Fast Yielding Business
As the market for poultry products grows, some small-scale entrepreneurs have taken up the challenge of providing these by going into poultry business.

Aside making money and a living from the business, Nike Oguntade, a poultry owner, said it is one good way to sustain one’s lifestyle.

Disclosing that the business is one of the most lucrative, if well-managed, she said operators’ fortunes could change overnight. According to her, it is an enterprise one can run alongside other businesses without any stress.

“One can start it on a small space of land in one’s backyard or on rented property and it is not as tasking as some people believe. Chicken matures very fast, which means one can never be lacking supplies, if he/she knows how to manage the various breeds,” she said.

Oguntade disclosed that the demand for poultry products is high, which means aside chicken, one can have steady income from sales of eggs and chicken droppings to farmers for manure.

“To start getting proceeds, one must first secure the poultry, by fencing it. Let there be cross ventilation to allow adequate air for the birds. The way one ventilates the poultry could determine the success or failure of the business. Ventilation is important, because it regulates the temperature, which determines the feeding pattern and the birds’ growth. If the temperature is too high, the birds won’t eat as much as they are supposed to.

“The adverse effect of this is that when the birds do not eat well, they will not grow well and this will tell on their output, in terms of the eggs they lay, their weight, look and ability to withstand infections. The overall effect is that it will tell on how much they would likely bring in, because the bigger and weightier a chicken is, the higher the price,” she explained.

Corroborating Oguntade’s view, Kudiratu Lasis, a poultry owner in Iba, said the business is experiencing significant growth, because of the increase in the demand for local chickens, which some people believe tastes better than imported frozen chicken. Lasis disclosed that she makes between N100, 000 and N180, 000 per month from sales of the birds and between N250, 000 and N300, 000 during festivals.

According to her, one can vary the quantity of chicken supply in the market, depending on the period.

She said: “There is always a very high demand for chicken during the Yuletide period. So, beginning from October, I start stocking broilers and by second or third week of December, they are already in the market.

“There are three types of chickens: cockerels, layers and broilers. Cockerels take five to six months to mature with good food, while broilers take seven to eight weeks and 19 weeks for layers. Knowing this would enable one identify a particular breed to prepare for a particular period or market.”

Analysing the profit margin, Lasis said chicken grows fast and investors can begin to make money by beginning with selling the six to eight week-old, which are already looking big and good for eating. However, left to their devices, these domestic animals reach maturity around five months and within this period, the pullets will start laying eggs and the cockerels will crow.

“I sell between 50 and 60 crates of eggs in a week, which rakes in between N25, 000 and N40, 000 weekly. This, however, depends on the sizes of the eggs, because small eggs go for between ₦600 and ₦650, while the bigger ones sell for ₦700 and ₦750,” she said.

On what new entrants need to begin the business, Bose Komolafe, put it between N50, 000 and ₦70, 000, as one can begin small-scale poultry business with about 40 or 50 birds, which cost between N120 and N200 per one. The birds are kept in cages in conducive environment and are replaced, as they grow and are sold.

Aside this, one also needs to meet those in the business to learn about effective management of the birds, how and when to change their feed or water, as well as remove their faeces to avoid contamination and lower the risk of diseases.

“One must know what a particular breed of chicken eats. Good food would help chicken remain healthy and lay lots of eggs. So, if you cannot afford quality poultry pellet, do ensure you have such grains as soya cakes, worms, maize, groundnuts, insects and any other meat produce. If the birds are well fed, there is the certainty that within six months, one would recoup his investment, because it is a fast-yielding venture.

“Of equal importance is disinfecting the poultry location prior to the arrival of the birds to sanitise it, as well as prevent lizards and rodents from getting into the house. Lizards and rodents eat chicken feed, eggs, and chicks and could contaminate feed, water and coops with droppings, urine and hair.

“Rodents also carry lice, fleas and mites and other parasites and could transmit diseases or cause other harm that are not only injurious to the chicken, but also to man,” she said.

Is there any particular breed one is expected to start with?

Ikere Olorotu, a poultry owner said no. He added that the choice of bird one wants depends on interest. Advising new entrants to first understudy the type of breed and know the peculiarities before putting them in the poultries, he disclosed that it is proper for a new entrant to begin with a particular breed and later diversify, by introducing additional breeds. This, according to him, would reduce the cost spent on maintenance, as well as, enable an investor to grow on the business.

“Start with healthy day old chicks, grow them, ensure that you know all about them, and then move to other breeds. While some breeds are able to withstand cold weather and still produce, majority of the birds are unable to do so. In fact, in extreme weather condition, they go molt (loss of feathers) and stop producing. It is during the period of small beginning that one learns this,” he said.

To maximise profit, one has to capitalise on all areas of the business, such as selling chicken droppings as organic fertilizer to farmers and selling eggs, not only for household consumption, but also to hotels.

Some Poultry Success Tips

• Maintain a clean environment to discourage the breeding of rodents and germs.
• Know when and how to feed the birds.
• Provide a comfortable temperature, know when to feed them.
• Expose the birds to light to boost production.
• Avoid high temperature.
• Always keep birds healthy.
• Give quality food, for good nutrition results in good production.