Beginner's full guide to thriving kuku business – Poultry farming

Claudet Shipiti poultry manager at Bugslife Protein Ltd checks on chickens. [Wilberforce Okwiri, Standard]

1. Introduction

For a young first-time poultry farmer, venturing in can be a daunting task. Besides the need to build a poultry house, you need to equip yourself with basic management knowledge in poultry production and marketing. 

For one to run a successful poultry farming business, it requires a high level of expertise, understanding and commitment. Here are 10 lessons to consider in your journey to a successful poultry farming occupation.

2. Business plan

It is extremely important to visualise what you want to do and draw a plan of action. There are several options available - egg production, poultry for meat production or rearing of free range improved ‘kienyeji’ for home consumption. If you want to do broiler production, ask yourself and your networks how many broilers you want to keep per cycle and what is the customers’ preference in the market. If you target to sell eggs or meat, how many hotels, restaurants, supermarket, shops, bars are available in your location? Put these down in a summary. You will need initial investment capital or borrow funds for constructing chicken house/unit, to buy equipment and the working capital to keep the process going until the products hit the market. Failure to plan, is like planning to fail. Most chick producers will give you a costing for your birds from placement to end of production. 

Rosemary Njoki feeds her two-day-old chicks in Kikambala, Kilifi county.

3. Constructing a chicken house

A good structure is paramount to achieving high performance of any flock. It is an animal welfare requirement that all animals in confinement are housed in an environment that guarantees them comfort from predators and unfavourable weather conditions (rain, wind, scorching sun). The house should be constructed on an East-West orientation to avoid direct sunlight getting into the chicks.  The house should be open sided to allow good ventilation and the perimeter wall should not be higher than three feet from the ground. The walls can be made of bricks, iron sheet or silver board while the rest of the open space should be covered with wire mesh coupled with Kuku net to prevent wild birds from accessing the feed. Floors can be cemented or just impacted. The main objective is to provide an environment that permits the birds to achieve optimum performance in terms of growth, feed efficiencies, uniformity, and production without compromising their health and welfare. The house should provide adequate space for the flock to be comfortable. The ideal stocking density should be two square feet per bird (2sqfeet/bird) for layers and one square foot per bird (1sqfoot/bird) for broilers. It will cost you Sh250,000 for 1,000 layers or 2,000 broilers, spending on iron sheets, stones, posts, round poles, kuku net and labour.

4. Sourcing for top-quality chicks

For commercial layers, go for the following traits, a prolific egg layer, with high livability, high egg peak production and prolonged laying period. For a meat bird, low mortality, high average daily gain in weight and efficient feed conversion are more desirable traits. However, these performances must be supported with good poultry husbandry practices and management. Choose a good supplier in the market. If in doubt, seek advice from trusted sources. For layers, the best breeds include but not limited to ISA brown, Hy-line, Lohman or Shavers, while broilers are Cobb 500, Abor Acres or Hubbard. One day-old layer chick will cost you Sh120 to Sh130 while a broiler will go for Sh75 to Sh85, dual purpose retails at Sh90 to Sh100.

5. Get a good Stockman

A good poultryman need to be trained to use all the five fundamental senses of hearing, sight, smell, taste and touch. He or she must be able to recognise bird’s vocalisation, breathing and respiratory sounds and any other unusual movements within the poultry site. Workers must be very observant while in the units and can recognise how the birds are distributed in the units, whether they are feeding and drinking, presence of dust, air quality and the demeanour of the birds. They should be able to smell presence of excess ammonia in the house and taste the kind of water available to the birds. Employ the right person and pay a decent compensation. Most farmers pay between Sh7,000 to Sh10,000 depending on flock size per month.

6. Chick management

The most important period in the life of a flock is the brooding stage. The units must be prepared before the chick’s arrival by cleaning and thorough disinfection. Chick’s bedding must be of good quality and well spread in the units. The units must be well heated to provide adequate warmth to these juvenile birds as soon as they are placed. Correct litter and temperature are vital to ensure the chicks are active and feeding in the first four weeks of life. The house should be heated to 35 degrees centigrade for the first week and this temperature reduced by two degrees centigrade weekly until week four when brooding is not needed. Brooding rings should be gradually expanded from day three and completely removed by day ten. Establish a minimum ventilation rate from day one to provide fresh air and at the same time remove waste gases from the house and create a balanced temperature and humidity for growth and development. On average you will spend Sh5 to Sh8 per bird on brooding costs for the period.

7. Provision of feed and water

Good water quality and robust feed are important in the development of the body frame and organs of the birds. Feed is the greatest expense in commercial poultry production therefore it is important to buy from a reputable miller who can assure consistency in the quality. Broiler feeds are available in different textures as mash, crumbs or pellets. It is important to note that the difference is in the texture and not in the nutrient composition which is the same. However, birds perform better with crumbs and pellets compared to mash. You will spend about Sh300 to produce 1.7kg live chicken.