Poultry Farming In Nigeria: Overview, Cost, How to Start

Poultry farming in Nigeria is the practice of raising domestic birds for their eggs or meat, such as chickens, turkeys, emus, ducks, and geese. Poultry Farming in Nigeria has been existing for a while and it has become an integral part of the farming and agriculture system.

Poultry farming is one of Nigeria’s most profitable agricultural ventures today. It does not require a large sum of money to get started because you can do so from the comfort of your own home if you have enough space to accommodate the desired number of birds.

As a result of population expansion and rising urbanization, demand for livestock products, especially poultry, is rapidly increasing in Nigeria and across Africa. In Nigeria, poultry farming is one of the fastest expanding parts of the agricultural industry. Nigeria’s poultry sector is worth about N1.2 trillion, according to ThisDay Newspaper.

Nigeria produces the most eggs in Africa, followed by South Africa in terms of market size. Nigeria banned the importing of chickens (save for day-old chicks) in 2003, which boosted indigenous poultry output. The Nigerian poultry industry is highly fragmented, with the majority of chicken being raised in ‘backyards’ or on farms with less than 1,000 birds.

Chicken farming is the most frequent of all types of poultry farming (birds, turkeys, geese, and ducks), as farmers receive a large number of chickens on a regular basis, either for food or for farming meat. The high demand for the end product; chicken and eggs are in continual demand in the marketplace and even in many Nigerian homes today, making poultry farming very profitable since it appears to be a formidable source of animal protein outside of fish, hog, and cattle.

5 Steps To Starting A Poultry Farming In Nigeria

Do you want to create a chicken farm of your own? If that’s the case, you should go into the business well-prepared, taking into account all of its features. You must take each step carefully, from putting up some basic equipment to growing the birds and marketing your business.

Duck farming, chicken farming, quail farming, turkey farming, emu farming, broiler farming, and other types of poultry farming exist. The essential principles and procedures, however, are the same. The five fundamental steps to starting a lucrative snail farming business in Nigeria are outlined here.

Step 1 – Choose The Type Of Poultry Bird To Rear

It’s critical to have a clear idea of what type of chicken breeds to farm before you start your poultry farming business (most importantly, poultry breeds that lay a lot of eggs). Apart from locally raised chickens, there are two major breeds that are popular among poultry farmers in Nigeria today.

Broilers: Young males and Females raised for meat. They grow from a hatch weight of 40 g to a weight of approximately 1.5 to 2 kg within 6 weeks only.

Layers: Hens used for commercial egg production and then killed for meat. Layer chickens are raised from one day old. They start laying eggs at the age of 18-19 weeks and continue until they are 72-78 weeks of age.

Cockerels: Just like the broilers, cockerels are also for meat production and have a special market demand but then, their growth is very slow, unlike the broilers that grow very fast. Cockerels can survive in many environments.

Step 2 – Select A Suitable Farm Location/Site

The location of your poultry farm is critical to the success of your business. You’ll need a farm to start raising chickens. The number of birds you wish to raise should define the size of your poultry pasture. It’s usually best to start small if you have adequate land in your backyard and can’t afford to buy a new location. You can start with what you have now, but as soon as you can afford it, upgrade to a better farm.

A decent chicken farm location should be away from the city’s commotion and hustle-bustle. It should be a serene and pollution-free setting. Nearby drinking water supplies must be sufficient, clean, and fresh. In addition, the site must be devoid of poultry predators such as foxes and leopards. The location must be easily accessible from major highways in order to facilitate the delivery of farm products when they are ready to be sold.

Step 3 – Provide Good Housing And Shelter For The Birds

After securing a farm site, housing is the next most significant consideration in chicken farming. For the security and survival of your commercial poultry birds, adequate poultry housing is required. The housing system you select is entirely dependent on the breeds of chicken and the technique of production. The housing design changes depending on the sort of chicken growing method used.

The habitat that will be constructed should be large enough to allow the birds to walk around freely and run. To reduce the risk of flooding, shelters must be raised sufficiently. It should be large enough for the birds to move around freely and run. In addition, the shelter must be properly ventilated and sun-protected.

Step 4 – Feeding and Medication OF The Poultry BIRDS

Commercial chicken production necessitates the use of high-quality, nutrient-dense feed. Quality and well-kept food keep the bird healthy and productive at all times. Because tainted feed might infect birds, it must always be kept clean and dry. The key to success in the poultry farming company is fresh, healthy food. Your birds will not go thirsty. Their growth may be hampered by a lack of proper water supply.

Many poultry diseases can be avoided with proper medicine and vaccination. As a commercial poultry farmer, you’ll need a veterinary doctor on call to check on your birds when the situation arises. There are a variety of routine treatments and immunizations that can help keep your birds healthy and protect them from viruses and bacterial infections if they get an infectious disease.

Step 5 – Marketing and Sales of THE POULTRY Birds

Chicken farming is a lucrative business, and every poultry farmer hopes to make a profit after each harvest. As a result, you must focus on the marketing and sales aspects of your company. Don’t get too caught up in the operational side of your business that you forget about the sales side.

However, the following suggestions can assist you in marketing and selling your chicken: going online, selling to hotels and restaurants, advertising your items, hiring marketers, home delivery, and so on.

Cost of Starting A Poultry Farming Business

A considerable capital outlay is required for many new enterprises, which is out of reach for most business owners. In addition, a normal new business takes a long time to generate a profit. A small-scale poultry business, on the other hand, has a minimal start-up cost and quick returns.

You can start with as little as N50,000 (which effectively covers the expense of purchasing and feeding day-old chicks) and achieve a 100% return on your capital investment in as little as six months. Because chicks only take 21 days to hatch, you can start earning money in as little as three weeks. No other company can match our turnaround time.

Conclusion

Commercial poultry farming in Nigeria has generated and continues to create a lucrative economic opportunity for entrepreneurs as well as a good source of employment for job seekers. Because it is easier and less hazardous to raise day-old chicks and sell them to growers, most entrepreneurs prefer to do so. You, on the other hand, have an option.

As a business owner, you need to get your finances in order straight away, and at the heart of these feasible poultry farming business options are platforms like our online invoicing software, which makes it simple to keep track of your revenue and expenses.