Poultry Farming Feasibility Study

Poultry farming has proven to be very lucrative .With so many people eating and having chicken for breakfast, lunch and dinner, you don’t need to be a college graduate to figure out that there is a huge demand for chickens.

Demand is huge but the supply can barely keep up. Fortunes are made by huge chicken farms. This article will help you go through the steps and will teach you how to start a poultry farm business and get a share of the market.

Chickens are already an integral part of human life. Chickens are one of the major sources of animal meat, aside from pork and fish. As a business, they offer an opportunity for people to earn big that’s why there are many poultry farms out there. One of the major customers for poultry farms are the major fast-food companies, although some of them have their own chicken farms to supply their needs.
Don’t get behind the profits, and start setting up your poultry farms now. It is not hard to do so. Here are some useful tips that can help you along your way.

Setting up a poultry farm requires a lot of money, as poultry farming requires an expanse of land a hectare or more wide. You would also have to procure a large herd of chickens that are more than hundreds in number in order to generate the proper returns in income. Fortunately, you can avail yourself of loans that are offered to those that are starting or even those that are already in the business.
The loans can be used to cover these aspects of the business:

·         Start-up costs for the farm

·         Construction expenses

·         Animal feeds

·         Operational expenses that need to be paid urgently.

It is also easy to apply for these loans, as there are lenders that can be found online aside from the local loan providers in your area. The terms and conditions of these loans can also be customized for your needs and your circumstances. You can also choose from secured and unsecured poultry loans. Some lenders will also offer you advice from experts on the poultry business, aside from the monetary aid that you will be getting.

Getting Your Poultry Farm Compliant With Regulations

Another important preparation is to comply with regulations. If you plan on engaging in free range farming, then you have to make sure that the operations of your farm and the treatment of your chickens comply with regulations that are formulated for businesses like yours. Check with your local government agencies regulating laws and regulations promulgated for poultry farms.

Eating chicken and raising chicken are not the same for your information. So if you are thinking that it’s as easy as eating a drumstick, I think this business venture is not for you. First of all chickens will eat about anything so you do have to consider sanitary measures otherwise it just becomes really gross to think about. So yes, learning about chicken include what they eat, how long they lay eggs, their life span and how to care for them in different stages of their life. Find some books and eBooks from web on how to raise chickens. Grab a book and read about them. Try to raise few before setting up a farm is not a bad idea.

Decide what breed of chicken you want

After you have read a few things about chicken, reflect on what goals do you have for your farm. Make sure you have the right chicken breed to match your goals. A black leg horn chicken for example will lay more eggs than a white leg horn chicken can ever make. However because the breed is of stronger decent, further fortifications are needed to accommodate such chicken.

Find reputable chicken supplier

Order your baby chicks from a trusted dealer. Try searching the web for such dealers. There are literally hundreds of them to choose from. Better yet ask another chicken farm owner where he gets his chicks from. Get a second option about such matters. Read chicken farm reviews and visit supplier farms with high rating practices. Get way ahead from competitor chicken farms by getting good sources of baby chicks.

Plan a budget for your operation

Calculate and make an intelligent estimate how much it will cost you to run a chicken farm operation. You will need to account for weekly expenses for feeds, water system, and heat for younglings. Get additional funding for your start up chicken farm expenses by soliciting help from close friends and relatives. You may also want to get a bank loan just in case. Your expenses will depend on how huge you want your operation to be.

Location for chicken farm

Find an area where you can build a chicken coop. If you have a small parcel of land, begin with small coop. A bigger coop may mean purchasing a bigger lot area which may entail do business with a real estate broker. The choice is up to you.

Gather your chicken farm supplies

After you have solved where to get your chicks, get supplies you can use for your chicken coop. Also find a dealer for your chicken feeds. Again search the web for different types but a good way to know what type to buy is by consulting a veterinarian. Your chickens will need a doctor to check on them and vaccinate them too so a vet can not only recommend vitamins and other supplements but what feeds to buy as well.

After you have solved where to get your chicks, get supplies you can use for your chicken coop. Also find a dealer for your chicken feeds. Again search the web for different types but a good way to know what type to buy is by consulting a veterinarian. Your chickens will need a doctor to check on them and vaccinate them too so a vet can not only recommend vitamins and other supplements but what feeds to buy as well. If you decide to set up a processing plant, companies like chris farm Nigeria limited, (www.chrisfarmnigeria.blogspot.com) can help provide you with many of the processing and packaging needs that you will have.

Equipments required for chicken farming

·         Chicken feeding and watering equipment

·         Chicken processing machinery (if you want to setup a processing unit as well.)

·         Chicken waste disposal equipment

·         Disease and pest control equipment

·         Incubating equipment

Adequate Medical Coverage for Your Chickens

Chickens are just like your children and other animals. To ensure continuous production of chicken and eggs, your chickens should be regularly checked by veterinarians to ensure their health. Sick chickens will negatively affect your production, so it is important to have adequate medical coverage for your poultry animals.

Floor space required depends with the chicken type. 3 sq ft needed for light chicken and 4 sq ft required for general purpose chicken.

There are many types of chicken sheds but the most popular ones are the cage sheds and floor sheds are the ancient ones.

30,000 sq ft house is needed for 10,000 chickens, if you prefer cage type shed then the built-up area will be 4000 sq ft to 7500 sq ft depending on the type of cage you use in your poultry farm. Average space needed for a bird in cage type shed is from 0.4 – 0.75 sq ft.