Thinking of starting a broiler project and need to know the kind of budget or capital required?  

In this article, I will share with you a basic broiler budget to help guide you on the capital and equipment you may require to start rearing 100 broilers.

I will also share with you tips on how to lower your production costs and increase your profits.



Production Budget for 100 Broilers:

ITEMQUANTITYUNIT PRICE (USD)TOTAL COST (USD)
    
Costs:   
Chicks 1000.550
Broiler starter (straight feed, 50Kg bag) 12525
Broiler growers  (straight feed, 50Kg bag) 22448
Broiler finisher  (straight feed, 50Kg bag) 42392
Stress pack (100g) 155
Disinfectant 188
Vaccines11010
Wood shavings (50Kg Bag)428
Labour 12020
Transport 11010
Electricity 11010
Other overheads 11010
Total Costs  296
    
    
Sales (less 5% deaths/mortality)955475
Less Total Costs  296
Gross Profit  179



Budget Assumptions:

  • All prices in USD and a rough guide.
  • Mortality (death) rate of 5%.
  • Production period – approximately 6 weeks.
  • The poultry structure or cage and equipment is already available e.g. chick fonts, chick feeders, drinkers, feeders, infrared lamp, brooder, etc.
  • Live weight after 6weeks ranges between 1.95-2.4kgs. After slaughter and dressing, the weight should range between 1.8kg to 2kg.



Tips on How to Reduce Broiler Production Costs:

When you intend to start a poultry project, sometimes budget constraints may be very discouraging . That is not an excuse to shelve the project though. To cut on production costs, you can substitute as follows:

Feed

Feed accounts for the greatest cost in broiler production. If you have maize stocks or can find cheaper sources, instead of giving straight feed, you can buy concentrates and mix with course ground maize and make your own feed. Feed manufacturers can advise you on the best mix ratios.

Infrared bulb (heating)

To save on electricity and cost of buying an infrared bulb, you can use charcoal. You light the charcoal and leave it burning for some time. When its no longer producing smoke, put the glowing charcoal in a specially-designed charcoal burner (mbaura) or clay pots and put in the brooder or poultry house to provide warmth to the birds.

Clay pots retain heat for longer hours. Always ensure the pots are covered with mesh wire on top to avoid birds trying to get inside the pots. Ensure there is adequate ventilation to avoid suffocating the birds as well.

You can also put hot water in 2 litre water bottles and securely cover the tops. Put in fowl runs at strategic places to ensure heat from the water bottles evenly provides warmth throughout the poultry house or cage.

Stress pack

To reduce budget costs, you can cut aloe vera (gavakava) into pieces and crush to extract the juices. Place the cut pieces into water containers or drinkers and give the birds to drink. Give at least twice a week.



Lighting

To save electricity required for providing light to the birds, use solar systems or portable solar lights. For suppliers of these you can check Classifieds and Business Directory sections on this blog.

Wood shavings

Instead of buying wood shavings, you can replace with grass as bedding which you can freely cut or get from the roadside. Always disinfect the bedding first before use.

Labour

Do you really need to pay someone to handle your project? If you can manage on your own, the better. You can surely make a saving on labour costs.



Drinkers and chick fonts

You can get creative here! Some poultry farmers cut 5L plastic containers and put a stone in the middle to ensure the birds do not tilt the container and wet the bedding. Plastic containers are more preferable to metal ones as they are easier to clean and do not get rusty over time.

Feeders

You can cut plastic containers or even use metal containers for putting feed. It works fine. Ensure there is a stone in the middle to avoid birds spilling the containers. Chickens can be messy sometimes and you cannot afford to lose feed through spillages.

Marketing

On average it takes 6 weeks at most to raise a broiler chicken to be ready for market. Due to new feeding methods, its possible to sell at 5weeks or even less especially for baby chickens if you find a market for such birds.

The economic situation is so hard and clients are not spared too. Instead of selling full chickens, another option is to sell cutlets such as legs, heads, intestines, livers, gizzards, wings and you neatly pack these in plastics.

Its much affordable for clients as compared to buying a full chicken. Study your market and offer what they are willing to pay for as long as you remain with a profit in your pocket.

As you can see, these tips can help you cut on budget costs as you start your broiler project. You will realise that as the number of birds you keep increases, you will also have more capacity to buy proper equipment for running your broiler business.



Advice on Keeping Broilers:

Market research

Do proper research to find out if there is a market in your area for your chickens. Check out the level of competition in your area and how much current producers are charging. Do not start a business without an idea of who your target market is and if there is demand for your product. 

Start small

The temptation to start with a large batch from the onset is always there. Start small and learn the production processes, vaccination procedures, diseases, slaughtering processes, marketing, etc. Avoid starting with too large a batch without adequate knowledge and experience in the business. You will be disappointed if things go wrong. Once you get more confidence and knowledge in the business, increase batch quantities gradually.



Selection of chicks

To avoid losses, always buy chicks from reputable suppliers. Avoid buying chicks from cheap sources as you run the risk of getting “reject chicks” which hardly grow. You can watch this video on my Youtube page of a fraudster caught selling fake broiler chicks. 

Always use good quality feed

Always buy feed from reputable suppliers. Avoid cheap feed from roadside merchants. 

Avoid changing feed suppliers unnecessarily as this affects consumption and growth of birds.

Introduce feed gradually from one stage to the next for instance from broiler starter to grower.

Training

Endeavour to get adequate training or knowledge on proper broiler management practices. This will help you cut on unnecessary costly mistakes. You can subscribe to my free Email Newsletter for tips and advice that I post regularly on this blog.

I also have a calendar where I post poultry training events and its always in your best interest to check the calendar on this blog or on my Facebook page for latest updates.

Practice proper hygiene and good bio-security

  • Passion and hard work is required in this business. Broilers require extra care and attention. Never compromise on hygiene.
  • Always clean and sanitize your hands before handling the birds. Ash is a good sanitizer too.
  • Have a foot bath with disinfectant at the door entrance of the poultry house to prevent bringing diseases into the fowl run. Do not allow visitors near the birds as they may transmit diseases from outside unknowingly.
  • Control rats, dogs and cats from accessing the poultry houses as these may introduce diseases such as salmonella. Fumigation tablets work very well to keep rats away.



  • Allow proper ventilation in the brooder or poultry house. Birds need access to clean and fresh air all the time which also helps keep the bedding dry. Wet bedding is a haven for bacteria that causes diseases.
  • Bedding should always be clean and dry to avoid diseases.
  • Provide cool and clean water all the time when its hot. In cold months, warm water is the best to encourage birds to drink. Water is good for appetite and increased feed intake which results in big and healthy birds.
  • Ensure poultry house or cage is not too small and uncomfortable for the birds to avoid cannibalism or pecking on each other. You can lose a lot of birds if cannibalism is not controlled.
  • Vaccinating your chicks is a MUST. Never compromise on vaccination programs in order to increase profits. You will be disappointed with the losses through disease outbreaks.

Rearing and selling broilers is a profitable venture which has sustained many families over the years. As long as people need to eat, the demand for broiler meat will always be there – an opportunity for you to make money! 

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