Ever thought of starting a poultry farm but don’t know how to get started? The process can indeed be lengthy, but a breakdown and our free poultry farming business plan will be of help. 

From the beginning of time, poultry farming has remained a lucrative business in Nigeria. The demand for farm products has never dropped. The market is always favorable.

Nevertheless, there are still many things to learn before you get started with this particular business model, many of which are discussed in this article. 

Why you should consider poultry farming:

There are so many businesses out there, but let me share some quick insights about poultry farming. Perhaps it might be motivation to get started. 

• Reproduction rate:

A healthy layer can produce at least 4 to 7 eggs weekly, and that being said, you can get 365 eggs in a year provided the birds remain healthy and fit to produce. 

Since it takes 21 days to hatch, if you have 500 healthy birds, you can get 12,000 chickens in 40 days.

• The growth rate:

the rate at which the birds grow after the 21 days of hatching is very fast. Really fast that a farmer can start earning in just 31 weeks of starting the business. That’s about 7 months. 

You must also understand that there might be challenges along the way. That’s why you must learn the necessary things, especially vaccination, so your birds won’t contract diseases.

• Sales and marketing:

Let’s assume you have successfully produced 12,000 chickens and you want to sell them all. Even if you decide to go low, you are definitely still going to make a good amount of money.

Don’t forget you started with 500 chickens, as estimated earlier. 

Egg sales are also profitable if, for instance, you just decide not to hatch the eggs, and now you have about 12,000 eggs from our initial calculation. 

If you sell each crate and multiply by the total number of eggs, I am sure you know how much money you have already made. We are not being specific about prices here because of the rate at which the cost of farm products fluctuates. 

Which type of poultry farming is most profitable?

There are different poultry breeds, but in Nigeria, we mostly deal with two. 

• Layers 
• Broilers

As a beginner, you may want to know which chicken breed is more profitable so you won’t end up switching plans unexpectedly after making so many mistakes. 

We don’t need to remind you that too many mistakes as a beginner can equally crumble your business to zero. I’m sure you wouldn’t want such an experience. 

• Broiler Farming:

Within a short period of 6-7 weeks, this type of chicken can gain so much weight, thereby costing a good amount in the commercial market. Unlike the layer, broilers doesn’t have the Gen to lay eggs. 

• Layer Farming:

This breed is specially made for egg production, and often, they don’t have a good weight that can cost a substantial amount even if you decide to sell them. 

Factors that affects breeds profitability

The type of chicken breed that’s more profitable depends on your general plan and management, which we have discussed below. 

• Marketing:

You need to know how to market whichever breed you choose to farm. For instance, broilers are more difficult to market because they easily gain weight within a short period of time, and the bigger they get, the more feed they consume. 

If they are overdue, it means you will have to spend more money feeding them until you’re able to market them. 

Additionally, this market can be somewhat seasonal for small-scale farmers. You will have to target festival seasons like Christmas, New Year, Easter, etc. to get better sales. 

On the other hand, layers are stress-free because you can decide to keep them and still make more money when you’re not ready for marketing. Since they lay eggs, keeping the eggs for sale at any time won’t be an issue; after all, their consumption is less than that of broilers. 

• Vaccination:

Each of these chicken breeds comes with different treatments. However, since the layer will stay longer in your cage, it means they are likely to spend more money on medicine and vaccination against diseases. 

There’s more to learn about chicken vacation before getting started. This is another big deal if you must run this business successfully without massive losses. 

• Startup cost:

The cost of running a broiler farm is more affordable compared to that of layers. 

While broilers need a clean environment, water, light, and a few immunizations and feedings within an 8-week period, layers need all of the above with additional medicine and feeding to pass the time even before they start laying eggs. 

The conclusion of the matter is that layering is the best choice if you want to go into large-scale farming because you are getting money from both the eggs and the chicken itself, even though the cost may not be compared to that of a broiler. 

While broilers can be a good choice for small-scale farmers, you can also gain additional money from this breed if the demand is high, especially during festive periods. 

However, your overall choice should depend on the three factors we listed above, since both species are equally good for farmers. If you can consider the marketing aspect of your current location, the vaccination cost, and the startup cost, making a choice won’t be an issue. 

How much do I need to start a small poultry farm in Nigeria?

• Decide what type of breeds you want to grow, then calculate how many of them you would want to start with. You will arrive at some cost. 
  

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• The number of birds you want to start with will determine the space that’s needed. At least you should know if you need one plot or 10 plots of land. Since you already know the cost per plot in your area, you will arrive at a cost. 
  

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• Now that you have your land and know how many birds you want to start with, the next thing is to calculate the cost of building your farm house. Write down the total cost. 
  

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• There are many materials you need to buy, including medicine and feed. They are definitely going to cost money. You should know the cost. If you also need to hire a professional for survey you can add the money to your evaluation.

Once you have the total of everything you need drafted out, you can now get a rough estimation. You should keep in mind that there will be more to spend as the business progresses. 

Free poultry farming business plan in Nigeria

Lots of people get started without a farming business plan, which is not the right step to take for beginners, However, it’s good that you landed on this page.

Let’s share our free poultry farming business plan with you, and it will definitely be of help in the long run. 

The whole poultry farming business plan in Nigeria has been made into a pdf file. You can Download here…

Below is a glimpse of what you will get. 

Unique farm name:

The first plan is to get a business name, no matter how small your business seems to be. The vision is to start small and go bigger. Don’t forget to register your business name to avoid future problems. 

Farm locations:

You need to acquire land. The size can depend on how large you want the farm to be. This will be determined by the number of birds you want to start with. A plot or half is not bad for a starter. 

When buying the land, you should consider going to the outskirts. I’ve seen many farms shut down by the government because they were too close to residential areas. 

• Farm Building:

Having analyzed your poultry size and purchased farm land, the next thing is to start construction. 
You can ask professionals about how to set up your cage. 

The worst mistake you will make as a beginner is working with inexperienced people. Whoever is working with you should be an expert in whatever field. 

This will help you get the right structure at an affordable cost. Avoid cut-and-nail carpenters and bricklayers. 

You can hire a good engineer for the perfect farm structure and planning. That’s if you have little or no knowledge in this area. 

Please don’t forget to Download the complete business farm planing

Challenges in the poultry business

Just like every other business cannot function without one challenge or another, this is also applicable to poultry farming. 

• No government support:

It will be a bad idea to start a new business in Nigeria with the hope that the government will help you in the long run. That’s not true.

As we already know, the Nigerian government is not very reliable, and as such, you cannot trust them with your business. Therefore, you must be ready to bear any loss along the way.

Possibly, you can get backup funds for your business just in case any disaster comes up. but if eventually you get government support, that should only be a bonus. 

• Disease Outbreak:

While poultry farming is a very lucrative business, you should also be expecting losses, especially with the wrong management or when you venture into the business without the necessary knowledge. 

I always advise people who want to start poultry farming to learn and gain some skills from people who are already in the business (professionals). They’re the best set of people to share better insights. 

When you learn the right vaccination for your birds at every point, provide hygiene in a clean environment, and have access to clean water, you won’t get issues with diseases, but in most cases, even the medicine and the rest can’t help, and that’s where the massive loss comes in. 

However, you should always keep in mind that in every business, there’s a win and a loss. 

• Startup Capital:

Getting capital to start the business is one of the major reasons why many are yet to get started. Automatically, poultry farming requires a good amount of money. 

You need money to buy your farm space and equipment. I hope you know how much land is being sold in your area currently. You also need money to buy feed and medicine and probably pay workers when required. 

Starting a farm poultry business is not very cheap, and that’s why this business is rare, even though the demand for farm products is relatively high. 

Conclusion: This is just a tip that might be helpful. For you to succeed in poultry farming, the business plan is not enough; you also need, basic mechanical skills, the desire to learn, your full attention to details, and the ability to seek financial assistance when necessary. 

If you find this post helpful, kindly comment and share it. A friend might need it. 

Kennedy

In real life I own a skincare store and trust me, There’s a lot of experience over the years both personally and from customers reviews and that’s exactly what motivated me to starting this blog. To educate more people in this regard and create awareness about many underrated products which are very active.