird sits on 2 square feet and are kept in a rectangular house that is properly ventilated,” he said.

The chicken houses are built facing away from the sun so as not to disturb the birds when they start laying eggs. For every 50 birds, one feeder and drinker is provided.

In the layers’ house, there are troughs snaking across the room and covered by wood. The troughs ensure that the birds have a continuous supply of clean water while the wood protects water from contamination.

There are also compartments along the walls of the houses that are covered with a black paper to provide privacy for the birds when laying and keep the eggs safe. Susan advises farmers to feed mature birds 140g of feeds per day.

“We feed them at 4pm every day because the chickens lays eggs in the evening. During the day, they finish up on the food given previously and drink water until the next batch of food is provided,” said the former English and Literature teacher at Kenyatta Secondary in Nakuru.

She collects a minimum of 200 trays of eggs per day, which already have market in supermarkets at Sh300 each. “I also sell four eggs with broken shells at Sh20 to individuals, so there is no loss.” Apart from food and water, according to Susan, vaccination is key in attaining best production.

John Chege: Learn from my 3 eighth-acre dairy farms where I keep 100 dairy cows

“It helps to stop diseases that would otherwise have affected the chicks at that tender age,” Susan noted.

At the cowsheds, cubicles of her animals of the Fleckvieh, Ayrshire and Friesian breeds are made in such a way that they face each other, which Kamau said is important for socialisation.

“This reduces stress for the animals and, therefore, increases milk flow.”

The feed store is above the cowsheds made of translucent iron sheets as the farmer economised on space.

The cows are fed on barley straw and Boma Rhodes grass, which she buys in bulk during the rainy season. The grass is soaked in water and molasses before being fed to the cows.

Kamau said that wet grass makes the animals chew cud for long, therefore, increasing the production of milk. Each of her 12 cows that she milks produces a minimum of 20 litres per day, which she sells at Sh50.

The others are three bulls and 15 heifers.

“The cows are fed three times a day and have a continuous supply of water,” he said.

But it is not all rosy, she recently lost 660 chicks to Newcastle disease.

Susan has also learned the hard way as water rationing goes on, affecting milk and egg production.

Dr Jack Ouda, the Director Knowledge Management at Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organisation, said chickens are delicate since one disease can wipe all of them out in a day.

He asked farmers to control diseases by ensuring there is proper hygiene in the houses and carry out routine vaccination.

“At some point, the birds stop adding value in terms of egg production. Once the laying rate is below 80 per cent, the chickens should be sold for meat and replaced by a new flock.”

Susan has 10 employees, who help her sell her produce and take care of the animals.

Her advise to beginners is that they should be persistent and work closely with professionals and other farmers to succeed.

This feature was first published in the Saturday Nation. It was originally written by  KIPLAGAT SILA  and REITZ MUREITHI

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