10 Simple Steps to Start Poultry Farming Business

Are you thinking to start your own poultry farming business? If yes then you should definitely read this article. You can start the chicken farming business from medium to large scale investment.

Poultry farming is an agriculture business model. The demand for poultry is increasing very fast due to its protein content. With the new technology, poultry farming has taken another way in agriculture farming.

Let me tell you that the poultry farming business isn’t an easy task. The risk in poultry farming is always high. A proper plan and maintenance are highly required to handle a poultry farm. One wrong move and you can lose all your investment and hard work.

Table of Contents

1. Choose Your Farming Sector

The first step of poultry farming is choosing your category. There are many categories in poultry farming to choose from. Though many people are doing all of them. As a beginner, I would advise you to start with one category first.

Chicken breeding (hatchery)
Meat Production (boilers breeding)
Eggs production (layers breeding)

As you see the range of poultry farming is huge. You have to choose the right niche for your business.

Once you have chosen the niche for your poultry the next important step is selecting your breed type. There are many breeds to choose from like Plymouth, Rhode Island Red, Sussex, and Silkies etc

2. Finance Arrangements

Poultry farming business requires capital to start and then for maintenance too. There are two types of investment which you have to do in poultry farming. Firstly, analyze the cost of the necessary types of equipment for the poultry farming business. Secondly, the maintenance cost which includes rent of land, foods arrangements, water supply, and labor salary (if you have more than 500 chickens

Types of equipment required:-

Incubator
Feeder
Water Pot
Laying Nest
Wire Flooring
Coops
Cages
Lights
Heaters

You can start a small poultry farm at $2,000-$5,000. A medium poultry farm will cost you around $10,000 – $15,000.

3. Types of Poultry Farming

Free Range Farms – in free-range farming the chickens are allowed to roam around freely for the whole day. But in the night all chickens are sent to the shed to protect them from bad weather and predators.

Battery Cage – one of the most popular and used methods for commercial poultry farming is battery cage. These cages of made of metals in a long row and multiple tiers. The cage system increases the production of eggs also saves food from wastage.

4. Plan for Poultry Farming Business

Think about how you are going to initiate and run the poultry farm. A properly written plan is very much important. What is your target for the next 5 to 10 years? What is going to be your strategy for marketing etc?

Also, think about the financial arrangements for the business. If you don’t have the capital for the business you can go for a loan with a proper plan. But I would suggest you start the business with your savings.

As I mentioned above chicken farming business is a wide niche with many sub-categories. Choosing a right sub-category plays a vital role.

Firstly, decide the sub-niche you are going to work on. Also, think about how much land is required to set up the business? How much money you have for your chicken farming business? What necessary equipment is needed? What is the total cost of the project?

5. Analyze Your Market & Opportunity

The demands of poultry products are very high in the market due to its protein content. Although, it’s very much important to analyze the market before starting the poultry farming business. While analyzing the market you have to find the answers for – who are my buyers? To whom you are going to contact? Where you intend to sell your products?

Good research is highly recommended before putting your money into the poultry farming business.

Also, I would advise you to visit a poultry farm to understand how things work in this field. How people are doing the poultry farming business. The practical experience is always better to have before investing in the poultry farming business.

6. Legal Requirements for Poultry Farming

Legalizing your poultry farming business is very important. There are few rules are regulations which a poultry farm has to follow. Always check for the local authority rules and regulations for poultry farming to avoid future troubles. You have to apply for trade license from your local authority. Also, you will require NOC (No Objection Certificate) from local government. There are few guidelines for chicken farming.

500m far from residential areas
200m far from any public transportation
1km far from the drinking water source
500m far from other farming location

7. Educate Yourself

Knowledge is the key to success in the poultry farming business. Educating yourself not only theoretical but practical is highly recommended. Proper training of poultry business is very much important before investing into the business

Many risk factors are involved in poultry farming because you are dealing with livestock. You have to be careful about the types of diseases, a food product for chickens and overall environments.

8. Hiring Skilled Labor for Farming

If you have more than 500 chickens then you have to hire manpower to maintain them. You will need highly skilled and qualified labor for your poultry farming.

Maintaining poultry farm is not an easy task to do. Unskilled labor may ruin your all hard work and investment. Also, you will have to supervise your farm from time to time. You will require a doctor who will checkup for the disease. Diseases spread in chicken very fast which can lead to a disaster.

9. Selecting Proper Location

Selecting a proper location for poultry farm is the most important decision. I would advise you to choose an area where land cost is cheap. Always check if it is suitable for transport or not. Never choose a residential area because your chicken farming unit is going to produce a high offensive smell.

The farming location should not be too far from your market otherwise transportation cost will eat your profit. Hence, a proper location for chicken farming plays a critical role in the success of the business. An ideal location for chicken farming is far from the residential area and near to your market.

10. Promote the Poultry Farming Business

Marketing is a crucial factor for any business. There are several ways to promote poultry farming business. You can contact the local distributor for selling your product. Also, if you have a budget for marketing you can create ads to promote your product. Make connections with people and gradually increase the business.