Business concept: Purpose of the venture: 2015 G.C. To meet the demand of
customer and built strong customer relationship, to create the employment
opportunity for others and to contribute the economy of the country.
Description of the firm: This is a partnership business
Purpose of the venture:
•To meet the demand of customer and built strong customer relationship.
• To create the employment opportunity for others.
• To contribute the economy of the country.
Objective of the founders: The major objective of the founders is reducing
poverty, malnutrition and unemployment problem of our country. Besides, we
want to provide quality product to customer and maintain the supply
sufficiently.
Description of the firm:
This is a partnership business where the main activity of the firm is to
providequality product through the Addis
Ababa city. We will collect chicken and eggs from different producer near to
Addis Ababa city especially from Bishoftu is a town (Debre Zeyit). Chicken and
eggs will be distributed to restaurant, super shop, hotel, community center,
and bakery and catering houses around Addis Ababa city. Prolong the
sufficient supply to the customer is one of our most important purpose. We
want to supply extend area of Addis Ababa city with affordable price.
Name of the venture
Address
Shop no-17, Road no- 6 old airport road,
Addis Ababa
Founders
Vision
Providing quality product with reasonable
price.
Product or service:
The product is chickens and eggs. The farm will distribute these products
around the Addis Ababa city. Quality assurance is the main motto of our
business. We are not compromise in the question of quality. To ensure the
quality we always take high care of our hens and eggs. Now days, from
chickens and eggs harmful diseases are spread out. But we are supply our
chickens and eggs with ensuring that it is free from all kind of jorum, which
can create harmful diseases. Cost of poultry business is not so high. One can
easily start a business with a minimum amount of money. But our cost of
business is high, because our business is highly future oriented. The primary
cost of our business is given below:
Particulars
Cost (Birr)
Farm
30,000.00
Total cost (Birr)
Warehouse
50,000.00
Transportation
2,00,000.00
Chicken
1,00,000.00
Egg
50,000.00
Food
50,000.00
Utility
20,000.00
5,000,000.00
We also provide some additional facility to ours customers and consumers that
are not provided by other suppliers:

We reached our product (chickens & eggs) to the customers by our own
transportation with a low transportation cost.

If any dreadful products are identified by the customers we always make
it change.

Processed meat are also supply if customer feel need.

We also supply product by credit to a limited amount.
Poultry business is full with competitors. But there have a great prospect of su
cceed, because most of the suppliers are not able to adequately supply the
product.
Market research and analysis:
As we know, Bangladesh is an over populated country. So, there is no
equilibriumbetween demand and supply and more or less suppliers fail to satis
fy thecustomers. Most of all, in food business if it is daily product there is
no loss. So there is a great prospect being succeeded
Each and every people need chickens and eggs. Eggs are the ingredients of
cake, bread, omelet etc. So restaurant, bakery, hotel, community centers needs
eggs and chickens every day. As the different customers has high demand of
chickens and e g g s w e h a v e a h i g h p r o s p e c t o f s u c c e s s , a n d f o r
s u c c e s s w e n e e d c o n t i n u o u s market research by following way:
Customer scenario:
As we all know that, chicken and egg are very nutritious food items. Doctors
alwaysprescribe it as nutritious food. From statistical data, each and
everyday a familyneeds at least four eggs in this country. Most of all
children are fond of egg. Sothere is a great prospect to being
succeeded as being act as distributor. We willdistribute our product to
household customers, restaurant, hotel, bakery, cookeryetc.
Market:
The farming company focus, first of all, operates on the regional market as well
aso n t h e e x p o r t m a r k e t . I n t h i s s e c t o r , m a r k e t i s v e r
y c o m p e t i t i v e . T h e k e y competitors are distributing chicken
and eggs are regional competitors. Thecompany has to compete
with them. The demand of chicken and eggs is
v e r y comprehensive. As the demand is very high but the sufficient
suppliers are notpresent there. As a result, the price of chicken and eggs are
increasing day by day.So there is grate opportunity of earning high profit with
less effort.
Analyze competitors:
It is essential for every business organization to identify its existing
competitorstheir skill, strength and as well as weakness. We have
huge number of existingcompetitors but most of them have not high skill
and future orientation. The futurecompetitors can easily entre the
business because of its low cost and its industrystructure is very easy.
Price system:
Pricing is most important factor in any kind of business. But in food
business, itbecomes more crucial factor. Most of our businesses fail to set
proper pricing.
Wew i l l c o n s i d e r t h i s f a c t o r s e c u r e l y . O u r f a r m w i l l p r o v i d e c h i c
k e n a n d e g g s w i t h affordable price.
Market planMarketing strategy:
➢
We use new processing options which can differentiate our product from
theproducts of others.
➢
We ensure quality product with affordable price.
➢
We always search for new quality factors related to our p
r o d u c t s t h a t customers wish to see in the product.
➢
Provide hygienic and nutritious feeding that may
h e l p t o a t t a i n distinguishable quality factors like color and test of
meat.
Pricing:
Pricing is the most important factor for this business to compete
with competitors to susta in in the market. Our pricing method is
simple. We only sale product with a limited profit that means our
sales price is our cost plus limited profit. We also provide price discount
on a bulk amount of product. We also offer different types of price and product
discount in different types of festival.
Promotion:
To know the people about business every company need promotion. Big
companiess p e n d a l a r g e p r o p o r t i o n o f t h e i r b u d g e t f o r p r o m
o t i o n . W e a l s o h a v e s o m e promotional strategy- advertising, banner,
billboard, leaflet, poster etc. we will give advertising in different newspaper and
magazine in our country. We give billboard i n s o m e i m p o r t a n t h u b
o f D h a k a c i t y . W e w i l l a l s o p r o v i d e l e a f l e t , p o s t e r , a n d banner so
that people can easily know about our business.
Distribution channel:
We are not going to use any distribution channel at first. We will use personal
sales representative for selling our product. Our sales representatives will
directly go to o u r c u s t o m e r s a n d
c o l l e c t t h e o r d e r . A s p e r t h e i r o r d e r w e w i l l d i r e c t l y s u p p l y chick
ens and eggs to the customers by our own transportation.
Manufacturer
Customers
Manufacturing and operations:
Facilities and location:
We always try to give high facility to
o u r c u s t o m e r s . F o r q u i c k l y s e r v e t h e customers we have a farm
and warehouse in Gazipur that is near Dhaka city. Wealso have an office
in Banani which address is- Shop no-17, Road no- 6, New
airportr o a d , B a n a n i , D h a k a 1 2 1 3 f o r q u i c k a c c e s s w i t h t h e c u s t o m e r s . F o r m a k i n g cust
omers order easy we also have a email address, so that customers can order
use a s i l y . W e a r e g o i n g t o i n t r o d u c e o w n w e b s i t e f o r c u s t o m e r s c
o n v e n i e n c e . W e moreover supply our product (chicken and Egg) to the
customers by own transport system with full responsibility.
Inventory management:
Our main inventory is chicken and eggs. First of all we will buy
chicken and eggs from different area around Dhaka city especially
from Gazipur and put it into our farm and warehouse. Then we will clean
the dust from eggs and test the chicken’s health that means we ensure that
chickens are not affected by any harmful disease. Then we supply the
chickens and eggs to different restaurant, super shop, hotel,
community center, and bakery house as per their order.
Human resource:
In business human resources is one of the most important factors and
have a big role in a business organization. For collect inventory,
maintaining inventory, and reached the product to the desired
customers we will have to need some people. They will very skillful on
their own field. If additional skill and efficiency needed we will provide them
training. We also supervise their work.
Entrepreneurial team:
Profile of founders:
Md. Nazmul Hossain
Nazmul Hossain passed his SSC from Monipur high school, Mirpur and also
passedhis HSC from Dhaka Commerce College. He is now studying his
BBA at southeastuniversity (SEU) in 3
rd
year last semester.Md. Mofakkharul IslamMofakkharul Islam passed his SSC
from Mirpur bangla high school, Mirpur and
alsop a s s e d h i s H S C f r o m B C I C C o l l e g e . H e i s n o w s t u d y i n g
h i s B B A a t s o u t h e a s t university (SEU) in 3
rd
year last semester.Rokeya KhatunRokeya Khatun passed his SSC from
Monipur high school, Mirpur and also passedhis HSC from Dhaka
Commerce College. He is now studying his BBA at southeastuniversity
(SEU) in 3
rd
year last semester.Md. Ahsan HabibAhsan Habib passed his SSC from
Merchants’ pilot high school, (Ullapara) Sirajgonjand also passed his HSC from
Ullapara Science College. He is now studying his BBAat southeast university
(SEU) in 3
rd
year last semester.Md. Nazmul HosssainNazmul Hossain passed his SSC from Potazia
high school, Pabna and also passed
hisH S C f r o m U l l a p a r a S c i e n c e C o l l e g e . H e i s n o w s t u d y i n g h i s B
B A a t s o u t h e a s t university (SEU) in 3
rd
year last semester.
Key personal:
We will supervise different sectors of this business like- buying inventory
(Chickenand eggs), marketing, and finance etc. We will do this on the basis of
our knowledgea n d s k i l l o f t h a t s e c t o r . A s M o f a k k h a r u l I s l a m a n d
R o k e y a K h a t u n h a v e a g o o d knowledge on finance, so they will look
after on financial factors. Nazmul
Hossaina n d A h s a n H a b i b h a s a g o o d c o m m e n d o n m a r k e t i n
g , t h e y w i l l t a k e c a r e o f marketing. And Nazmul Hossain is a
specialist on inventory management, so thathe will care for buying and
managing inventory.
Investors:
Investors are we all five members. We will equally contribute in busine
ss. Ourcontributions are showing
below:NameInvestmentMd. Nazmul Hosssain TK. 1,00,000Md. Mofakk
harul IslamTK. 1,00,000Rokeya KhatunTK. 1,00,000Md. Ahsan Habib
TK. 1,00,000Md. Nazmul HosssainTK. 1,00,000
Management role:
Mofakkharul Islam and Rokeya Khatun will keep the books of all our expenses
andincome. Expense here means how much our cost of buying chickens and eggs,
food,t r a n s p o r t a t i o n , s a l a r y , d i f f e r e n t t y p e s o f b i l l e t c . W e w i l l k e
e p t h e b o o k o f a l l expenses day by day with exact date. Nazmul Hossain
and Ahsan Habib will look after on all marketing and distribution
system. We will know the customers about our product and additional
service we will provide. How we will reach the product to our customers etc.
Nazmul Hossain will give emphasize on buying and managing chickens
and eggs. From where he will buy chickens and eggs, where it will
keep, food and health of chicken will manage by him.
Conclusion
Now poultry business is a very popular business in Bangladesh. Because it is
very easy and very small amount is need to start the business.
Although there have many existing competitors in the market, but there
have a high chance to succeed because existing competitors are fail to fulfill
the customers demand. They are also failing to meet the customers need
in the perspective of service. So we think that choosing this business is our
right decision.
Chicken and egg marketing: Insights from traders in Meki, Oromia
Chickens are the most popular poultry species used for meat and egg
production in Ethiopia. Dugda district, a LIVES intervention area in Oromia
region, is known nationwide for its large chicken population (more than 100,
000). When asked why Dugda is important in poultry production, locals
respond that it’s because the district is large, has favourable climatic
conditions for chicken production, and there are many maize and wheat
growers whose products can serve as chicken feed.
Chicken rearing is part of the lifestyle of the communities of Dugda, for poor
and rich alike. Eleven Peasant Associations (PAs) neighbouring lake Zeway are
famous for their high chicken production; the soil is fertile and there is a lot of
fish by-products available which provide excellent chicken feed. Chickens from
the associations (for instance Welda Qelina) of Dugda are claimed to grow
faster, maintain their body condition longer during transportation, resist
diseases and have bigger and more attractive eggs that those elsewhere.
Meki, the district town of Dugda, is a centre for chicken and egg marketing in
the surrounding areas; it gets its products from the Ela rural market of Dugda
district and Dugda Qella of a neighbouring district of SNNPR.
Abishu is a 28 year old chicken trader in Meki town. He started his business
about nine years ago after being motivated by the profit his father gets from
selling chickens in Meki markets. The small initial capital cost needed to start
this business, which was only 200 ETB (20 USD) was an additional motivator.
Abishu buys chickens from rural villages at a reasonable price and sells them
at Meki markets. In times of high demand, he gets additional supplies from the
Meki market itself and supply them to his customers. Abishu also has a
permanent market linkage with rural chicken traders who directly sell to him.
In addition, he supplies chickens for wholesalers coming from Addis Ababa,
Mojo, Bishoftu, Akaki and other nearby towns.
Abishu’s marketing strategy includes: buying chickens from three markets in a
week (Thursday and Monday markets at Meki and Saturday market at Alem
Tena town), supplying wholesalers coming from Addis Ababa, supplying hotels
and restaurants, and selling to individuals and occasional customers. His
major customers are wholesalers from Addis Ababa.
Wholesalers generally order the numbers of chickens they require and then
buy in bulk. To meet these demands, he goes to rural markets. In a regular
week, he buys 15- 20 chickens each market day. He says he carries 3000 to
6000 ETB to buy chickens. The amount increases during holiday seasons when
wholesalers from big cities place their orders. During holiday seasons, the
numbers he buys may increase to between 40 and 50 per market day. Since
wholesalers buy in bulk, Abishu calculates the average price of the chickens
and then determines his selling price. During dry seasons, Abishu buys and
sells hens for production and reproduction as this is a god time for hatching
eggs and raising day-old chicks and pullets.
Chicken handling and transpiration has undergone its own transformation
since Abishu started his business. He explains that about five years ago, to
transport chickens, 5 to 7 chickens would be tied together, put upside down,
and loaded on the top of a vehicle. Later, people would put 12-15 chickens in a
jute sack with small airholes and then load the sacks on top of a vehicle.
Nowadays, traders use plastic sacks (Madaberia). They sew two of these
together and put 25 to 30 chickens into each. The plastic sacks are readily
available in the market, are stronger and hold larger number of chickens than
the jute sacks.
Dessie is another trader in Meki town. He is an egg trader who entered into the
business 6 years ago after he completed his 10th grade education. A hotel
owner in Meki gave Dessie an opportunity to supply eggs to his hotel as a
business. Immediately, Dessie started his business with a starting capital of
300 ETB. Dessie’s main egg suppliers were rural farmers along the roads of
Dugda. He sells his eggs twice a week at the Meki market, on Monday and
Thursday. Sometimes he has bought eggs on credit from farmers, paying them
back after selling the eggs.
When Dessie started his business, he purchased 7 eggs for 2 ETB. Now,
depending on market condition, he buys an egg for 2.10 ETB and sells it for
2.25 ETB. His customers are tea shops, cafeterias and hotels and individuals
during holidays. Currently, he supplies some 70 to 80% of the eggs needed by
hotels in Meki town. On market days he buys 800 to 1,500 eggs.
Dessie explains that traders from other places like Addis Ababa, Bishoftu, Mojo
and Adama used to come to buy eggs from Meki. They come less these days
ans prices are similar across locations. They only come occasionally during
holidays.
Both Abishu and Dessie say that their chicken and egg businesses have
improved their livelihoods over the years. They were able to support their
families and invest in their homes. They believe that chicken and egg
businesses, if undertaken properly, are profitable ventures. They both have
plans to expand their business and establish poultry farms, for which they
need additional skills and knowledge and linkages along the value chain (hence
their contacts with the LIVES project).
The availability of chicken feed in Dugda makes chicken production and
marketing an ideal venture in the area. The supply of day-old chicks from
Bishoftu and the introduction of exotic types through the extension service also
contribute to the suitability of the area for the sector. Furthermore, farmers in
the area seem to know about chicken production and marketing. The increased
number of entrepreneurs in the sector, as compared to other areas, is a good
indicator.
Women are also active participants in chicken and egg trading in Meki. When
Abishu and Dessie started the business, there were no women involved in
chicken and egg marketing. Nowadays, there are even women wholesalers
coming from other places. Today, Abishu and Dessie estimate that 40 to 50% of
chicken traders in Meki are women.
Though the chicken and egg value chain in Dugda is well developed, there is
still a lot be done, especially with regard to planning production and marketing
at different seasons. The common trend is for farmers to bring chickens and
eggs on market days before holidays when supply tends to be high and demand
is low. In such cases, it is only the wholesalers that benefit as they have plenty
to choose from and they can set the prices. This results in losses for farmers as
well as for local traders like Abishu and Dessie.
The LIVES project can contribute here by developing capacities and knowledge
of farmers and traders on production and marketing strategies as well as by
creating linkages with potential customers and market information sources.
Profile on Poultry Farming
This profile envisages the establishment of a farm for the rearing of poultry
with raising capacity of 200,000 heads of poultry per annum. Poultry meat and
eggs have become the most important sources of protein in the human diet by
using it directly or after passing through food processing industries.
The major inputs and auxiliary raw materials required are day old chickens,
commercial formula feed, and high quality vaccines which have to be imported.
The present unsatisfied demand for poultry meat and eggs in Addis Ababa is
estimated at 7,750 tons and 5,410 tons respectively. The demand is expected
to reach at 7,845 tons and 11,238 tons for eggs and poultry meat respectively
by the year 2020.
The total investment requirement is estimated at Birr 12.84 million, out of
which Birr 3.67 million is required for plant and machinery. The plant will
create employment opportunities for 27 persons.
The project is financially viable with an internal rate of return (IRR) of 17.63%
and a net present value (NPV) of Birr 5.59 million, discounted at 8.5 %.
The poultry farm has a backward linkage effect on animal feed processing
industries and a forward linkage effect on food processing industries. There is
also a substantial export potential.
Improvements on farm in Ethiopia
Improvements of practices on a poultry parent stock farm annex hatchery have
been made in Ethiopia. The requesting party wanted to have further advice on
good poultry keeping in such a way that it could improve its practices and to
arrive at a well-managed and well operating company. The expert has, in two
visits, left recommendations on the management structure of the company, on
the construction of new facilities, on the daily activities in the parent stock
units and in the hatchery. Special attention has been given to lighting-schemes
and feeding of the cocks and hens in the parent stock.
Poultry farming is usually the business i recommend for retirees and
individuals who are passionate about livestock farming. In the past, people
were non-challant about breeding birds or cultivating crops for profits. But
with the recent global burst in population and a worldwide demand for food,
people are now beginning to realize the potential of providing the most
important basic need of man.
Poultry farming is a viable business anytime any day; and to be sincere with
you, it’s a business I have been considering for some time now. Below are
reasons why I consider poultry farming a profitable business?
Factors that makes Poultry Farming a Profitable Business
There are a lot of factors that make poultry farming business a profitable one
but I will be highlighting only three major factors:

Food is one of the basic needs of man. Regardless of the economic situation,
human beings must feed and since domestic birds are consumable; that
makes poultry farming feasible.

My country Nigeria for instance has a population of over 150million and
growing; bear it in mind that a huge population means a huge demand for
food (egg and meat).

With the increased awareness on the health implications of red meat; there’s
an increased demand for white meat and birds are a source of white meat.
But before I go into the details of starting a poultry farming business, I want to
emphatically state that the information provided in this article does not in any
way replace the need for you to conduct a feasibility study, write a business
plan for your poultry farm and do your own due diligence.
Select your Poultry Niche
The poultry industry is a broad niche. There are many sub-sectors in the
poultry industry which you can tap into. When poultry farming is mentioned, a
lot of people take that to mean chicken rearing or turkey rearing alone but
poultry farming is a very wide business with different aspects. Below are niches
in the poultry business:

Egg production (Layers breeding)

Meat production (Broilers breeding)

Chicken breeding (Hatchery)

Poultry feed production

Poultry equipment manufacturing

Egg and meat processing, packaging and marketing

Poultry marketing and consultancy
So, you see that poultry farming is very wide. Therefore, you have to choose
your area of specialization. Of course, if you have enough capital and the
technical know-how nothing stops you from doing all the businesses under
poultry farming but it is always better to go back to the drawing board, find out
which aspects of poultry farming are more profitable in your area in terms of
demand and income and then select the most attractive aspects to concentrate
on.
2. What type of bird will you be focusing on?
Another important factor to consider is the type of birds you wish to rear. There
are several types of birds that you can rear. Poultry farming can further be
classified into the types of birds:

Domestic fowl or Chicken (Broilers and layers)

Turkey

Guinea fowl

Pigeon

Duck

Goose

Peacock

Quail
You also have to decide on whether you want to rear layers or broilers. Layers
are usually raised mainly for laying eggs so if egg production is your area of
specialization, you would need to stock your farm with layers but if you prefer
to opt for meat production instead, then you would need broilers instead
because broilers have the ability to grow very fat and gives more return on
investment because they weigh a lot more than other breeds. But for this
article, I will be focusing on poultry breeding for egg and meat purposes with
respect to the domestic fowl.
3. Start-up Capital Investment
The poultry farming business is capital intensive; depending on the scale,
location of your farm and the type of management technology used. A small
scale poultry farm being run behind your house may require a capital of
between $500 – $1,500. A medium scale poultry farm may require $2,000 –
$5,000 and a large scale poultry farm may require a start-up capital of $10,000
and above. Like I stated earlier, scale is directly proportional to capital.
4. Poultry Location
A good location is vital to the success and profitability of your poultry farm. An
ideal poultry farm should be sited where there’s a large availability of cheap
land and at the same time; should be close to areas with high population
density. It’s not advisable to site your poultry farm within a residential area
because of the offensive odour it produces.
While it is smart to start your poultry farm in a place where the odor and noise
would not disturb other people, you should also consider the security factor.
Lands in sparsely populated settlements are cheap and you would have fewer
issues with community disturbance and zoning but it may be far from your
market and buyers. You need to find a balance, look for a place that is
favorable to you and would also be favorable to your customers at the same
time.
5. Housing your birds
Another important factor to consider is the poultry housing system. Poultry
housing system determines up to 40% of the rater of success you would
achieve in poultry farming. A good housing system is very important for your
poultry farm. The housing system commonly used in poultry farming are-:

Extensive system: Range and fold unit

Semi Intensive system: Standard semi intensive unit and straw yard

Intensive system: i. Deep litter, ii. Wire and slated floor, iii. Straw yard, iv.
Battery cage
a. Free Range System-: Under free range poultry farming system, chickens
are allowed to roam around on their own in search for food. This system cannot
be used for commercial poultry farming because of the high level of risks
involved.
b.Deep Litter System-: This system involves spreading wood shavings or saw
dust on a concrete ground with the chickens placed on the floor and the dust
serving as a ‘cushion’ for them. The dust is changed regularly, either by
removing and replacing or by layering. Deep litter system is used by a lot of
poultry farmers because it increases efficiency and makes it easier to manage
large flocks of birds but it allows for a faster spread of diseases when there is
an outbreak and also makes it difficult to fish out unproductive birds.
c. Battery Cage System-: As for the battery cage system, metal cages are
constructed inside a building to house the birds. The cages are usually split
into different compartments to house small groups of birds. The cages also
contain feeding and water troughs as well as laying nests. Bird droppings fall
on the floor and are cleaned mechanically by a scraper. This method is
considered to be the most effective for egg production but the major downside
of this method is that it is more expensive to construct and maintain compared
to other forms of poultry housing systems.
If you are running a poultry farm for commercial purposes and you intend
getting the best out of the business; with respect to high birds’ productivity and
efficiency. Then you should consider housing your birds using the intensive
system. Note that each of the three housing system has its own advantages and
disadvantages. Lastly, your poultry housing structure should be built at a
particular angle; taking sunlight and wind into consideration.
6. Poultry equipment and appliances
There is a very long list of equipment and facilities to put in place in order to
fully manage a poultry farm. You would need to construct a house for the
birds, provide feeders and drinkers, a good waste disposal system, source of
water, lightening and heat, egg crates and storage space for keeping feed and
eggs.
Therefore, you should make a list of all the items you would need, find out the
prices and compare different prices to further give you an idea of the costs of
setting up the poultry farm.The following equipment may be needed for your
poultry farm and their uses:

Feeders

Drinkers

Perches

Nests

Crates

Lighting system

Waste disposal system

Incubator

Heaters or brooders

Egg tray

Cages and coops
7. Feeding your birds-: Feeding is a major aspect of poultry farming. In fact,
about 70% of your expenses would go towards poultry feeding. Therefore, it is
imperative to figure out the feeding aspects of business before you go into it.
There are two ways to go about feeding in poultry farming:

Producing your feeds by yourself

Buying already-made poultry feeds
I recommend the former for large commercial poultry farms because it helps
you to save a lot of money on feeding costs. You can easily learn how to make
poultry feeds, purchase equipment and start producing feeds for your farm.
You can even make some extra income for yourself by selling to others but it is
important that you get the right feed formula and ingredients that would
enhance the growth of your birds.
8. Poultry Farm staffing and manpower
Operating a poultry farm is not labor intensive if the use of technology is
employed. With respect to staffing, the number of manpower needed is also
dependent on the size of your farm. But some must haves should be admin
officer or manager; who will oversee the day to day running of your business.
Your manager can also double as your accountant to cut down cost.
It is also advisable you have personnel who will reside permanently in the farm
to monitor and see to the well being of your birds. You will also need security
personnel that will monitor the inflow and outflow of people around your farm;
and most importantly, guard against theft. Aside these few mentioned, you can
add more personnel to suit your business needs.
9. Accounting-: I mentioned in one of my previous articles how a lot of poultry
farmers take the accounting and record keeping aspects of their business for
granted. Poultry farming is just like any other commercial business out there
and for you to track your performance and productivity, adequate records must
be kept. You don’t need to have an accounting background or spend hours on
record keeping or accounting for your farm; just purchase a farm management
software, install it on your computer and there you are, you would be able to
know how your business is doing and whether you are growing or not.
10. Health-: Just like you need regular health check-up to stay in good shape,
the birds in your farm also need regular check-up. They need proper vaccines
and medications to prevent diseases and promote growth. You should have a
consultant, a veterinary doctor who would be in charge of giving vaccinations
and providing proper health care for the birds.
11. Marketing-: Another factor to give consideration to is the marketing aspect
of your poultry business. You have to find a way to reach your customers and
this would be done by employing the right marketing techniques. Therefore,
before you start a poultry business, you should really consider the marketing
strategies which you would use to break into the market.
12. Projected return on investment
The incubation period of the domestic fowl is 21 days. You can start selling off
your birds as early as 8 – 12 weeks but full maturity is reached between 20 –
24 weeks. The payback period of a poultry farming business is between 3 – 5
years.
Five Challenges of Starting a Poultry Farming Business
Poultry farming business is one of the most important and profitable aspect
of livestock farming business especially in Nigeria. But like every other
business, there are risks and challenges involved. Do you intend venturing into
poultry farming but you would like to know the risks and challenges that you
will be facing? Then i advice you read on.
Challenges of Starting a Poultry Farming Business

Poultry farming has a longer pay back period

It is Labor intensive

Pests and predators can cause massive loss
Lack of support from the government
Taking a close look at Nigeria today, you will attest to the fact that the
government shows little or no interest in livestock farming; let alone poultry
farming. The government is more interested in the oil sector thereby not
showing concern to poultry farming and this brings discouragement to the
poultry farmers.
Even the assumed agricultural loan the government provided cannot be
accessed because of the stringent conditions attached. The only visible effort of
the government is the recent ban on the importation of live or frozen poultry
birds. So if you are interested in starting a poultry farming business, then you
must be prepared to go it alone without looking to the government for help.
High start-up capital
The very first factor you have to give serious consideration to is capital. Just
like every other business, poultry farming needs sufficient and proper funding.
This is because the amount of capital you have to invest has a lot to do with
the level of success you would achieve in poultry farming. If you have enough
capital, you would be able to put facilities that would increase your
productivity in place.
You cannot do well as a livestock farmer, especially poultry farming when you
don’t have enough fund. You need money to purchase a land for the farm, to
construct and equip the farm, to hire and pay staff/laborers and also to feed
and provide healthcare for your birds. Without proper funding, you will
struggle to keep your business afloat but with enough capital; business is
made easier. So it is advisable that you do your financial analysis very well and
ensure you have access to cash because nothing kills a business faster than
lack of money.
Outbreak of diseases
When the environment is dirty, disease and infection is inevitable. Birds like
chicken are very sensitive to environmental changes. If the poultry environment
is not properly taken care of, the chickens will be exposed to diseases like
bacteria infection. So as a poultry farmer , you must ensure that the poultry
environment is kept clean and disinfected. You must avoid bringing in
contaminated equipment, vehicle,and foot wears. Also, visitors should not be
allowed into the poultry environment and ensure that you sterilize your hands
before touching the birds.
Non availability and affordability of vaccines
In the agro-allied industry, especially poultry farming; this particular challenge
affects the small scale poultry farmers more because; unlike the industrial or
commercial poultry farmers who can afford the vaccines, the small scale
poultry farmers can’t afford the vaccines.
Adulteration and high cost of poultry food
The price of poultry food is quite costly and birds consume a lot. So most
poultry farmers economize or ration the food given to the birds and this affects
the output. Also, adulterated poultry food flooding the market is another
challenge for poultry entrepreneurs. This is because the adulteration utters the
necessary nutrients the birds need in order to grow well, thus making them
unhealthy and reduces their immunity to diseases.
As a final note, i believe you have gotten a clue on the challenges you should
expect as a poultry farmer and the best solutions to them. So start now by
creating a counter-strategy to tackle these challenges and success will be
yours.
How to Be a Poultry Farmer
If you want to be a poultry farmer, you must decide what type. Another
consideration is where you live, as most poultry farms are in the eastern
portion of the U.S. and California. Poultry farmers typically raise a single type
of poultry, such as chickens, turkeys, geese or ducks. More than half of the
poultry farming industry raises chickens for broilers. The two other main types
of poultry farming produce chicken eggs and turkeys. Some poultry farmers
raise chicks into egg-laying hens or breeders. Once you have determined that
type of poultry farmer you want to be, you need to get a job working on that
type of farm. Here's a description of the job duties of each type of poultry
farmer.
Impact Summary
Poultry play a vital role in the livelihood of poor rural households in developing countries
and are particularly important to those (often landless) people who do not other livestock
and to women, who often own and manage the chickens and control cash from sales.
Income from poultry production is often used to support education of children. However, low
genetic potential and poor levels of husbandry mean that most indigenous breeds grow
slowly and are poor producers of small eggs. Furthermore, infectious diseases prevent even
this limited genetic potential from being realised, with villagers citing disease as the major
limitation to production. In addition to endemic disease, outbreaks occur annually and may
kill entire flocks. Ethiopian farmers often sell their flocks in anticipation of, or in the face of,
such epidemics, only to later buy them back at a loss. Hence, poorly defined endemic and
epidemic diseases are major impediments to productivity and impact markedly on
livelihoods.
This project will address these issues on several fronts in order to enable distribution of
improved local poultry ecotypes with enhanced productivity and production traits as well as
improved genetic resistance to important infectious diseases. Newcastle Disease has a
worldwide distribution and is of enormous economic impact; Fowl Typhoid and Fowl Cholera
remain important diseases of developing poultry systems, whilst coccidiosis, Marek’s
Disease and IBDV also remain important in developed poultry industries. Further, many
ecto- and haemoparasites exploit their hosts without provoking overt disease, yet coinfection with these agents may increase susceptibility to other diseases. Improvements in
the control of these infectious diseases and of productivity of village poultry will improve the
livelihoods of farmers and increase food security in Ethiopia and throughout Sub-Saharan
Africa and Southern Asia. Genetic resistance to major pathogens may also have direct
application to developed countries; e.g. parasitic and bacterial infections in free-range and
organic poultry production are an increasing challenge and resistant breeds of poultry may
provide the key to disease control.
The availability of genetic information from Ethiopian poultry has considerable academic
impact as a resource for study of animal genetics and evolutionary biology in particular and
will be a resource available to other scientists through the Domestic Animal Genetic
Resources Information System at ILRI and the Frozen Ark project at University of
Nottingham.
To our knowledge this is the first survey simultaneously assessing the frequency of
exposure to many major pathogens and investigating the cause of major outbreaks. This
will enable targeting of genetic improvement and development of strategies for disease
control that utilise improved birds but also incorporate other control strategies (including
technology-based strategies, such as vaccination). The role of co-infection on disease
susceptibility and prevalence has been little studied in a low input production setting. This
multi-pathogen approach has the potential for substantial impact in terms of knowledge and
in application to disease control strategies.
The socio-economic surveys enable a targeted approach to genetic improvement (based on
factors important to the local communities) and to development of strategies for disease
control that utilise improved birds but also recognise other (indigenous) control strategies.
Crucially, this ensures that developed strategies are socially acceptable. The human and
material capacity built into the proposal will have considerable impact. Two doctoratetrained researchers (plus technicians) and a laboratory equipped and skilled in diagnosis of
infectious disease will play a key role in underpinning studies and disease surveillance.
Through the international collaboration already built by this proposal, UK and local scientists
can forge networks in Africa, the UK and the wider community that will lead to future
research in genetics and infectious disease control, and in wider areas influencing animal
and public health policy and strategy.