The products you can get from these animals include meat, feathers, eggs, bones and many more. Poultry products are one of the most sort among the domestic animals because of their availability. According to research, over 160 Million consumers in the country who patronize poultry products on daily basis because of the many health benefits of the different poultry products starting from the eggs to the meat.
Benefits Of Poultry Farming Over Other Types Of Farming
- Chickens sell very fast
According to a market research conducted by the Information Guide Africa team, a full grown chicken is sold for an average ofWith this, if you can produce 10,000 chickens in a year you'll be smiling home with
- Chickens grow and reproduce fast
it takes an average of 21 days for an egg to hatch and 28 weeks to become ready to be taken to the market for sales. With this, a farmer can start making hos profits in less than 34 weeks after purchasing the eggs.- Poultry farming is not affected by season
Inasmuch as they sell well in festive seasons like Christmas and Easter, that doesn't make it less lucrative in the other months of the year. In fact, majority of Nigerian families are now replacing red meats with poultry products because of the its health benefits.- Poultry farming doesn't require much capital
Unless you have the capital to embark on it on a very large scale, you can start a poultry farm on any budget. With a budget ofIf you plan on starting it on a small budget, it might be a better option if you venture into the raising of cockerels rather than the broiler aspect of the business.
If you can raise up to 100 cockerels within a short period of time, they'll be sold of at
- It requires less water to run
If you have ever managed a poultry farm, you'll be in a better position to tell this. Managing a poulty farm unlike other types of agriculture requires water for only the washing of the equipment and the little that will be poured in the drinkers for the chicken to take.- Poultry dropping are sources of manure
When I was doing my IT at Imo State University Botanical Gardens, we were instructed to add poultry droppings to our crops instead of the inorganic fertilizers because of the nutrients it contained. As a poultry farmer you can also sell off the droppings to people that use them as manure.You can see the importance of poultry to the Nigerian economy, now we'll be looking at how to embark on one.
How To Start A Poultry Farm In Nigeria
In starting a poultry farm as a beginner, the first thing you need to look at are the different equipment you'll be needing for it.Different Items Needed For Poultry Farming, Where To Buy Them In Nigeria And Their Uses
These are some of the items you'll need if you want to start a poultry farm in Nigeria. We included links to help you check out the prices on Jumia. It is better to know the prices of these items before purchasing them to avoid being cheated.- Feeders: This is used for feeding the poultry birds. The poultry feeds are put into the feeders for the birds to eat them. This is like their plates and should be kept clean always.
- Incubators: This is the equipment used for hatching of the eggs. It is a way of hatching the eggs unnaturally in a modern pattern of farming.
- Egg Washer: It makes use of the egg washing powder to help the farmers in washing the eggs.
- Fly Tray: It is the equipment used in controlling the infestation of flies around a poultry farm. It aids the poultry farmer in reducing the number of flies in the poultry.
- Egg Tray: Just like it's name, the egg tray is a tray-like equipment that the eggs are placed in for sampling. it is an equipment used for setting the eggs.
- Heaters and Brooders: They are used for regulating the temperature of the farm. It helps keep the chickens warm during the cold weathers.
- Poultry Incubator Controller: it is used for the controlling of the timer counter and incubator. It is manufactured in a way that it displays the humidity condition and temperature of the incubator.
- Laying Nest: This is an equipment that aids the chickens in laying their eggs. It's major advantage is that it increases the egg productivity if the birds.
- Egg Scale: It is used in weighing the eggs to know if they are fertile enough for hatching. According to farmers, eggs that are light-weighted do not have what it takes to form chicks.
- Cages and Coops (didn't see the item on Jumia): It is mostly used in small-scale poultry farming for keeping the poultry birds.
- Water Pots and Drinkers: This is just like the feeders and are used by the birds for drinking water. it should be kept clean always to prevent the birds from contacting infections.
- Poultry Plucker Rubber Finger: It's rubber fingers are fixed to the side plate and bottom of the of the dressing machine to produce many dressed chicken within a short period of time.
Techniques For Setting Up A Poultry Farm
- Create a business plan
This is the first step that you should take in every business you want to embark on. You need to ask your self questions like:✓ Which type(s) of bird will I rear?
✓ Do I have enough capital?
✓ What is my target market?
✓ How will I beat my competitors?
These are just some of the challenges you might need to tackle. Think of others depending in your area.
- Get a land
You can't run this business without a land of it's own. it can be leased or bought. Like we read earlier, also consider your target market when preparing a land for the poultry. In fact, unless you are mobile don't put the location of the land far from a city because it's where you'mm meet most of the buyers.- Prepare a structure
This is the final stage before you think of bringing the chickens. The most popular poultry structures in Nigeria are the deep litter, half litter and half slats, battery and semi-fold. it's your budget that will determine the one you'll go for.- Purchase day-old chicks
This is the last step you need to take and it requires carefulness. Don't buy unhealthy chicks rather go for healthy ones that have high quality breeds.See Next: How To Make Poultry Feed In Nigeria
Conclusion
Poultry farming is very fun and lucrative because of the low-risks involved in it. Also, it doesn't require much capital depending on the scale.Why not embark on one today?
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