Best Way to Start Lucrative Poultry Farming in Nigeria 2024

Filed in Articles by on February 12, 2024

Poultry Farming in Nigeria is a lucrative business but many do not know how to start this business. What will it take to start up a poultry farming business? This could be considered one of the most lucrative agricultural business ideas in Nigeria today.

Poultry Farming in Nigeria

Interestingly, you get to start with little capital. In this discourse, you will be shown all you need to know about starting up poultry farming in Nigeria. Carefully read through.

Poultry Farming has created job opportunities for every class of individuals and serves as a regular source of income for a vast number of Nigerians.

Though most individuals have invested in this business, there is still a short supply of poultry products in the country.

Frozen chicken is being smuggled into the country because most poultry farmers operate a small-scale system and cannot meet the demands of consumers.

To profit more in this business, it will be advised to carry out a commercial farming system.

This high demand has truly proven that Poultry farming in Nigeria is indeed a very lucrative business.  

The business of rearing chicken and producing eggs for sale has created an opportunity for some young graduates, retired civil servants, and others to earn a regular income and also employ a countless number of Nigerians. 

In recent times, there has been an increment and major investment in poultry farming but yet still, I have discovered that there is still a shortfall in the supply of chicken meat and eggs in the country.

Starting Poultry Farming in Nigeria

Poultry farming is of different types such as duck rearing, rearing chicken, quails, turkey, emu, broiler, etc. However, the principles and practices underlying are the same.

Below are the five basic steps you need to follow to start a profitable snail-farming business in Nigeria. Steps include:

Choose the Type of Poultry Bird to Rear

Before you kickstart your poultry farming business venture, it is important to have a clear picture of what type of poultry breeds to farm (most importantly, poultry breeds that lay a lot of eggs).

In Nigeria today, aside from locally grown chickens, two major breeds are common among poultry farmers.

1. Broilers

Young males and females were 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.

2. Layers

Hens are 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.

3. Cockerels

Just like broilers, cockerels are also for meat production and have a special market demand but then, but their growth is very slow, unlike the broilers which grow very fast.

Cockerels can survive in many environments.

A Suitable Farm Location/Site

Where your poultry farm is situated is very important for your business. To start poultry, you need a farm site.

The size of the poultry farmland should be determined by the number of birds you want to rear. If you have enough land in your backyard and can’t afford to acquire a new site, it’s always better to start small.

You can start with what you have but make it a priority to get a better farm as soon as you can afford it.

A good poultry farm site should be away from the chaos and hustle-bustle of the city. It should be a calm and pollution-free environment. The farm must have adequate, clean, and fresh drinking water sources nearby.

Housing and Shelter for the Birds

When it comes to poultry farming, housing is the next important factor after getting a farm site. Proper poultry housing is necessary for the protection and survival of your commercial poultry birds.

The Housing system you choose totally depends on the poultry breeds and farming method. Housing design varies by various types of poultry raising methods.

The housing to be built should be spacious enough to permit free movement and running of the birds. shelters must be raised adequately to prevent the risk of flooding. It should be spacious enough to permit free movement and running of the birds.

Feeding and Medication

For commercial poultry production, good quality, highly nutritious food is a must.

Quality and neat feeds keep the bird healthy always and very productive. The feed must be kept clean and dry always, as contaminated feed can infect poultry.

Fresh quality and nutritious food is the key to success in the poultry farming business. Your birds need not lack water. Lack of adequate water supply can impede their growth.

Marketing and Sales

Poultry farming is a profitable business and the desire of every poultry farmer is to make good sales after every harvest.

So you need to pay attention to the marketing and sales aspects of your business. Do not be caught up in the operational aspect of your business so much that you ignore the sales aspect.

Nevertheless, the following ideas can help you in the marketing and sales of your chicken; taking your business online, selling to hotels and restaurants, advertising your products, employing marketers, home delivery, etc.

Equipment for Starting Poultry Farming

Equipment for starting poultry farming are:

1. Feeders

Feeders are equipment used in feeding poultry birds. The food is deposited in the feeder and the birds feed on it. The number of feeders provided for a poultry farm should be according to the number of birds available.

You must always keep the feeders clean to ensure the health and safety of the birds. 

2. Heaters or Brooders

The temperature of the poultry farm must be regulated especially during cold weather.

The heater or brooder is the equipment used in regulating and increasing the temperature of the poultry farm. These help to keep the birds warm when the weather is cold. 

3. Incubator

This is an instrument used in hatching eggs. Egg hatchery with an incubator can be described as a means of hatching eggs unnaturally. These means can be employed when there are many eggs to be hatched. 

4. Chick Box

The chick box is equipment where the poultry birds are kept for egg-laying. It has a roll-away egg tray attached to it so that when eggs are laid, they roll away and the birds will not trample on the eggs.

This particular equipment helps in preventing egg damage. 

5. Fly Tray

Flytrap is the equipment used in controlling the number of flies around a poultry farm. It helps poultry farmers reduce the number of flies in the poultry. 

6. Poultry Plucker Rubber Finger

This is equipment applied to the chicken dressing machine. These rubber fingers are fixed to the bottom and side plate of the dressing machine to produce many dressed chickens in a short period. 

7. Egg Tray

This is the equipment used in setting the eggs. Just like the name, it is tray-like equipment where the eggs are placed for sampling. 

8. Poultry Incubator Controller

A poultry incubator controller is the equipment used for controlling the incubator and timer counter. It displays the temperature and humidity conditions of the incubator. 

9. Laying Nest

A laying nest is another piece of equipment that helps the birds for laying eggs. One of the advantages of this equipment is that it increases the egg productivity of poultry birds. 

10. Egg Scale

This is the equipment used in weighing the weight of the eggs.

It helps the poultry farmer know the eggs that are fertile enough for hatchery because it is assumed that an underweight egg does not have what it takes to form a chick. 

11. Egg Washer

An egg washer is an equipment that makes use of a powder called egg washing powder.

Water is added to the egg washer and then the egg washing powder is added also. It is used for washing the eggs before delivery. 

12. Water Pots and Drinkers

Neat water is required for growth and digestion in poultry birds just like in humans. Therefore, the drinkers are equipment used for supplying water to the birds.

However, you must ensure that the drinkers are washed regularly to avoid disease. 

13. Cages and Coops

This poultry equipment is used for keeping poultry birds. Coops and cages are poultry equipment suitable for small-scale poultry farming.

Poultry farming in Nigeria is a rapidly growing industry, so why wait, start now! 

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