Have you been looking for one of the lucrative businesses to start? If so, then Poultry Farming Business is a good business idea for you.

In this article, we will talk about the step-by-step process on how to start your own poultry farming business in Nigeria.

One of the things you have to understand is a man cannot do without food especially meat. With the increase in the population of Nigeria, there is also an increase in the consumption of eggs and chicken.

So many entrepreneurs who have discovered this has used the opportunity to make money. One of them is Olusegun Obasanjo.

Many people don’t know that Olusegun Obasanjo, apart from being a politician is also a farmer who has the largest farmland in Nigeria and probably in Africa.

In his response to how he started his farming business, he said

“I cleaned the chicken house. I fed chicken. That is how to be a farmer”

Most people want white-collar jobs, but he chose to become a farmer and right now he’s making a huge amount of money from farming.

Statistics shows that there is a high demand in egg and meat consumption worldwide, with Japan consuming the most eggs per year.

However, this means there is an opportunity for you to make money.

What is Poultry Farming?

Poultry farming involves the rearing of domestic birds (Cock, hen, chicken, Turkey, Fowl etc) for commercial purposes.

A poultry farm is a site where domestic birds are raised commercially for producing egg, meat or feather.

Poultry farming just like any other form of agricultural practice offers a lot of profit, perhaps even more than you can fathom.

The Hard Part of it

Like any other business, there is no easy route to success

In poultry farming, you will work with birds.

You will spend a huge sum of money to buy birds, buy food to feed them and also cope with diseases related to birds like bird flu and death.

However, you will also be spending one of the most important assets in life with your birds – that is TIME.

Benefits of Poultry Farming

• It doesn’t need a lot of capital to start-up as you can grow a hundred chickens from 10.
• A commercial poultry farm returns a huge profit in a small time. Broiler chickens take a shorter duration of time to mature and yield a profit.
• Poultry marketing is quite easy as there is already an established market, therefore you need not worry about where to sell your produce.
• A poultry farm structure does not need high maintenance.
• Since poultry products are not much expensive but also nutritious, there is always a steady stream of customers.

These are just a few benefits to getting you convinced about what you’re venturing into. Now you’re set, let’s talk about how to set up your own poultry farm.

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How to Start a Poultry Farming Business

#1. Ready Your Capital

The total amount of money you need to start up your commercial poultry farm should be at hand. If you do not have enough, then you could apply for a loan from the bank.
You might ask

How much is enough to start up with?
Well, there is no exact figure. But N30,000 can go a long way to buy 3 hens, 2 cocks, and a small cage.

However, if you have much capital, you can go for large-scale poultry farming

Other forms of capital include your time.

If you intend to run your farm while also engaging in another business, then map out a schedule or you would find it difficult to maintain the farm as time goes on.
There is also other equipment constituting your fixed capital needed for a poultry farm. They include water pot, incubator, feeder, laying nests and heater (usually a bulb).

#2. Get a Suitable Site

Since the goal is to build a commercial poultry farm, you’ll need land spaces ranging from 10ft in length and width for the startup while you gradually increase this space as production intensifies.

Your poultry farm should also be situated away from the residential areas, preferably in a place where there is proper ventilation. Chickens do not thrive under excessive cold or heat; therefore you should locate your farm site under a shade.

#3. Decide Which Sector Of Poultry Farming to Pursue

There are basically two, broiler production and layer production.

Broilers are raised basically for meat production while layers are chickens raised especially for egg production. Find out which one is in high demand in your area and venture into it.

#4. Housing or Cage Construction

A poultry house can be either concrete or a cage.

A poultry house for your farm should be spacious, allowing birds the freedom to perch, spread its wings and move around freely. It should also be properly ventilated.

Get an experienced builder or craftsman to do this for you.

#5. Buy Your Chicks

Chicks are being sold from a day old. You can buy as many as you have budgeted.

You can also choose to buy a hen and a cock and through the process of mating, eggs or chicks can be produced.

#6. Animal Care

Get the best chicken feed available for your flock of chickens.

Chickens are to be fed at least twice every day. You should also make sure to provide a steady supply of clean hygienic water for your chickens. Chickens can consume three times the amount of feed they consume.

Chickens just like many domestic bird species suffer a lot from diseases. You could get a chicken doctor to inspect your chickens at least once in a month.

You must also learn some chicken care procedure, just in case you need to attend to an ailing chicken on an emergency. Ensure that you have enough supplies of medication as well

#7. Market Research

Since there is already an established market, this work is a little bit easier. Discover who your potential customers would be and what they actually need.
You will also consider how competitive the market is, as this will help you devise strategies to improve sales.

#8. Sell Your Produce

Now, this is where you start making your money. Eggs produced are needed by bakeries, restaurants, etc.

Chickens are ready for consumption after eight weeks.
Since you’ve known who your customers are, take your produce to them and sell at best prices.

WRAPPING UP

Now, if you’ve finally made up your mind to go into Poultry Farming Business, then you’ve made one of the best decisions that will change your life. I know you might be thinking

“Oh my gosh! Am going to rear birds”

But here is the catch

You are actually going to feed the nation, export to other countries and also make a huge profit from poultry farming.