How to Start a Poultry Farm in Nigeria Small and Grow Big.

Poultry Farming in Nigeria is probably one of the most lucrative in the world especially when it is setup and managed properly. This aspect of livestock farming presents one of the finest opportunity for entrepreneurs to make good money within the shortest period of time possible due to the quick maturity of chickens.
With over 100 Million consumers in the country who buys poultry products on daily basis, the market is always there.
This very post will take a critical
look at the business and how entrepreneurs who are interested in this business in Nigeria would be able to start easily without wasting much time and resources.
Anyone can engage in poultry business, it
doesn't matter your education background or how rich you are, you can start at any level and grow as big as you want with time. The most important thing is that you are interested in starting somewhere.

This articles will focus on how to start small and grow big which I think will interest anyone with limited financial capacity who wants to start small without involving much risks. One of the factors that makes poultry business ideal business is because chickens grows very fast. Unlike goats that takes 2 to 3 years to mature, a chicken can be ready for the market within 28 weeks from birth, and about 12-16 weeks for broilers. That is why it is considered ideal business for loan takers who may actually invest the loan and within 30 to 40
weeks, they may start paying back through the money realized from sales.
1. Chicken do reproduce fast and in
large numbers - Average healthy Layer lays egg almost everyday or at least 4 times in a week. Some Breeds can lay as much as 325 eggs in a year and take 21 days to hatch. This means that technically a Layer is capable of producing another chicken twice in three days.
So, if you have 500 healthy layers of good
breeds (such as California white) they are
capable of reproducing a whooping 12,000
chicks within 40 days!
2. Chicken grows very fast - Within 21
days, the egg is hatched and within 28 weeks, they are ready for the market. That means a farmer could start making his money in just 34 weeks after successfully setting up his farm and whatever returns he make could be doubled in a year based on this calculation.
3. Chickens sell at a very good price - A
fully grown healthy chicken sells between
2,000 to 2,500 naira in Nigeria and above 3000 for robust broilers. Therefore, if
you produce 12,000 chickens in your farm, you will be making N24 million by the time they are completely sold.
4. Egg market is Large too - Apart from
the chicken, the egg is another money of it's own. A crate of eggs sells for N500 - N550 for smaller eggs and N600 - N650 for bigger ones (although it changes with seasons).
Each crate contains 30 eggs. Therefore, if you have 500 layers that produces 12,000 pullet in a month and decides to sell all, you will be making N200,000 to N260,000 monthly.
As you can see, the profit in poultry business is mouth watering and the turn over time is fantastic as well, but the big question now is how to start.

Draw out your effective business plan. Poultry business plan is like a road map leading you to where you are going in you business. It will help you know where you are at any point in time.

Hence your business plan should include:

1. Type of Bird you want to concentrate
on - Here you choose Chickens ( Layers and Broilers). We choose chicken because that's what this article focuses on. There are other types of birds that are good for livestock business too, such as Goose, Duck , Turkey, etc.

2. Write down your area of interest - You
can't just be in all aspect of poultry farming. You have to choose your area of interest where you would like to concentrate your business.
This will ensure high level of focus and
professionalism. If you can do two area, no
problem. Below are some of the major Niches in Poultry Farming:

Layers Breeding which is egg production by Layers,
Broilers breeding which referrs
to chicken meat production by Broilers,
Hatchery which has to do with breeding chicken for the purpose of Hatching new chicks,
Poultry feed which is producing feeds for other poultry farmers
You may choose to Breed Layers and Broilers at a time or one of them.   Hatchery is better done independently just like feed production.
So, you choose your area of focus

3. Sort out Location - This has a direct
effect to your startup cost. A location in a very remote rural area will cost far less than the one close to the urban area. Remote rural area with good road is the ideal location as you will be free from regulatory agencies and beat down
the cost of labor too.
As a new person to Livestock business, you don't want to invest all your capital into buying lands in urban area which may turn out not being used because Government policy is against setting up poultry farm near residential/ urban areas for health implication.

4. Investment Capital - With location in
mind, you now have clearer idea of the capital required of you. Write down your detailed capital and investment requirements and set to source it.
Like every other farming projects, the bigger you plan to start, the more the capital investment required.
You need to decide on the level of capital
investment you are willing to commit into this business before starting.
(a) Small scale Chicken Rearing (of about 50 birds) kept in cages at the backyard of your residential house can take about N70,000 to start.
(b) A medium scale poultry farming that
requires land and housing and other materials in 1 - 2 plots of Land takes about N500,000 to N5 Million to start.
(c) Large scale or Intensive poultry farming that requires high level of sophistication and more careful planning and professionalism, using advance Livestock farming techniques takes from N10 Million.
With your business plan is in place, the next is to proceed to setting up your farm without delay! At this point, it is my believe that you already have the money in your hands. So here are the things you need to acquire and put in place.

1. Buy land - Like we said earlier, look for
land in a remote location but make sure it's not too far from the town or city. A place like Ijebu Ode , Remo Area , Imota in Ikorodu - these places are perfect if you are in Lagos. Other places like towards Oshogbo after Ibadan isn't too far too from the major city like Ibadan. Outskirts of major towns in edo are also ideal.
You can get an Acre of land there for cheap price, cost of lands in most cases is determined by the sellers. But we may suggest price during commenting. So drop your comments below and let's get the discussion going.

2. Build your Structure - Houses or better called "pens" are very important for chicken rearing and effective keeping and management. Poultry housing are
classified according to the scale and the
management system. The most common types of poultry housing systems used in Nigeria are:
• Deep litter-
• Half litter and half slats -
• Battery -
• Semi-fold -
Buy day old chick - Look for good Hatchery ( e.g Avian, chi, obj farms, etc) where you can get healthy day old chicks to start with. It costs from N140 to N200
sometimes up to N300. You could also go for bigger hens called "point of lay". The latter starts laying almost immediately after purchase and saves you the stress of brooding from day old stage.
Other Items you need - Feeders, Drinkers,
Perches. Nests, Crates, Lighting system, Waste disposal system, Incubator, Heaters or brooders, Egg tray, Cages and coops.
What's Next...
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You can ask any question related to poultry farming or share your knowledge with us. For more enquiries contact me on 09033164126 or 07051061139 for technical advice and practical stage by stage guide.