It is important when keeping chicken under the intensive system, free range system and intensive system to be able to identify your costs of production to be able to be on top of your business and identify your profit margins for purposes of effective commercialization of poultry production.
In identifying the costs a farmer will incur per bird to maturity, we need to carefully look at all cost going into raising one chicken. While we have our own chicken profitability model based on our analysis of trends over time, it is imperative that a farmer carefully notes down these costs vis-à-vis the number of birds they have to be able to competently arrive at this cost of production. To do this a farmer needs to take out all the costs associated with raising chicken to maturity as follows;
Cost of day old chicks ordered by the farmer for startup of the poultry enterprise.
Vaccination cost, Gumboro 1.
Vaccination cost, Gumboro 2
Vaccination New castele 1 (NC).
Vaccination New Castle 2 (NC)
Vaccination Fowl Pox (FP)
Vaccination Fowl Typhoid (FT).
Costs of feed –chick mash
Cost of feed – growers mash
Cost of feed –layers marsh
Cost of water
Cost of brooding
Cost of medicines
Cost of disinfectants
Saw dust costs
Cost of labour
The cost and process of brooding can be very difficult to farmers if not managed well. This is the part where the greatest mortality occurs if farmers lack the skills, knowledge and consistency to do the right thing. In cases where farmers fear the risk of carrying out their own brooding, it is advisable to organize for a mother unit with an individual who has gained knowledge in successfully carrying this out so he can do this for a number of farmers upto a month old then sell to the farmers. The farmers can also bring their birds and he does this at an agreed cost.
The costs to look for here are the following;
Cost of plywood
Cost of labour
Cost of feed
Cost of charcoal for warming the birds or electricity
Cost of disinfection of the brooder
Disinfection Pump
Transportation costs (saw dust etc)
Cost of treatment and water.
For more information on the profitability model for improved indigenous chicken , The comprehensive Chicken Farming manual and Chicken Feed Formulation Manual, you can reach us on Email: PAYMONEY.ONLINE@GMAIL.COM.
We also give accompanying technical support and consultancy services on poultry production and interventions that are related to rural poultry and other poultry enterprises like feed formulation, organizing farmers to invest in their livelihood among others.