Scratch your head if you must, for indeed, planning on how to start a chicken farm could be a baffling endeavor for the uninitiated. There are important factors to be considered before venturing into the chicken farm business from legal obligations and laws existing within your locality regarding raising farm animals to marketing strategies for your poultry products. For all of you who are still scratching your heads, here’s a guide on how to start a chicken farm:
1) Plan and research
This should require some self-interrogation or soul searching if you must. Do you want to establish a chicken farm for meat production or primarily for eggs? Do you want to market organic poultry or those run-of -the mill but high-yield commercially-fed chicken and by-products? Researching about chickens is a good starting point.
Learn about various breeds for meat or egg production and determine what breed is could best adapt to the type of living conditions your farm has to offer. The internet is a good source of detailed information about chickens and chicken farming. Also, it wouldn’t hurt if you ask around for advice from experienced farmers. They should provide tips and tricks on how to start a chicken farm you wouldn’t find anywhere else.
2) Acquiring your flock and other supplies
Buy your flock from reputable commercial suppliers. Make sure your chooks are properly vaccinated and are about the age of laying eggs (between 16-24 weeks) before purchasing. However, be careful about deciding to buy a rooster or two because some laws are strict regarding keeping potentially noisy animals especially in dense communities. You must be aware of existing laws and ordinances within your locale regarding this and poultry farming in general.
3) Provisions for predator and disease prevention
Chicken coop and holding pen construction should be fox-proof if you happen to live in predator-infested areas. The holding pen for your chicken to freely roam around should be sturdy and well secured. Fencing wires should be well dug for at least 50 cm. deep underneath the ground with the mesh spread outwards to discourage fox- diggings. Regular veterinary checkup for your chickens is a must to ensure your chicken are healthy and disease-free.
The starting point for this entire endeavor on how to start a chicken farm is your own personal commitment to make this all work. A certain measure of discipline and dedication is needed for you to be successful in this enterprise. In most cases a hands-on approach to chicken farming is required to achieve your ultimate goal of success and profit.
We’re eating more chicken today than ever before. With increased chicken choices at fast food restaurants and chicken being a popular choice for those looking for a low fat, high protein meal, the demand for chicken grows and so does the need to produce more birds for market.
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