One evening in 2007, Mercy Ochola set out to buy fish for her family in Mbero market, Kisumu County.

She visited several fishmongers hoping to get the best bargain, but the mother of four ended up being disappointed because the price of fish was beyond her reach.

A small piece was going for Sh350, which she found unaffordable. She later bought chicken for her family. She did not take that problem lying down as she saw a business opportunity in it. She decided to try her hand in chicken farming.

The farmer purchased five mature indigenous birds at Sh250 each, and her journey as a poultry farmer began in earnest.

The birds soon multiplied, increasing to over 100. Currently, Ochola has over 200 birds.

“Chickens multiply fast, you start with a few and end up with a huge number. I keep them under the free-range system.” She has since added turkeys and guinea fowl to her flock.

“My husband made me start rearing turkeys and guinea fowls, besides the kienyeji chicken for diversity and higher returns,” she explains.

“Guinea fowls lay eggs but they do not hatch them. I normally offer the eggs to brooding hens for incubation. Once they hatch, the guinea fowl chicks grow up knowing the hen is their mother.”

She sells a turkey at Sh5,000.

COMMERCIAL FEEDS

The farmer feeds her poultry omena (dagaa), maize bran and rice germ. She buys a bag of rice germ from millers in Katito and Ahero at Sh1,300 while 2kg of omena goes for Sh50.

“I feed the birds early in the morning and let them forage for food. This is cost-effective since I save on feeds because the birds only feed on commercial feeds in the morning and evening,” says the farmer. She adds that only birds aged about two months are left to forage because they cannot be attacked by hawks. The farm has a wire mesh that confines the birds in the compound. She sells an egg at Sh20 to traders in Mamboleo.

“I sell the cocks at Sh800 but I ensure I maintain at least 10 of them for breeding purposes,” says the farmer.

He biggest problem is disease, particularly Gumboro, which once killed 450 of her chicks.

Besides the birds, Ochola has also planted bananas, passion fruits and Rosemary tree (Rosemarinus officinals), a plant with bluish flowers and needle-like leaves used as a culinary spice.

“I harvest the leaves, dry, grind and pack in 25g packets that I sell at Sh50.”

She also has six pedigree dairy goats that she bought at Sh10,000 each and zero-grazes them. “Two of the goats give me three litres of milk each a day that I use at home. I feed them hay and napier grass.”

Dr Mary Muchunguh, a livestock expert, says poultry farming, particularly the free range system is easy to start and manage.

“The only disadvantage is increased susceptibility to parasites and diseases.”