Layer Poultry Project

Description

The Challenge

Most small-scale farmers raise “village” chickens (a hearty, disease resistant breed), however, they are almost exclusively free-range. As a result, many of the chickens (and particularly the chicks) are lost to predators, diseases (such as Newcastle), or die in inclement weather.

The Agripreneur Solution

Agripreneur is encouraging farmers to:

• build chicken pens so that they can better protect their chickens and their offspring and control their diet, and
• to engage in raising more profitable chickens, such as layer chickens.

We are also training the farmers in vaccinating their chickens, particularly against Newcastle disease, which is a highly contagious poultry disease that periodically wipes out entire flocks within a region.

The layer chicken projects not only provide small-scale farmers with a significant and dependable income, but also provide a good source of protein, which is sorely lacking in the village environment, causing stunted childhood growth, among other issues.

The Numbers

Capital Cost

A sample of the cost of this project is set forth below. We have found that 30 layer chickens is a good number for farmers to start with. Thirty layer chickens, properly managed, will produce at least 25 eggs each day.

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Notes:

• At an exchange rate of 18.2kwacha per 1USD.
• The farmers can make the bricks for free and build the roof from dried grass and poles. The amount included is for assistance with the labour.
• After purchase, it often takes the layer chickens some time to reach fullproduction. Therefore, we provide the farmers with some food until the business is able to support itself.

Annual Income

Required Donation to Help a Farmer Commence a Layer Chicken Business

$308 USD