- Poultry farming is profitable but it is important that before one goes for it, they understand the dos and don’ts.
Stella Aliba went into poultry farming because she thought poultry farming was a good investment.
To her surprise, when she started, she noticed that to earn from the venture you had to do more than just buying feeds.
“Right from brooding the chicks to spending sleepless nights as I had to wake up at night and see that they had enough heat to warm them up and also to ensure they were not squeezed in one corner,” Aliba says.
Create enough room for them to eat, drink and move freely.
“That alone was too much work for me that by the time I finished the brooding stage, my attitude towards poultry was negative.
“The negativity definitely showed me that I wouldn’t get much profit and yes it happened. When my broilers reached 3 weeks, they started dying, which discouraged me more.
“At the end of it all, I made losses but I learnt my lessons. Today, I have invested in another business before I started off i did my mathematics, research and now my catering business is doing well,” Aliba explains.
However, experts say many people are bound to end up like Aliba if they go in for poultry farming before they get to know the dos and don’ts.
Moses Sabika notes that to start with, look for people in this business and talk to them. Seek their advice and ask them to guide you on the best practices.
Sabika says if you get the right people, you will love poultry farming and you will get skilled even more.
Invest in the right breed of birds
Sabika says whether they are layers, broilers, kuroilers or any other type of birds that you intend to rear, mind where you buy them from.
He says some breeds are weak and can easily die so trusting your bird supplier is vital as you will ask questions on how to manage them and this will help you manage the crisis as a poultry farmer.
Sabika warns that there are many people on the market selling birds, but advises that you should only buy when you trust the supplier else you will make losses.
Have enough room to rear the birds
Abudul Kasawo, a poultry farmer, notes that birds need to be reared in a room that is big enough to enable them to move freely without them squeezing in there.
He adds that the facility required like feeders and drinkers must be enough for them to eat and drink so that they grow fast.
He says these must be clean else you risk making your birds sick which will make you incur losses.
He adds that the house must be kept clean as well.
Invest in quality feeds, water and ensure that you vaccinate
Kasawo says the easiest way of getting rid of birds fast is by feeding them well, to enable them to grow fast so that you sell them off and restock.
He notes that this can be achieved if a farmer buys quality feeds. It’s also good to buy your own ingredients and you do the mixing from home. This helps you be sure of the right measurements.
Vaccination against diseases is important. Visit experts to explain to you when you should vaccinate your birds.
He asserts that all the above can be achieved if the person doing a poultry farm has planned well, especially in terms of finances.
Invest in quality feeds
Be sure of the market
Kasawo notes that it’s bad to deal in something when you’re not sure of how it’s doing on the market.
He says that it’s important that one finds time to find out how and where he is going to market his birds and how much he is going to sell them.
“Working when you know that you have market for your product is good motivation for you to keep working,” Kasawo says.
