Poultry is one of the most popular farm businesses in Nigeria because chicken and eggs never stop selling. Here is how to start properly and avoid the mistakes that kill many first batches.
🐔 Broilers or layers?
Raised for meat and ready in about 6–8 weeks. Quick money, and prices peak around Christmas, Easter and Sallah.
Fast cashSeasonal demandStart laying at around 18–20 weeks and keep laying for over a year. Slower start, steady daily income.
Daily incomeLonger commitmentHardier birds that tolerate local conditions and fetch good prices as “native” chicken.
HardyPremium priceMany beginners start with 100–300 broilers to learn the work, then expand. One well-managed small batch teaches more than a big batch that dies.
🪜 Step by step
- Learn firstSpend a few weeks on a working farm or take a short course. Watching an experienced farmer handle brooding is priceless.
- Prepare the houseGood ventilation, a solid roof, wire mesh against snakes and rats, and an east–west direction so the sun does not bake the birds.
- Buy healthy day-old chicksOnly from a known hatchery. Weak chicks from a cheap source are the most common reason first batches fail.
- Brood them wellThe first two weeks decide everything. Keep chicks warm with a heat source, dry litter and clean water with no gaps.
- Feed and water correctlyStarter feed first, then grower and finisher (or layer mash for layers). Fresh water every day — dirty drinkers spread disease.
- Vaccinate on scheduleCommon vaccines cover Newcastle disease, Gumboro and fowl pox. Ask a vet for a schedule for your area and follow it strictly.
- Plan your market before they growTalk to restaurants, market women, hotels and neighbours from week one so birds do not overstay and eat your profit.
Never buy “cheap” vaccines or medicines without a cold chain — vaccines stored without ice are useless. Buy from a vet shop with a working fridge.
📉 What eats your profit
- Feed is usually the biggest cost — weigh it and avoid waste.
- Deaths from cold, heat or disease — good brooding and hygiene prevent most of them.
- Keeping birds too long after they are ready to sell.
- Theft — count your birds every day.
- No records — write down feed, deaths, medicines and sales for every batch.
