Friday, February 7, 2025
Home Change Makers Lira Farmer Bags Cash From Birds

Lira Farmer Bags Cash From Birds

by Jacquiline Nakandi
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By Patrick Okino

A well-designed, neat compound, dotted with indigenous tree species and a cool environment, welcomes visitors to Tom Okao’s home.

He is a farmer engaged in poultry and goat farming on three acres, earning sh130m annually. Okao started his enterprise, Eco-Harvest Farm, in 2021.

By 2024, the farm had 300 chickens, 100 goats, 50 sheep, a few pigeons and geese. It is located in Otono B village, Ober parish, in Bar sub-county, 10km east of Lira city.

Born in 1974, Okao is also the CEO of the Fountainhead Institute of Management and Technology in Lira. Before he started farming, Okao researched the most viable enterprises and the risks involved.

“We did not want to produce just for the local market. We wanted a product that could meet international standards. We figured that if we failed to secure an external market, we would struggle to earn much from the enterprise,” he says.

How he started

His poultry farm began with 10 local chickens. There was already one bird at home. His wife, Ketty Okao, bought the other nine.

Within a few months, the chickens began laying eggs. Rather than relying on the hens to hatch the eggs, Okao built a hatchery using locally available materials such as bricks, cement, wire mesh and mud.

He placed 100 eggs in the hatchery. All the eggs hatched, and by April 2022, he had 200 local chickens for sale. During Easter, Okao sold each chicken at sh30,000 and earned sh6m.

This success motivated the couple to scale up the enterprise, although they both continued working at their formal jobs.

“We used part of the first earnings to pay school fees and bought more chickens,” Okao says.

The couple purchased 1,500 birds at between sh3,000 and sh5,000 from nearby communities. They took great care of the birds, including vaccinating and feeding them. Within months, the birds were laying eggs.

Market

The market for their chickens, Okao says, includes the local community, as well as buyers from as far as Kampala and Gulu cities, as well as Arua district.

He receives large orders during events such as weddings, traditional marriage ceremonies, and funerals.

“We have clients who prefer local chicken or its eggs. These clients either visit the farm or place orders,” he adds.

When the demand exceeds what he can supply, Okao orders chickens from another farmer in Bombo, Luwero district, and resells them at a profit.

However, there are also seasons when the demand for both birds and eggs drops.

Goats at Eco-Harvest Farm grazing. Okao aims to have a herd of 1,000 goats. (Photos by Patrick Okino)

“There are times when our sales are low. But there are also seasons when the business booms,” he says.

Return

Okao says they have two peak seasons each year. Each chicken is sold for between sh25,000 and sh35,000, depending on its size and the season.

During the high-peak seasons, especially the festive period, they earn between sh5m and sh6m weekly.

Regarding eggs, the farm produces 50 trays each week, with each tray selling for sh25,000. Okao adds that they can sell all 50 trays in a week. By the end of last year, they had earned sh100m.

“The project provides for everything, such as food, school fees and medical care,” he says.

Challenge

Despite the enterprise’s success, Okao says they face several challenges.

The most significant is disease outbreaks, particularly when they buy birds that have not been vaccinated.

Due to the limited space, diseases can spread quickly, and the couple risks losing the entire flock.

Best practice

Okao keeps a maximum of 1,500 birds, most of which are sold after six months, especially the roosters.

He says the birds start laying eggs after five months.

“[In 2024], of the 1,500 chickens, 1,000 were hens laying eggs, each producing 130 eggs in six months. When you work it out, that is 130,000 eggs or 4,300 trays,” Okao says.

He sells each tray for sh25,000, meaning he earns a gross profit of sh130m.

Okao grows maize on two acres to ensure a reliable feed supply, yielding 500kg per season.

“When our grain runs out, we buy 10 bags at a cost of sh80,000 each, enough to feed 1,000 birds for a month. The maize is processed in Lira city, so we incur transport and milling costs,” he explains.

Another major expense is treatment, where he spends sh30,000, as the birds rarely fall sick due to their strict adherence to good hygiene.

For each vaccination cycle, Okao spends sh10,000 to buy vaccines and administers them to all the chickens. The birds are vaccinated every three months.

“We clean the houses and drinkers daily. If you notice a bird losing appetite and weight or struggling to breathe, it means the illness has been transmitted through dust or contaminated water. We also vaccinate the birds on time,” he says.

The most essential vaccinations are for coccidiosis and Newcastle disease when the birds are chicks. For biosecurity, there are footbaths with disinfectants at the entrance of the poultry house, which are regularly changed.

Goat

Okao says he ventured into goat rearing, targeting lucrative markets in South Sudan and Uganda.

This year, he had 100 goats, comprising three breeds: local, savannah and Boer, which he sourced both locally and from outside the district. To feed them, Okao grows pasture on one acre.

He markets his goats on social media. When customers contact him, they pay between sh250,000 and sh500,000 per goat. He earns about sh7m monthly.

Okao started the enterprise last year with five goats, and by this year, he had 94, with a dream of expanding to 500.

Expenditure

In addition to the feeds produced on the farm, Okao spends sh6.4m annually on purchasing feeds, sh30,000 for treatment and sh1m in salaries for his five workers.

The farm employs five workers, three of whom are paid monthly and two paid weekly. Their pay ranges from sh80,000 to sh200,000.

“Their work is to take care of the chickens, including their health, feeding, cleaning their houses, maintaining the environment and handling sales,” Okao says.

He spends only sh100,000 on deworming medicine for the goats.

Okao says he is able to keep expenses manageable by maintaining excellent hygiene and adopting best practices.

Mistakes made

Okao acknowledges that one of the mistakes he made was starting the poultry project without fencing the farm and overly trusting his workers.

He says many chickens were stolen by people around the farm and workers or eaten by wild cats.

“When I realised this, I installed closed-circuit television cameras and fenced the place,” he adds.

“Workers would steal chickens and hide them in their bags, but when I installed cameras and started checking their bags as they were leaving, the theft stopped,” he says.

To enhance security, Okao also got dogs.

Best management practice

Okao keeps a record of each transaction, including sales, procurement, money spent on treating the livestock, salary payments and additions of more birds and goats.

He calculates the profits earned at the end of each year to plan the strategy for the next year and to correct any mistakes.

Plan

The farm has a slaughterhouse, and Okao plans to secure a deep freezer to deliver dressed meat to clients. Increasing his goat herd to 1,000 is another goal.

Within two to three years, he plans to acquire meat processing equipment and package goat meat for sale at what he calls a fair price.

“Many of these traders cheat us. They buy from us cheaply and sell expensively after adding value. This trend discourages farmers,” Okao says.

Keeping the farm afloat

kao ensures his children are involved in the farm so they can keep the enterprise running in his absence.

“I have two children. Both are in secondary school, but whenever they return for the holidays, I teach them how things are done,” he says.

 With the introduction of the competence-based curriculum in O’level, one of Okao’s children chose poultry farming as his major project.

“When we had our locally-made incubator, he oversaw its operations,” Okao says.

He advises community members to venture into poultry farming for high returns. “I do not train people, but I talk to whoever visits about the benefits and best practices of poultry farming,” he adds.

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