Demand for inexpensive food is always high. And therefore, owning a small chicken farm can become a very profitable business. Indeed, from this bird they immediately receive two products popular on the market: eggs and delicious dietary meat.
Where to begin?
Of course, breeding chickens as a business, the profitability of which is determined by many factors, must be properly organized. First of all, the future poultry breeder should draw up a detailed business plan. When developing it, you need to think about the following:
what breed to choose for breeding;
where the hens will be kept;
how will bird care be organized;
as expected to update the herd;
where to sell meat or eggs.
Once the business plan for laying hens, poultry or broilers is ready, the farm should be officially registered. In this case, the easiest way to register as an IP.
Which breed to choose
All chickens are divided into three large groups:
Meat direction. Such breeds are distinguished by some whimsical care and a tendency to disease. If you wish, you can choose to grow the actual chicken meat breeds or hybrids (broilers). The latter are more capricious, but also grow much faster.
Egg direction of productivity. The breeds of this group are unpretentious in feeding, and also resistant to infectious diseases. Therefore, breeding chickens on an egg is a relatively simple matter.
Meat and egg direction. Such chickens carry many eggs and at the same time gain quite a lot of weight.
For a beginner poultry breeder at the first stage, the best option would, of course, be to keep hens in the egg production direction. The most popular breeds of this group are: Kuchin anniversary, leggorn, Moscow white and broken brown.
The advantage of breeding such chickens, in addition to ease of care, is also the absence of the need for significant initial investments. The bird of these breeds begins to hike very early - at 4-5 months of age. At the same time, the masonry continues year-round. There is only one drawback of the chicken egg production business. After 3-4 years, the egg production of the bird strongly feeds, and therefore, the herd has to be updated. However, experienced farmers advise beginners to equip the premises by this time and engage in the cultivation of more profitable meat breeds. After all, experience by this time, albeit small, but will already be accumulated. The most popular meat breeds of chickens in our country are orpington, cornish and faverol. The best broilers are considered ROSS 308, 708 and COBB 500.
Breeding chickens as a business: farm profitability
Of course, before registering a farm, it should be calculated how beneficial poultry maintenance can be. For example, experienced farmers advise laying hens to start at least 100 units at once. Otherwise, the farm simply will not pay for itself. One laying hen can lay up to 180-250 eggs per year. From 100 chickens, so you can get 2500 pcs. With an average cost of 50 p. for a dozen annual profits could be about 125,000 rubles.
But, of course, when developing a business plan for breeding laying hens or broilers, all possible costs should be taken into account. So, the construction of the house and its equipment, for example, can cost about 100 thousand rubles.
According to many experienced farmers, the costs of organizing a chicken breeding business pay off in about one and a half to two years. But, of course, if a novice entrepreneur already has a summer house with a barn outside the city, the initial costs can be significantly reduced.
Conditions of detention
Breeding chickens as a business (the profitability of such farms is largely determined by the conditions that will be created for the bird), of course, requires, first of all, the construction of a barn. The chicken house should be designed so that it is warm and light enough. The optimal air temperature for chickens is considered to be 17-24 grams. Light is especially important for laying hens. In the dark, they will be much worse at laying eggs. Of course, ventilation should also be arranged in the chicken coop. This supplement is especially important for broilers. After all, this bird, as already mentioned, is not very resistant to disease. In stale air, saturated with harmful fumes, various viruses and microbes multiply faster.
You can build a house from any materials: brick, blocks, wood, etc. The floors in chicken coops are usually made with planks and covered with a layer of straw or sawdust. Of course, you need to bring electricity to the house. If it is supposed to contain a lot of chickens, it is also advisable to extend a water supply to the shed.
What poultry farm equipment is needed
Of course, for successful breeding of chickens, you will need to additionally purchase:
Feeders. They should be exactly so that the hens do not crowd and push when feeding.
Drinking bowls. This equipment can be made from a wide variety of materials. The main thing is that there should be enough water for everyone, and it would be as accessible as possible.
Perches. For laying hens, they are necessary. They are placed at a height of about 80 cm from the floor.
Jacks. It is advisable to arrange a separate for each layer.
Tanks for ash. The chickens will “bathe” in them, destroying the parasites.
A business such as broiler breeding implies, above all, high feed costs. In this case, it is not necessary to equip the shed with perches and nests. Crosses are usually killed at the age of 3-4 months, that is, before they begin to rush.
Broilers can be bred either floor-standing or cellular. The latter method is considered more preferable. A bird with limited movement is gaining weight faster. Cages for chickens can be made independently or purchased ready-made. Install them throughout the barn area or only along the walls.
Optional equipment: brooder
Initially, farmers acquire either a hatchery egg of good breeds or young animals. In the first case, the purchase will be much cheaper. However, the lunge among hatched chickens will be large. At first, experienced farmers are advised to buy still slightly grown young stock (5-15 days). Lunge among such chickens is much smaller. Of course, young animals will need additional equipment.
First of all, you will need to purchase or make the so-called brooder. Summer residents, breeding poultry only for themselves, at first plant chickens in cardboard boxes. If there are 100-200 pieces on the farm of chicks, this way of keeping in the early days is even more or less suitable. But, for example, for a thousand chickens it is hardly worth using. The brooder in this case will be much more convenient. This equipment is something like a large “cabinet” with mesh “shelves” and walls made of cellular polycarbonate or other transparent material.
If the chicken shed is well equipped and insulated, instead of a brooder, you can use special multi-tier cages for chickens of 5-15 days old. Such "dwellings" for chicks are usually supplemented with special water and feed supply systems already at the factory. The equipment of this variety differs from cages for an adult bird by a lower tier height.
Chicken Incubator
A small drawback of a business such as broiler breeding is that young animals have to be purchased periodically. If necessary, layers can be hatched independently. But for this, of course, you need an incubator. If you intend to breed a lot of chickens, it is better to purchase an industrial model. In incubators of this variety, there are such functions as automatic gentle egg flipping, temperature and humidity control.
Walking
In order to increase productivity, laying hens should be let out for a walk every day. Especially for this, a large area is enclosed next to the house. To equip the walk you will need poles and a mesh netting. The height of the fence should be at least 1.5 meters. In this case, poultry equipment such as feeders and drinkers will also be needed. In a fenced area, they must be installed. Some farmers believe that walking can be useful for broilers grown on the floor. But such a bird can not be allowed to go outside too often.
Chicken feed
Breeding chickens as a business, the profitability of which depends, inter alia, on proper feeding, requires the development of a balanced diet for poultry. The supply of quality feed should be taken care of in advance. Concentrates are more profitable to purchase in bulk from reliable suppliers. Chickens are usually fed whole or crushed wheat. When breeding layers, to reduce costs, you can additionally use bran and boiled potatoes. For broilers, the latter product is undesirable. Many farmers believe that boiled potatoes can cause intestinal torsion.
In addition to concentrates, chickens must receive green and succulent feed. It can be leaves of cabbage and beets, carrot tops, quinoa, nettle. You also need to give grated carrots, beets, apples, zucchini, etc.
In addition, care should be taken to ensure that chickens receive a sufficient amount of useful trace elements. For layers, for example, calcium is very important. Its lack of feed can be filled with chalk or grated shell rock. Mix chickens and a little salt in the feed. Various kinds of vitamin supplements are also used. The latter are usually bought ready-made in packages. On sale today there are additives designed specifically for laying hens, broilers and young animals.
Where to sell products
Breeding chickens for beginner farmers is thus a good business. Among its advantages, among other things, include the ease of implementation of the finished product. Eggs and meat can be taken to shops, cafes, canteens or even restaurants. Some farmers also open their own outlets. But in this case, of course, you will have to pay an additional rent. If the livestock is not too large, selling meat and eggs is also easy on the market.
Conclusion
As you can see, a chicken mini-poultry farm can become a truly profitable business. A large initial investment does not require such a thing. Actually, the very care of the bird is nothing particularly complicated by itself. However, of course, the breeding technology of chickens should never be violated. The absence of the necessary equipment in the barn or the use of poor-quality feed will probably cause a lunge, a decrease in productivity, and, consequently, a lack of profit.