10 Ways To Maximise Profit In Poultry Business
- Don't buy cheaper feed.
- Measure the feed you give your flock daily.
- Weigh a sample of your birds regularly.
- Spend some time in the flock unit.
- Invest in a footbath at every entrance to a poultry unit.
- Restrict visitors to your farm.
- Vaccinate your birds as per your health plan.
- Know your customers and reach them directly.
- Keep records.
- Invest in Chicken.
Poultry farming is one of the fastest-growing businesses in Africa. It's a highly profitable business if you run it in the most appropriate manner, which provides a conducive environment for the birds.
If you are planning to invest in poultry this year, here are 10 Ways to focus on to stay ahead of the competition.
1. Don't buy cheaper feed.
Feed is the biggest component of the cost of any chicken production, be it meat or egg production. It accounts for 70% of all the other components. The major component of feed is maize and soya and those two are not cheap. Buy feed that will consistently give you the target kilo of meat per feed fed and the target amount of eggs per kilogramme of feed at a lower cost and not at a cheaper cost. The two are different.
2. Measure the feed you give your flock daily.
Some farmers just give feed to their birds. This must stop if you want to make a profit. You must measure a gram per bird of all the feed allocations daily as per the established standards of your breed. In some farms I have gone to, 10% of the feed is wasted on the floor or the litter and goes unaccounted for. Build a habit of calculating how much feed is being converted to kilo grams of meat or eggs. As a rule of thumb, 1kg of layer feed should give you 5-6 eggs during production and 1.6-7 kg of broiler Crumble feed should give you 1 kg of live weight, this is the feed conversion ratio.
3. Weigh a sample of your birds regularly.
Make a habit of weighing 5% of your birds from the date of placement to the week of slaughter or point of lay if they are pullets. This practice, though laborious, will inform you when things are going wrong early in advance for you to make corrective actions.
4. Spend some time in the flock unit.
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Set aside some time to walk in your flock unit. The best times to visit the flock are very early in the morning during feeding time and late in the evening just before the lights go out. We refer to this as ‘walking the birds’. It’s during this period when you physically appraise your flocks on feeding habits, watering, flock density, and general health. It also reduces incidences of flip over or heart attack.
5. Invest in a footbath at every entrance to a poultry unit.
Footbaths are the best and first line of dedefenceor your flocks in case of a disease outbreak. Ensure you always keep it clean and regularly replace it with a potent disinfectant.
6. Restrict visitors to your farm.
Biosecurity is all about processes or procedures that you must put in place to prevent the introduction of disease-causing organisms or agents from infecting your precious flocks. Avoid unnecessary visitors into the precincts of your flocks, as history has it that people are the main conveyors of poultry disease agents.
7. Vaccinate your birds as per your health plan.
Just like you insure your car against unknown accidents, likewise, you vaccinate your birds against airborne diseases whose spread cannot be prevented through physical barriers. Do not skip vaccinations as this exercise is the single most important activity that boosts the immune system of birds against some of the worst notifiable diseases like Gumboro, Newcastle, and fowl typhoid.
8. Know your customers and reach them directly.
Take time to know your customers and build a long-lasting relationship. This is your year of severing that relationship with power brokers or cartels, whose interests are buying birds cheaply and selling to restaurants, and fast-food managers at high prices.
9. Keep records.
Record keeping is an important tool to assess your performance and shed light on areas that need improvement. Record your feed consumption, weights, losses, temperatures, visitors, profit margins, water intakes, and gains in weights. Compare the performance of each flock against the previous.
10. Invest in Chicken.
Keep your chickens healthy and happy always, avoid the use of unnecessary prescription medication, and give them plenty of water and space for growing, playing, and sleeping. Keep litter dry and allow birds to exercise and exhibit their natural feelings in a conducive environment.
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