Did you know that you can start your own egg hatchery business and make a living out of it? Starting an egg hatchery business is not as hard as you may think.

Until recently, the business of hatching chicks was a preserve of a few large companies. Gone are the days when one has to make a booking and wait for months on end to get chicks.

Technology and access to information has changed the way we do business. These days, chicks are now readily available as almost anyone can become a supplier of chicks. 

In this article, I will share with you why you should consider starting your own egg hatchery business.



1. Egg hatchery offers quick profit

Hatchery business is one of the quickest way to make a profit from your investment. Fertilized chicken eggs take 21 days to hatch into chicks. It therefore means, in exactly three weeks you can start selling chicks for a profit. Few businesses offer this kind of return on investment.

Prices for free-range day old chicks for instance range between USD0.60c and USD1.50 per chick depending on the breed, age, and location. The cost of fertilized eggs ranges between USD5 and USD10 per crate (30 eggs). Working with an 80% hatch rate, you can do the math.

The most popular free-range breeds are Kuroilers, Black Austrolopes, Koekoeks, Boschvelds, and Sasso. Chicks can also be sold after a week and the price will also be higher as much as USD1.50 per chick.

2. Simple egg hatchery equipment is required

To start off in this business, you need an incubator. Fertilized chicken eggs take 18 days in the setter and 3 days in the hatcher. On day 21 or 22, the eggs will hatch into chicks.

 An incubator is a machine that allows for perfect conditions for a fertilized egg to hatch into a chick. 

Using the natural way, a hen sits on its eggs, a process called brooding, for a period of 21 days. The hen will be providing the necessary temperature or warmth and protection required for the eggs to hatch. 



An incubator mimics the same process and provides ideal conditions in terms of temperature and humidity requirements that allow you to hatch more eggs and get more profits.

Production capacity and hatch rates are much higher from incubators as compared to using the natural process of relying on hens. Incubators take away all the guesswork.

Some incubators come as a single unit that includes setter and hatcher all in one machine. This kind of setup is mostly ideal for batch production where you load all the eggs at once onto the egg trays (setters) and only transfer the eggs to the hatching baskets on day 18.

Combo egg setter and hatcher for egg hatchery business.
Combo incubator (setter and hatcher)

You can also buy a setter and hatcher separately such that you will put eggs in the setter for 18 days and then transfer them to the hatcher for the last 3days.

This set up is ideal for a commercial setup or those intending to do continuous production where you produce chicks say after every week. This will assure you of recurring income as well. 

There are different types and sizes of incubators on the market that can be powered by electricity. Some incubators can work on solar as well. They range from small incubators with a capacity of producing 50 chicks up to even 100,000 per 21-day cycle. It all depends on your budget and planned capacity.

You can check the Classifieds page for local and international suppliers of incubators.

3. No specialized egg hatchery knowledge is required

Modern incubators are much simpler to use. They require no special installation and you can simply plug in, put the required settings and you can start production.

Most incubators come with a user manual to guide you on how to operate the machine and run your egg hatchery business successfully. Most professional manufacturers also offer after-sales support.



4. Egg hatchery requires little space

An incubator does not require much space. Some can even be placed on a small table. Most incubators require to be housed indoors.

You can use a spare room, garage or shade as long as the location allows for free ventilation (clean fresh air), there is no direct sunlight on the incubators and its secure from being tampered by anyone. 

5. A ready market for day-old chicks

The poultry industry is one of the fastest-growing industries in the world, Zimbabwe included. As long as people need to eat, then demand for chickens will always be high.

You can sell the chicks to other growers who rear and sell as fully grown birds. You can also hatch eggs for other people without incubators and still make money for yourself.

To assist with marketing your products and services, you can post free adverts in the Classifieds or list your business in the Directory and get inquiries from customers looking for day-old chicks.

Did you find this article helpful? Leave a comment below or subscribe to my free Email Newsletter and also like The Poultry Shop Facebook page. Thanks!