How to start Poultry Farming in Nigeria: Beginners guide to a profitable business

You are definitely interested in Poultry farming in Nigeria and that is why you are here, guess what? This post is for you, it will open your eyes to the profitability of poultry farming in Nigeria.

Poultry Farming in Nigeria is definitely one of the most lucrative farming business you can do in Nigeria, all you need is the proper guidance, fund and determination, and this post will guide you to starting your own poultry farm business in Nigeria.
There are so many farmers in the country, but there is still not enough supply of poultry supply to cater to the need of the Nigerian populace.
Livestock farming business as a lucrative farming business is a great avenue to exploit your entrepreneurial abilities and make money within a limited period, this is due to the fact that poultry birds are fast maturing.
The feasibility of poultry farming in Nigeria looks great, with over 160 million potential customers who will buy your poultry product on a daily basis, you will not make a loss. The demand for eggs and poultry meat also make it an evergreen business to engage in.
To start a poultry farm in Nigeria, you have to follow this guide to the letter so you can come out with great profit. Do not worry, I will continue to update this article as time changes, you can bookmark it as your own special poultry farming Wikipedia.

WHAT IS POULTRY FARMING: GENERAL TIP

Poultry farming means ‘raising various types of domestic birds commercially for the purpose of meat, eggs and feather production’.
The most common and widely raised poultry birds are chicken. About 5k million chickens are being raised every year as a source of food (both meat and eggs of chicken).
The chickens which are raised for eggs are called layer chicken, and the chickens which are raised for their meat production are called broiler chicken
Example of Poultry Farm Birds
When we talk about poultry, we are not just referring to chicken only:

• Chicken
• Turkey
• Quail
• Ostrich
• Duck
• Pigeon
• Peacock etc.

General Benefits of Poultry Farming in Nigeria

Poultry farming business has numerous benefits. Here I am shortly describing the main benefits of poultry farming.

• The main benefit of poultry farming is, it doesn’t require high capital for starting. You need just basic capital to start raising poultry. And most of the poultry birds are not costly enough to start raising.
• Poultry farming doesn’t require a big space unless you are going to start commercially. You can easily raise some birds on your own backyard with one or numerous coops or cages. So, if you are interested in poultry farming, then you can easily do it on your own backyard with several birds.
• Commercial poultry farming business also ensure high return of investment within a very short period. Some poultry birds like broiler chickens take shorter duration of time to mature and generating profit.
• Poultry farm structures do not require high maintenance. You can minimize diseases and illness in poultry by following proper hygiene and care. Diseases are less in some poultry birds like quails, turkeys etc.
• In most cases, you don’t need any license. Because almost all types of poultry birds are domestic. Although, if you need license from the relevant authority it is also easy for poultry.
• Poultry provides fresh and nutritious food and has a huge global demand. Global consumers of poultry products prefer them due to their nutrients and freshness. Poultry products are not much expensive and most of the people can afford those.
• Marketing poultry products is very easy. There is an established market for poultry products in almost all places of the world. So, you don’t have to think about marketing your products. You can easily sell the products in your nearest local market.
• Poultry farming creates income and employment opportunities for the people. Unemployed educated youth can easily create a great income and employment opportunity for them by raising poultry commercially. Women and students can also do this business along with their daily activities.
• Almost all bank approve loans for this types of business venture. So, if you want to start this business commercially, then you can apply for loans to your local banks.
• There are many more benefits of poultry farming along with the above mentioned benefits. Start raising and you will gradually learn everything.

Feasibility Study and Profit potential of poultry Farming business in Nigeria

The profit potential of Poultry farming is very great and as a whole, the business is very lucrative if you can be diligent:

1. Poultry birds reproduce very fast and in large numbers – Average healthy Layer lays egg almost every day or at least 4 times in a week. Some Breeds can lay as much as 325 eggs in a year and take 21 days to hatch. This means that technically a Layer is capable of producing another chicken twice in three days.So, if you have 500 healthy layers of good breeds (such as California white) they are capable of reproducing a whopping 12,000 chicks within 40 days!

2. Poultry birds very fast– Within 21 days, the egg is hatched and within 28 weeks, they are ready for the market. That means a farmer may start making his money in just 34 weeks after successfully setting up his farm and whatever returns he make could be doubled in a year based on this calculation.
3. Poultry birds sells at a very good price– A fully grown healthy chicken sells between 2,000 to 2,500naira in Nigeria. Therefore, if you produce 12,000 chickens in your farm, you will be making N24 million by the time they are completely sold.
4. Egg market in Large too– Apart from the chicken, the egg is another money of it’s own. A crate of eggs sells for N500 – N550 for smaller eggs and N600 – N650 for bigger ones. Each crate contains 30 eggs. Therefore, if you have 500 layers that produces 12,000 pullet in a month and decides to sell all, you will be making N200, 000 to N260,000 monthly.

Simple Poultry Farming Business Plan for Beginner

As you can see, the profit in poultry farming in Nigeria is mouthwatering and the turn over time is fantastic as well, but the big question now is how to start.
Use the following information to your advantage:

1. Type of Bird you want to concentrate on–  Here you choose Chickens (Layers and Broilers). We choose chicken because that’s what this article focuses on. There are other types of birds that are good for livestock business too,  such as Goose, Duck, Turkey, etc.
2. Write down your area of interest– You can’t just be in all aspect of poultry farming in Nigeria. You have to choose your area of interest where you would like to concentrate your business. This will ensure high level of focus and professionalism. If you can do two area, no problem. Below are some of the major Niches in Poultry Farming in Nigeria or elsewhere.

• Layers Breeding which is egg production by Layers
• Broilers breeding which referrers to the chicken meat production by Broilers
• Hatchery which has to do with breeding chicken for the purpose of Hatching new chicks
• Poultry feed which is producing feeds for other poultry farmers

You may choose to Breed Layers and Broilers at a time or one of them. Hatchery is better done independently just like feed production. So, you choose your area of focus

3. Sort out Location– This has a direct effect to your startup cost. A location in a very remote rural area will cost far less than the one close to the urban area. Remote rural area with good road is the ideal location as you will be free from regulatory agencies and drive down the cost of labor too.

As a new person to Livestock business, you don’t want to invest all your capital into buying lands in urban area which may turn out not being used because Government policy is against setting up poultry farm near residential/urban areas for health implication.

4. Investment Capital– With location in mind, you now have clearer idea of the capital required of you. Write down your detailed capital and investment requirements for your poultry farming in Nigeria venture and set out to source for it.

Like every other farming projects, the bigger you plan to start, the more investment required. You need to decide on the level of capital investment you are willing to commit into this business before starting.
(a) Small scale Chicken Rearing (of about 50 birds) kept in cages at the backyard of your resident will take about N70,000 to start.
(b) A medium scale poultry farming that requires land and housing and other materials in 1 – 2 plots of Land takes about N500,000 to N5 Million to start.
(c) Large scale or Intensive poultry farming that requires high level of sophistication and more careful planning and professionalism, using advance Livestock farming techniques takes from N10 Million.

Steps to Setting Up Your Poultry Farming Business In Nigeria

With your business plan is in place, the next is to proceed to setting up your farm without delay! At this point, it is my believe that you already have the money in your hands. So here are the things you need to acquire and put in place.

1. Buy land– Like we said earlier, look for land in a remote location but make sure it’s not too far from the city. A place like Ijebu Ode, Remo Area, Imota in Ikorodu – these places are perfect if you are in Lagos. Other places like towards Oshogbo after Ibadan isn’t too far too from the major city like Ibadan.

You can get Acre of land there for cheap price, cost of lands in most cases is determined by the sellers. But we may suggest price during commenting. So drop your comments below and let’s get the discussion going.

2. Build your Structure– House is very important for chicken rearing and effective keeping and management. Poultry housing are classified according to the scale and the management system. The most common types of poultry housing used for poultry farming in Nigeria are:

• Deep litter-
  •    Half litter and half slats –
  •    Battery –
  •    Semi-fold –

Buy day old chick – Look for good Hatchery where you can get healthy day old chicks to start with. It costs from N140 to N200 sometimes up to N300.
Other Items you need for poultry farming in Nigeria– Feeders, Drinkers, Perches. Nests, Crates, Lighting system, Waste disposal system, Incubator, Heaters or brooders, Egg tray, Cages and coops.

Running an intensive and Integrated Poultry Farming Business Housing

Good and suitable housing play a vital role in raising all types of poultry birds. Some birds grow and live happily in the floor of poultry house and some in cages.
Depending on the birds, you have to make a suitable house for your birds and ensure availability of all types of necessary facilities for them. Consider the following aspects while building houses for your poultry birds.

• Always keep sufficient space in your poultry house, depending on the birds. So that your birds can live, grow and produce happily. Never overcrowded the poultry house.
• Good ventilation system is a must. Ensure that you poultry houses are well ventilated.
• You also have to ensure sufficient flow of fresh air and light inside the house.
• If you go for commercial production, keep proper distance between one houses to another house.
• Clean the house and equipment on a regular basis. Sterilize the house before bringing new chicks into your farm.
• Take necessary steps for preventing all types of predators and harmful animals.
• Make good temperature management so that you birds do not suffer by excessive hot or cold.
• Make suitable drainage system inside the house for cleaning it properly.
• Making poultry houses in calm and quite place is always a good idea. See our housing guides for various types of poultry birds.

Feeding
Feeding high quality, fresh and nutritious food always ensure good health, proper growth and high production. So, always feed your poultry bird’s healthy and nutritious feeds. Add all types of necessary vitamins and minerals to their feed.
Commercial poultry feeds for various types of birds are available in the market. You can easily feed this to your birds. Along with feeding your birds high quality and nutritious feeds, always serve them sufficient amount of fresh and clean water according to their demand.
Care & Management
always take good care of your birds. Learn more about various types of poultry diseases, symptoms and treatment. Vaccinate the birds timely. Provide them nutritious feed and clean water. Clean their house on a regular basis.
Marketing
Marketing process of various types of poultry products are very easy. Poultry products have a huge demand globally. So you don’t have to worry about marketing your products. You can easily sell your farm products in your nearest local market or big supermarkets.
In a word, poultry farming is absolutely a very popular and profitable business idea. If you are thinking about setting up a poultry farm, then read and learn as much as possible about poultry farming. You can visit your nearest farmer who are already raising various types of poultry birds.