In starting a poultry farming, you need to know the particular one you want to venture into. Poultry farming can be chickens, turkeys, and ducks. Poultry farming entails taking care of products, vaccination, the building of poultry pens and also selling of meats and eggs.

Whichever one you decide, there should be a proper care, management and good financial decisions if you are determined to make your poultry farm a successful one.

Below 11 points can help you start and also maintain a chicken farming business:

1. Get a Poultry Building

Poultry house plays an important role in chicken rearing as part of your effective management plan. The most commonly used poultry housing includes: half litter and half slats, deep litter, semi-fold, and battery methods.

It is always necessary to make sure that you have all the needed equipment. Poultry farming comprises of three poultry housing system, which is extensive, intensive and semi-intensive. It is good to consider an intensive system for commercial production. Your chicks can be raised in a cage or floor system.

The requirement for layer poultry is about 4 square feet space and broiler poultry needs about 2.5 square feet space. Always make sure that you have about 800 square feet before you can raise 200 layers. And also ensure that you provide good ventilation and light in your poultry farm house.

2. Feeding Supply

Poultry farming requires feed supplies, in order to properly feed your chickens that will help greatly in their development.

Feeding is known to be one of the most important activities in poultry farming and will require a lot of expenses. Poultry feeding consists of two ways such as making your own feeds by yourself and getting already made feeds from the market.

Also, it is also important to provide the right nutrition because it will help to improve poultry production, its growth, and sustaining health.

In choosing the poultry feed for your farming, you need to consider some factors like the poultry age, production and growth status.

For achieving a continous good health for your poultry, there should be need for proper good amount of carbohydrates, protein, including necessary vitamins, dietary mineral, and adequate water supply.

3. Poultry Location

The success of your new poultry farming business will depend on the location chosen to start your poultry farming business. While choosing a location for your poultry farming, you need to consider an area where you can get a cheap land and also an area with a lesser population. It is advisable not to set up your poultry farming in a residential area because of the bad odor that comes out it. It is also good to consider the security factor of the area.

It is also necessary to check the rules and regulations guiding the area where you intend raising your chickens because they are not always legal depending on the area you live in. Chicken farming is sometimes regarded to be a health or noise nuisance and attract being fined for it by the local authority.

4. Decide on the Poultry Breeds

Poultry breeds comprise of three types that are good for commercial poultry farming. You can choose any of them for your farm. For modern poultry breed is highly productive and raising it for commercial use is very profitable. Modern layers also can produce many eggs than the traditional breeds and broilers also develop faster than ever.

Selecting the right breed for commercial production depends on you. Before setting up poultry farming, it is important you decide the type of product you want to produce. Below are the three commonly used and commercial poultry breeds:

Layers: layers poultry breeds are normally used for producing eggs for commercial use. So if you are planning of producing eggs for commercial use, it is important to choose highly productive layer breeds.

Broilers: broiler poultry grows very fast and they obtain slaughter weight after a very short time by eating up a certain amount of foods. They are usually used for producing meat in large quantity.

Cockerels: this is another type of meat productive poultry breeds. It is demanded especially by some people. It grows slower than other breeds. This type of breed can adapt and survive in any type of environment.

So depending on the one you choose to breed, each of them requires special care and management. Carefully select the proper breed and do make sure that you take good care of your poultry farming, in order to achieve successful poultry farming.

5. Feasibility Study

A good feasibility study contributes to the success of your business. You have to go to any local market around and check the product that has high demand and also its price. Then you can now decide on any poultry breed you want to start running.

Things to consider during your feasibility study are as follows;

Where you can get your feed in bulk size? and if you want to raise birds, where can they be processed? Is there any poultry processing plant around you? Though you can process your products, if you have a good number of people working for you.

A feasibility study on your poultry farm will enable you to know if the business is lucrative to start or will be when in full operation.

Your feasibility study should include product technology, market environment, distribution, existing competition, financial projections, risk factors, rules, and regulations.

6. Initial Stocking

Initial stocking is one of the most essential factors for establishing a poultry farm. It is advisable to buy your stocks from a trusted hatchery where its parent stocks are well housed and managed properly.

It is extreme important to check the initial chicks if they are suffering from any diseases. If you are going for broilers, you have to select the ones that have increased liveability and with ability to grow faster. For layers, you have to go for ones with good egg size and also have increased egg production.

If you just starting to stock your poultry farm, it is good to start with a day old chicks. It is important to start with a minimum number of chicks if you are starting without any poultry farming experience.

7. Apply for a Loan

Since starting up commercial poultry farming require a huge capital. So if you are planning on going into the business in a large way, then you have to consider applying for a loan from banks or you can go to any agricultural organization for assistance.

You can discuss your business goals, financial history and monetary needs with your loan advisor that will help you in the loan application. When you want to meet your bank, you are to go with your business outline, evidence that shows your credit history or any other thing requested by your bank.

It is advisable to start with a minimum amount of loan, try and get a smaller quantity of equipment and products for your farm as a test run, because later you can apply for a larger loan when your business starts growing bigger.

8. Market your Poultry Products

Marketing is one of the most essential factors that contribute to the success of your business. It is done by making yourself and the business you are dealing on known to your customers. Advertise your business and let them know that you are selling meat or eggs.

Marketing of your business is very important because it will help you gain more customers and also make more money for you. You can also hire a marketing consultant that will help you with the best marketing strategies for business promotion.

The good marketing strategy will help to increase the profit from your business. When you sell your products easily, then you will be motivated to increase the rate of your production. So, therefore, it is good to have a good marketing strategy for your business, bearing in mind that your business will not be profitable if you can't market your products very well.

9. Poultry Equipment

There are many poultry equipment that are needed for the success of your poultry farming. So your poultry farm should be properly managed and make sure that you have adequate equipment.

The poultry farm has much equipment that you can use to effectively manage your poultry farm. Some of the equipment includes constructing a house, providing good waste disposal, incubator, feeder, water pot, heater, egg handling nests, laying nests, fencing, coops, and cages.

So before starting a poultry farm, it is important to make a list of the items you need, find out the prices and compare different prices to get an idea of the costs of setting up a poultry farm. Getting this equipment available will help you with your labor cost.

It is also good to link up with a good veterinary services. In poultry farming, you need a vet doctor who can regularly visit your farm, also make sure you keep a schedule for medication and vaccination in consultation with a veterinary.

10. Make a business plan

Mapping out your business plan should be the first thing to do before starting poultry farming. Through a well-drafted business plan, you will know the goals you wish to achieve and what to do in achieving your goals.

The business plan includes the following; business overview, operation plan, SWOT analysis, management team, sales, and marketing.

Once you have written down your business plan, you can visit an established farmer or business adviser, so that he can help to review and amend it based on their suggestion.

If you want to operate on a meat production farm, then you should plan on how you can raise and slaughter your chickens, your income goals and also plans on how you can market your poultry meat products.

A good business plan is a guide that will show how to carry out decisions and actions and how your business will be run. This is why it is important to take your time when writing down your business plan, you can talk to people that are already in the business and get information about your business.

11. Write down your farming sales and production records

Writing down or keeping an accurate data of your farming sales and production records will help to know if you are gaining or losing from your poultry farming. For you to be sure that you are making a profit from your business, it is advisable to have a log book for your sales, since your business growth will basically depend on it.

If you find out the ones that consume your capital, then you can make a survey of the products you are using like the prices, you can buy from different suppliers or compare their prices. It is also good to have an accountant or financial adviser that will help you in the keeping of this kind of records to be more organized.

In Conclusion

I believe that the above-listed tips for starting poultry farming will greatly help you in planning your own poultry business.

Before starting a poultry farming, it is necessary to learn more about this kind of business in detail and also try and visit some established farms if possible for further advice.

Seek advice from other farmers in your area and ensure that you start with a minimum number of poultry products if starting for the first time.

Operating a poultry farm can be a profitable business, most especially if you know what you are doing and have the right information.

Also, the success of your business will depends on how dedicated you are. Apart from being dedicated, it is also good to work with other poultry farmers if possible, because information gotten from them will help to ensure that your business is operating successfully.