Dr. Kwabena Darko has been Ghana’s largest chicken producer for decades. His story (in the video below) is a compelling reason to believe in the endless possibilities of poultry farming and its ability to totally change lives.
As a Smallstarter, the profit potentials of this business will best be achieved if you are directly involved in actual poultry farming. Being only a middleman in this business may not be very rewarding. You should have to start with about 50 to 100 birds (layers) to minimize your risk and allow yourself to learn and gain the relevant experience before you expand your enterprise.
Avoid the temptation to start off with a huge flock if you have no prior experience! Pullets (young female chickens) mature and start laying eggs when they reach 20 – 24 weeks (5 to 6 months).
Egg production is likely to reduce by nearly 50 percent when these layers reach 18 to 24 months of age. A single layer of the right breed can produce up to 300 – 450 eggs in her productive lifetime if the proper management, feeding and disease prevention practices are undertaken. With these production figures in mind, a well- positioned producer can target a domestic market (small retailers, kiosk operators, housewives etc.) and become the neighbourhood egg supplier of choice.
Since most families have eggs in their diet nowadays, it makes a lot of sense that you exploit your neighbourhood market! (photo credit: come-home-to-health.com) As long as your prices remain competitive and the quality of your eggs and sales service is excellent, your customer base should start to expand and you may have to increase the capacity of your farm to meet the increasing demand of your market. The video below reveals the profit potentials and high return on investment for a small-scale poultry farmer in Uganda.
The short documentary was filmed during a field visit to entrepreneurs under MP Uganda, a local microfinance institution. Try to listen closely and don’t let the cackle of the chickens distract you!