How to start a Profitable Poultry Farm

Poultry production is the art of efficiently managing a poultry farm to convert feed to flesh or for egg production. In General, poultry is a domesticated avian species that can be raised for eggs, meat and /or feathers. Poultry covers a wide range of birds, from indigenous and commercial breeds of chickens to turkeys, guinea fowl, geese, quail. etc.

  Poultry production requires that you invest your time, energy, and money to be sustainable over the long term. Therefore, it is essential to conduct a survey in which key questions must be answered honestly before deciding to launch into a poultry venture.

Classification of Poultry Planning stages

Poultry farmers must first decide on the following :

•   Poultry Breeds
•   Housing
•   Floor  & Equipment
•   Drinkers and Feeders
•   Brooding
•   Feeding
•   Health & Disease Management
•   Pen Management
•   Biosecurity
•   Farm Record Keeping

Poultry Breed Selection

   As a poultry farmer who's venturing into the rearing of birds commercially, the first question you need to ask yourself is why are you keeping these birds? is it for meat production or egg production? Your answer will determine your poultry breeds. We have pure breeds and hybrids, Pure breeds are stronger, and eat more food but grow slowly, while hybrids grow faster, and consume less food making them suitable for commercial production.: Examples of poultry breeds are:

1.  Rhodes Island Red
2.  Plymouth Rock
3.  White Leghorn
4. Black Australorp

Recommended breeds for commercial poultry production are hybrids. It is worth stating here that you should choose your breeds for either Egg or Flesh production but not for both

Housing

Housing is very vital in providing safety from the weather, predators, and other harsh conditions. The results you get from the poultry business are related to how well-constructed and ventilated the pen house is.  kindly pay attention to the following when constructing your poultry pen:

• Ensure the direction of the pen runs from east to west
• The roof should be high enough to allow cross-ventilation 
• Cross-ventilation will aid in the escape of ammonia build-up from the pen
• Note that 2 to 3 square feet per bed are good to avoid competition for space
• For brooding - a calculated space of ½ square feet per bird is desirable

Floor Management                  

The floor of a poultry pen must be flat and smooth. It must have a good depth of litter cover (sawdust, wood shaving, etc) and be at least 2cm deep for floor systems. Types of equipment used in the poultry are numerous depending on the system, Whether it is a cage or floor system. 

Floor Equipment

Drinkers: for floor systems, drinkers are important to give birds clean and fresh water. The water lines could be (bell drinkers) designed for easy jobs or plastic drinkers.

Feeders: Poultry must have continual access to feed in properly adjusted feeders, waste should be avoided or minimized to a minimum because feeding costs account for about 65-70% of the cost of production, as well as the success of a poultry business. Feeding is an essential part of a successful Poultry business - because what you feed them also corresponds to their output.

Brooding                  

Brooding is a major aspect of poultry farms. Failure in poultry starts from poor brooding because poor planning at the brooding stage is irreversible. Take as an example - the point of lay that are caged that is raised from a day old till they are sixteen to weeks seventeen weeks when they are about to start laying. If there is a problem or a process has been altered in their life, such farms that raise such birds will have problems in the long run. For instance, when it comes to health and diseases, there are some diseases and sicknesses that originated from the hatchery. It is during the process of brooding that steps are taken to correct for example vaccination and drugs administered in the first three weeks to combat what would later affect them in their life., and if such drugs and vaccination are not given when they are at the stage it spells doom for the person who owns the poultry or flocks. A brooding exercise is a crucial process, and it is highly recommended to procure your chicks (day-old chick or seed) from a reputable hatchery to avoid issues related to poor hatching. It is normal to have morality (2 to 5 in 100), however, a higher mortality rate of day-old chicks may likely come from the brooding exercise. 

Choice of feeding also matters, chicks at their very early stage. it is advisable to give them pelleted feeds or crumbs. it is better than giving them mashed because pelleted feeds contain all nutrients needed for their growth at this stage. Mashed can later be given to bigger birds because of the calcium involved so that they would be able to satisfy their calcium need. It is advisable to let the birds select their feed and balance their diet themselves. it is called choice feeding or choice selection. however, due to the technicality involved, pelleted or crumbs are the best feeding choice at this stage. it is better to give them a starter feed with metabolism and energy levy that is equivalent to the rations of a broiler so that they can attain a good weight at a very good time 

For a successful brooding, source your breed from a reliable hatchery. Prepare your brooding properly, the source of heat should be provided and regulated optimally. The housing should be constructed to support the process, with no heat loss (the brooding area should conserve heat). 

In case your brooding pen is open type, you may consider buying a double-sided (outside black-inside white) tarpaulin cover. The outer black side will absorb heat, while the inner white will preserve the heat. The best time for a chick to grow is when they have just arrived within ten days, give them ambient heat within their comfort zone, and give them feed that is high in energy - due to their tender nature, they need your help to grow properly. Monitor and ensure they eat, and drink.

Also pay attention to their behavior toward heat, when they haul together or move toward the heat source - it means the temperature is too low(The environment is too cold) if they move far away from the heat (The environment is too hot). The point is those behaviors are their sign of communicating to you.

Feeding as earlier said accounts for 60 to 70% of the cost of production. However, in the first two to three weeks you are not to measure food for the chicks, you just let them eat as they want. Especially the first two weeks, later you can start rationing their food based on some chart to prevent wastage of food.

Management Essential from Day Old

1. The pen environment should be clean and disinfected, and all materials from the previous stock should be removed.
2. The house temperature 24 hours before  should be between 29 to 31 degrees Celsius to ensure that everything in the room is warm.
3. Watch the behaviors of the chicks - how they eat, drink, and general outlook.
4. Monitor their body weight, good early growth is critical, try to achieve as much as possible weight in the 5th week, because the frame and internal organs development take place during this period.
5. The bird should be monitored for weekly growth and uniform growth. Any negative deviation from the standard should be looked into.
6. Ensure you provide ample drinking water and fresh feeds to the brooders and ensure good biosecurity is very very important.
7.  From the 5th to the 14th week if the body weight is above the standard, you try to attain a uniform body weight per week, however, at the 5th week, if the body weight is lower than the attainable standard, it means something is not right somewhere . 
8. From the 14th week onward, you can try as much as possible to achieve a body weight that is as high as possible.
9. After 16th weeks, body weight development is critical to start egg production. Avoid unnecessary stress for the birds during this time.
10. Housing for the bird should be done at the 17th week, sometimes at the 16th week, they might start dropping.
11. Ensure uniformity of the flock to guarantee the same egg production. 75% uniformity at the 10th week, and 80% when they are 15th weeks old
12.  Remember to give them the BEST  and QUALITY food in the first two weeks, and you will be equally rewarded in the 17th week when they start egg production.

 Important Terms

• 0 to 6 weeks - Starters
• 6 to12 weeks - Growers
• 12 to 16weeks - Grower 2 or Pre-lay
• Above 16 weeks - Layers

At each stage of their life, the quantity and composition of their feeds is the requirement based on their nutritional needs. These feeds help them maximize their potential in giving you the results desired. If they are over-fed in some stages, there might be problems - even amounting to food wastage as a result of poor management. Food formulation is one thing, how it is administered is another. Therefore, pay attention to detail to capture any red flag that may hunt you down the road in the business.

Record Keeping  

Record keeping is the day-to-day keeping of all the activities going on in the pen or on the farm as a whole. It shows you what going on on the farm - Food consumption, mortality rate, the quantity of eggs produced daily, etc. As an example- for egg production, there is a standard chart you can compare your layers' production with. It helps you detect early if there is a problem or your staff is ripping you off. The farm record will show you if you are running at a lost, break-even, or profitable

Summary

The Poultry business is not an easy one. It is a learning process. You should start slowly and expand as you gain more experience. Please note that you may/have setbacks, but you must persevere and seek advice when you have problems or need help. Remember, if you are kind to your birds and treat them well, they will respond positively to you.