Anyone who’s ever done a little research into what kinds of businesses prosper in Nigeria knows that farming is the hottest business right now. Today Nigerians successfully farm everything, from cassava to cucumbers.
Poultry farming in Nigeria is different from farming vegetables and fruits; often it’s more challenging and complicated, but also more rewarding. Find out how to start poultry farming and what you need to know before you begin.
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1. Benefits of poultry farming
Poultry farming for beginners may seem like a very daunting task that it’s not uncommon for young entrepreneurs to become somewhat scared away. However, it’s all worth it, because poultry business has plenty of advantages for those who decide to do it.
- Versatility: even with a small chicken farm you can get eggs, chicken meat, and sell live chicks and chickens to other farmers.
- Profit: poultry is one of the most common product in the Nigerian market, so you’ll always make money as long as your poultry farm is functioning properly.
- Marketing: unlike other business, poultry farm doesn’t need any major marketing effort, as you’ll never struggle with finding a buyer for your product.
- High ROI: you can start a pretty small poultry farm and your ROI will likely exceed your expectations, which is not guaranteed with other popular businesses.
- Family support: with your own poultry farm, your family will always have fresh eggs and meat, which means you have one less thing to worry about.
2. Poultry farming business plan
A business plan is your first step on your way to a prospering business. This step shouldn’t be taken lightly, as a poultry business plan will not only help you start the right way, but will also guide you through the whole process. Here is a guide to writing your business plan on poultry farming.
- Choose your area of interest. First, select the type of bird you want to breed. In this article, we focus on the most popular one, the chicken, but you can also choose turkey, duck, or goose.
- Next, you need to decide what you want to produce and choose the birds breed accordingly. Layer chickens produce eggs, broiler chickens are bred for meat, and hatch chickens are kept for hatching new chicks.
- Pick the location. Poultry business thrives in a rural location, which is great for beginners who don’t have a huge starting capital. However, you need to make sure that the area is still easily accessible, as doing business from a secluded location is a challenge on its own.
- Sort out your finances. The first thing to do is to choose the size of your farm. A small poultry farm of no more than 50 birds can be kept in your backyard and will cost about ₦70,000 to start. A full-size farm located on up to 2 land plots requires ₦4-5 million.
- Map out your staff. You can maintain a small farm on your own or with the help of family members, but a larger enterprise requires professional involvement, which is a major expense for a new business.
3. How to start a poultry farm
Poultry farming can be your first successful business if you do everything right. Here are the most important steps to take while you’re planning how to start a poultry farm in Nigeria.
Purchase the land
Like we said before, there is no need to splash out on expensive land – this money can surely find a better use. Instead, you need to look for a land plot that is not too far from major cities or main roads but is still located in a rural location ideal for farming.
Build your farm
In case you’re lucky and there is already the main farm structure present on your land plot than all you need to do is construct the poultry housing. Don’t forget to provide a source of clean water for the birds and add lighting and heating equipment.
Buy the chicks
Before you’re ready to bring the chicks into the farm, contact a respectable hatchery and ask them to prepare the necessary number of one-day chicks for your selected date. The cheapest chicks retail for about ₦140, but the price for high-quality chicks can go all the way up to ₦300.
Start farming
Until you try farming the poultry on your own, you’ll never truly know what it’s really like, so it’s better to start your own poultry farming process and learn other things along the way.
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