the califonia white
Poultry Farming in Ghana is probably one of the most lucrative in the world especially when it is setup and managed properly. This aspect of livestock farming presents one of the finest opportunity for entrepreneurs to make good money within the shortest period of time possible due to the quick maturity of chickens. With over 100 Million consumers in the country who buys poultry products on daily basis, the market is always there.
I have written some number of articles before on this blog on poultry rearing which you can find here. This very post will take more critical look at the business and how entrepreneurs who are interested in this business in Ghana would be able to start easily without wasting much time and resources.
Anyone can engage in poultry business, it doesn't matter your education background nor how rich you are, you can start at any level and grow as big as you want with time. The most important thing is that you are interested in starting somewhere.
This articles will focus on how to start small and grow big which I think will interest anyone with limited financial capacity who wants to start small without involving much risks.
One of the factors that makes poultry business ideal business is because chickens grows very fast. Unlike goats that takes 2 to 3 years to mature, a chicken can be ready for the market within 28 weeks from birth. That is why it is considered ideal business for loan takers who may actually invest the loan and within 30 to 40 weeks, they may start paying back through the money realized from sells.
Profit potential in poultry business.
1. Chicken do reproduce fast and in large numbers - Average healthy Layer lays egg almost everyday 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 whooping 12,000 chicks within 40 days!
2. Chicken grows very fast - Within 21 days, the egg is hatched and within 28 weeks, they are ready for the market. That means a farmer could 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. Chicken sells at a very good price - A fully grown healthy chicken sells between GHC13 to GHC25 in Ghana. Therefore, if you produce 12,000 chickens in your farm, you will be making at least GHC1560000 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 GHC8 - GHC10 for smaller eggs and GHC12 - GHC15 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 make huge income.
As you can see, the profit in poultry business is mouth watering and the turn over time is fantastic as well, but the big question now is how to start.
What Your Poultry Business Plan Should Look Like
Draw out your effective business plan. Poultry business plan is like a road map leading you to where you are going in you business. It will help you know where you are at any point in time. Hence your business plan should include:
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. 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
- 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 and set to source 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 GHC250 to start.
(b) A medium scale poultry farming that requires land and housing and other materials in 1 - 2 plots of Land takes about GHC2,500 to GHC5000 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 GHC20,000.
Set Up Your Poultry Farm
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 Amasaman, Dunkwa, Safokasem in Ashanti region - these places are perfect. Other places will do depending the structure of the land.
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 in Ghana 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 GHC 0.50P to GHC 1 each, sometimes up to GHC2. If you are looking for where to get day old chicks in Ghana? You can get good day old chick at Akate Farm Ltd. in kumasi- sepe buokrom, Ashanti. Or any other farm you know in your area. You can ask other poultry farmers near you where they get their chicks.
Other Items you need - Feeders, Drinkers, Perches. Nests, Crates, Lighting system, Waste disposal system, Incubator, Heaters or brooders, Egg tray, Cages and coops.
What's Next...
1. Click on the Facebook and Twitter buttons below to share this with your friends let's move the discussion forward.
2. Make comment using the comment box. You can ask any question related to poultry farming or share your knowledge with us. If you need addition resources, you can Join hundreds of other poultry farmers who have made our eBook their companion towards starting their poultry farms and managing it effectively. And the best part is that it contains complete Poultry Business Plan.
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