Business opportunities in poultry value chain

Eggs and meat production

Some poultry farmers swear layers, reared for egg production are the most lucrative kind of poultry business to get involved in. According to them, the income from layers is two-folds – eggs and meat. Despite high return on investment, it is the most stressing of the three, they said.

Kasali Halidu, who rears the three – pullets (known as layers), broilers and cockerel, said of the three, he found farming pullets are more lucrative. Broilers are typically reared for meat production, Seun Adeolu, who has been the meat production sector of the poultry industry for almost 10 years, said. According to him, the broilers grow faster and are ready for sale at 12 weeks from hatch. He advised those looking to make quick turnover to look into this aspect of the poultry business.

Ezekiel Adebayo, who has spent more than 40 years of his life in the veterinary services, said cockerels, also reared for meat production, are slower to grow and take longer to make a turnover in comparison to broilers. According to him, it takes 24 weeks for them mature for sales.

Irrespective of the type of poultry farming one does, “it is guaranteed that you will make a minimum of N20 million per annum depending on the size of the farm,” he said.

Feed mill
One of the major challenges of the poultry value chain is inadequate feed for the chickens, thus, a forced reliance on low-quality imported feed, according to those in the business, there is a. Although the feed mill business is capital intensive, the gap provides an opportunity for those interested in providing quality feed.

Slaughtering, processing and packaging
From what Saudat Salami, founder and CEO of Easy Shop said, those interested in this business don’t necessarily have to farm the poultry to get into the business. Salami’s business, which supplies quality fresh foods to homes, restaurants and corporate organisations, depends on a large numbers of farmers who grow the chicken.
Kelvin Amadi, who has 10 shops with the capacity of slaughtering, processing and packaging 200 broilers per day, said although his vision is to cover the whole poultry value chain, he is currently depending on those growing the chicken for his daily supply.

Hatcheries

According to those who have been in the business for decades, a hatchery business is a profitable one that guarantees a quick return on investment, especially because the poultry industry is one of the fastest growing sectors in the world.

Dr Iseoluwa Adebayo, a consultant on poultry farming said depending on the scale of preference (between 100 chicks up to 100 000 chicks per month), the investment capital for starting a hatchery business could be minimal or large. However the scale though, the business owners can start to generate income as quickly as three weeks of starting the business.

“I generally advise that you start off small – with two or three incubators – and then grow your incubators as your business grows. But I can assure you, irrespective of the size of your business, you can start generating income as soon as three weeks,” she said.

She advised that when starting the business, the entrepreneur consults animal husbandry experts as well as veterinarians for appropriate equipment to start an egg hatchery business. It is also absolutely important to speak to those in the business to get the right eggs as well as the room conditions for the hatchery.

“All incubators and hatchers need to be stored indoors. Ideally the room temperature must be between 15 and 25 degrees Celsius to help the incubators function optimally,” she said.

Veterinary services

Dr Adebayo said there is a huge potential for veterinary services in the poultry value chain. According to her, the veterinarians’ involvements help in securing the health of the animals and reduce the mortality rate within the sector. Offering consultancy services attracts a hefty fee, she added.