Broiler farming: How farmers can profit from meat chicken keeping

Poultry farming with a focus on the broilers is becoming a popular business for many farmers in Kenya. The demand for chicken meat has continued to grow in towns, hotels and even in households. However, for a farmer to make profits from the venture and also control production costs, the birds need to be managed well. In broiler farming, the highest cost is feed, which can consume up to 70 per cent of the total cost of production. This is the reason why farmers must be keen on the quality of feed they buy and give to their birds as a way of avoiding wastage.

The Government of Kenya, through the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, has committed to improving food security, farmer incomes and employment, especially for rural households. One of the government’s major policies is to transform livestock farming from subsistence to a commercial business. This means helping farmers produce more animals and poultry for the market rather than just for home consumption. Poultry farming is one of the easiest livestock enterprises for rural households, youth and women. Let us look at areas of farm management where farmers can reduce the cost of production and maximise profits.

Costing proper poultry housing

Normally, broilers grow more quickly and are usually ready for market within five to seven weeks. Because of this shorter growing span, they need less space than laying hens. A good broiler house should be about one square foot per bird, or be between 12 and 14 birds per square metre. The coop should have good ventilation, an open-sided design and a height of about seven feet. With the current prices of building materials in Kenya, construction of a simple house for 1,000 broilers could cost up to Sh125,000.

Cost of chicks and brooding. Most hatcheries in Kenya sell day-old broiler chicks at about Sh105 per chick. If a farmer starts with 1,000 chicks and experiences about four per cent terminal mortality, the effective cost of each bird at the end rises to about Sh109.

The first two or three weeks of chicken rearing are particularly important for the chicks. During this time, they require brooding, which includes a supply of heat or warmth, clean drinking water, wood shavings for bedding, early medications and vitamins, and also good lighting. Brooding expenses usually cost between Sh16 and Sh18 per bird.

Cost of feeders and waterers. Good equipment helps farmers avoid feed wastage, which can actually reduce profits. Recommended equipment includes round plastic feeders of three to five kilos capacity as well as plastic drinkers with five litres capacity. It is also required that one feeder and a drinker should cater for 50 birds only. For 1,000 birds, the farmer will require about 22 feeders and another 22 drinkers. For 1,000 chicks, the cost of this equipment may rise to Sh50,000. Farmers must also ensure that the birds have clean drinking water always.  

Cost of feeding the birds

Chicken feeding is the most expensive part of broiler farming, and so farmers need to manage it carefully. Farmers should follow a feeding programme recommended by their chick supplier or feed manufacturer. The birds should be fed according to their age and growth stage of the birds. For a healthy broiler, a chick must consume between 3.5 and 3.8 kilograms of feed for it to reach its slaughter weight. If a bird eats more than this feed, the farmer should check out for any possible problems, such as inferior quality feed, low energy feed or feed spillage and wastage.

Farmers should also understand the Feed Conversion Ratio (FCR). This is the total amount of kilograms of feed required to produce one kilogram of live chicken weight. A good FCR for broilers is between 1.4 and 1.6 kilos. The lower the FCR, the better the efficiency. For 1,000 broiler birds, the total feed required is between 3.5 and 3.8 tonnes, costing between Sh280,000 and Sh304,000, depending on feed prices.

Good management brings profit. For farmers to make a good profit from broilers, they should aim at raising healthy birds with good body weight, maintain a low feed conversion ratio, avoid feed wastage, buy high-quality feed and keep the mortality rate below 4 per cent. Farmers should also buy chicks from reliable hatcheries with good genetics, because such birds grow faster and use feed more efficiently.

Finally, disease control is particularly important. Farmers should follow proper vaccination schedules, maintain clean housing and consult a veterinary officer when birds show any signs of illness.

With good management, broiler chicken farming can be a profitable business for Kenyan farmers.

Dr Messo is the company veterinarian, Kenchic; watsonmesso@yahoo.com