23/09/2025
🐓 Guide to Starting Poultry Farming Business
1. Decide on the Type of Poultry
👉 Choose based on market demand and your budget:
-Layers – For eggs (steady income, long-term).
-Broilers – For meat (faster returns, ready in 6–8 weeks).
-Kienyeji/Improved breeds – Popular locally, hardy, fetch higher prices.
2. Market Research
-Who will buy? (Hotels, households, schools, local shops, market vendors).
-What is in high demand in your area – eggs or meat?
-Check selling price vs. cost (e.g., cost per chick, feed, vaccination).
3. Housing Setup
*Safe, well-ventilated, protected from predators.
*Enough space: overcrowding causes disease and poor growth.
-Broilers: 1 sq. ft per bird.
-Layers: 2 sq. ft per bird.
-Use locally available materials to reduce cost.
4. Chicks & Feed
-Buy quality day-old chicks from a trusted hatchery.
-Feed is the biggest cost (up to 70%). Buy in bulk if possible.
-Provide clean drinking water at all times.
5. Health & Management
-Follow a vaccination schedule (Newcastle, Gumboro, Fowl pox, etc.).
-Maintain hygiene (clean house daily, disinfect regularly).
-Separate sick birds immediately.
6. Record Keeping
Track:
-Number of chicks bought
-Feed costs
-Vaccination/medicine costs
-Mortality (if any)
-Sales (eggs/meat)
👉 This will show you if you’re making profit.
7. Cost & Profit Example (Broilers, 100 birds)
100 chicks @ KES 100 = KES 10,000
Feed & vaccines = ~KES 30,000
Misc. (water, charcoal, drugs) = KES 5,000
Total cost = ~KES 45,000
Sell after 6 weeks @ KES 600 each = KES 60,000
👉 Profit ~KES 15,000 (if well managed).
8. Growth Strategy
-Start small (50–100 birds).
-Reinvest profit into buying more chicks.
-Expand gradually to 500, 1,000+ birds.
-Later, diversify into eggs + meat + manure sales.
9. Tips for Success
✅ Start small, learn, then scale up.
✅ Always buy quality chicks & feeds.
✅ Stick to vaccination schedule.
✅ Build strong customer base (neighbors, hotels, shops).
✅ Reinvest profits instead of using them all.
