In this series we looked at how small and backyard poultry farmers can start their own poultry farming business. After covering housing, nutrition and security, you are almost ready to have free-roaming chickens in a healthy and safe environment.

But any investment needs return. In the last of the Poultry Farming 101 series we look at marketing and making money. Being a chicken farmer is a great way for earning an extra income. But for any business you wish to start up, the first thing you need is to have a business plan.

Things you need to keep in mind before starting up: 

• What are your goals: How large do you want your brood to be? Will you be selling live chickens, only selling eggs or selling both. Measuring the space you have available to see how many chickens you can accommodate in a healthy environment is crucial here.
• Your target market: Do some market research on where you will sell your products and who will buy them. Find out what your potential clients are looking for and see if this is something you can accommodate.
• A marketing plan: How will you market your products, what is the market price for chickens and for eggs.
• The costs involved: You will have to work out how much starting-up capital your farm will cost you. This can include the price of the initial chicks, building the chicken coup, feeders and waterers, building a nesting area for the hens to lay eggs, feed, heating lamps and bio-security measures among others. Also keep in mind that you must have money available for emergencies like medicine if some of the chickens get sick.

After you have set out your business plan and prepared for your chickens, you can start farming. The World Poultry Organisation (WPO) has many resources available to assist you with the planning of your business, and tips to help you along the way. They suggest you buy a mixture of male and female teen birds from a reputable brooder unit. These birds will be about 4 weeks old.

For the first ten weeks you can help your birds grow by letting them forage outside and providing them with 25 to 50 grams of supplemental feed every day. After ten weeks your male birds should be ready for sale, once they have a market weight of around 2 kg. Keep the female birds as they will begin to lay eggs at around 16 to 18 weeks. You can use some of the money that you made from selling the male birds to buy more teen birds. By reinvesting this money, you can ensure that your business grows. Once the hens start laying eggs you can begin to sell the eggs as well. This will add to your income and this money can also be reinvested in your farm.

You can use the money from the eggs to buy more birds or feeders and waterers for the increase in birds. The male birds from your second purchase will be ready to sell at about 20 weeks, once again you can keep the females to lay eggs. Continue this pattern until you have a good-sized flock of birds. This will depend on the space you have available, but a flock of 20 to 30 birds is a manageable flock.

At week 80 you can start thinking of selling the female birds from your first purchase. You will know a female bird is ready to be sold when she stops laying eggs. When buying your first chicks it is crucial to choose a reputable brooder unit. Healthy chicks can save you money and be beneficial for the growth of your business. Although there may sometimes be cheaper chicks available, they can cost you money through losses or illness if they do not come from a reputable brooder unit.

How to choose the right brooder unit:

•Poultry experience: They must know how to rear birds and pay attention to detail.
•Premises: Look at the environment they keep the chicks in. Is it clean, are bio-security measures in place, is there enough food and water for the chicks.
•Do your research: Research hatcheries with good reviews and a solid reputations for quality chicks.
•Vaccinations: Check if the chicks are vaccinated against common poultry diseases.
•Customer service: Look for hatcheries that offer good customer support, who are willing to answer your questions.

What a quality day-old chick should look like:

•A healthy day-old chick should be alert, active and have a fluffy appearance.
•Their eyes should be bright and clear without any discharge.
•Their beaks should be clean and straight.
•Their feathers should be fluffy and cover their bodies uniformly. It should be dry, not sticky or matted.
•They should have strong, straight legs with no signs of swelling or deformities. Their feet should be free from sores or injuries.
•There should be no fecal matter clinging to their bodies, showing good digestion. Good business practices should be second nature for your poultry farm. This means keeping record of not only your finances but of your flock as well.

Keep your hens for egg laying and sell them once they stop laying eggs.

You can keep record of your flock by keeping book of:

•How many birds you have in your flock. Record the initial number of birds you have bought; add any additional birds you buy and subtract those that you sell on the market.
•It is a good idea to make note of how many birds have been sold or how many have died, including which are male and which are female.
•Keep record of how many hens you have that are laying eggs.
•Note how many eggs they produce, how many eggs you sell and how many eggs you lose or use for personal consumption.

What to record in your financial ledger:

•How much you initially invested
•How much your expenses are
•How much you make from selling chickens
•How much you make form selling eggs
•Any additional expenses that you may encounter

Just like you are looking for quality chicks, your clients will be looking for quality eggs.

You can ensure you have clean quality eggs by keeping to these rules:

•Keep the litter in the house dry and clean, remove and replace areas that get wet.
•Provide sufficient laying nests for your hens. Quiet places, avoiding direct sunlight, that are easy to find.
•Train your hens to lay eggs in the nests, this minimises the chances of them laying eggs on the floor.
•The nests should be kept clean and dry.
•Collect eggs regularly throughout the day.
•Use clean, undamaged trays or packing material.
•Always place eggs in a tray with the bigger side up.
•Do not put eggs in a basket because they can crack.
•Clean the egg storage area only when there are no eggs, to prevent egg contamination.
•Ensure your hands are clean when handling the eggs.

Dual Purpose Poultry (DPP) is the best choice if you are looking for hardened birds that can lay eggs and be sold to eat.

You can sell your male birds once they weigh at least 2 kg.

Benefits of DPP:

•More productive
•Do not require expensive inputs
•Lay a lot more eggs, even without supplemental feed
•Males grow faster
•Low mortality
•Just need a simple shelter

With these basic principles you can quickly be on your way to a thriving poultry business. You can find more resource material and videos on the WPF website at www.worldpoultryfoundation.org