Agribusiness
How To Start Chicken Business In Kenya
In the modern day Kenyan, most young people are involved in technology related careers such that it would not be a wonder to see that in the five or ten years to come, we might have less people producing agricultural products for the country’s population.
It is for this reason that despite my background in a technology related Bachelor’s course, I developed interest in chicken rearing especially the ‘kienyeji’ chicken.
Most important requirement is the passion and the motivation. Poultry farming is not for the faint hearted. It has several requirements and requires devotion.
To start a poultry farming business, these are the must haves;
- Formulate a business plan with the intended goals and how to achieve them
- Have enough capital. This includes some space of land, electricity/lighting and equipment –feeders, drinkers, water storage
- Decide which type of poultry you wish to invest in say the broilers, layers or kienyeji chicken.
- Find a niche market
- Keep all accounting records accurately
Having achieved that, let us take a step by step guide on how to rear broilers and kienyeji chicken.
First and foremost have a good housing structure facing away from the winds direction. The house should always be dry to avoid infection (wood shavings are used to keep the house dry. It should have good lighting and proper ventilation. Before the chicken arrive, disinfect the house to avoid infection. Prepare brooding area (it should be well spaced, should be without corners and with proper lighting), spread newspapers on the floor of the brooding area and light up the heat jiko 30 minutes prior chicks arrival.
Feeding
Day 1 to day 11. Chicks are in the brooder are fed on starters mash and crumb. (They eat all the time; their rooms should be properly light). At night the heat jiko is lit to keep them warm.
After 11 days, the chicken are brought out of brooder and are still fed on starters mash and crumbs up to day 21. From day 21 to day 42 the chicken are fed on finisher’s marsh and pellets and are ready for sale.
An average broiler weighs 1.5kgs. Broilers should be kept where there is no noise to avoid stressing them. Broilers takes 6 six weeks to mature.
Kienyeji chicks assuming you have the right housing and equipment.
It is necessary to select the right breed. These include improved kari chicks, kuroiler chicks, rainbow rooster and kenbro. Kienyeji farming is cheap though it requires lots of patience. Kienyeji chick takes 5-6 months to lay eggs or have right weight for meat.
Feeding
Kienyeji chicks are fed on chick mash from day one for 8weeks. By the end of 8weeks a chick should have consumed 2kgs of feed that is 35g per day.
From 8th week to 18th week they are fed on growers mash. A chick should consume around 7kgs (100g per day).
From 18th week you can introduce layers mash if you want them for eggs or kienyeji mash.
Kienyeji chicks do not depend entirely on commercial feeds unlike broilers you can feed them with food leftovers greens spinach and worms this lowers cost on feeds.
Water: Clean water should be provided always
Vaccination
- Day 10-Gumboro first dose
- Day 15- Gumboro second dose
- 3rd week- Newcastle
- 6th week – fowl pox
- 8th week- Newcastle 2nd dose and fowl typhoid
- 18th week -Newcastle
- 19th week –Deworm
Prevention is better than cure always vaccinate
Housing: Should be well ventilated and spaced. Have good lighting
There are various housing methods. eg free range, battery cage system.
It is that easy to raise a chick. Though it requires passion, patience and persistence it is indeed a worthy course. Do not just be a chicken lover be a chicken raiser increase chicks weight.
