Rearing local chicken for eggs is profitable

What you need to know:

Keeping local chicken in Uganda can be a very rewarding business venture in a country where there is a steady demand for eggs. Dorothy Nakaweesi shares what one needs to do in order to reap big from commercial chicken keeping.

There is increasing demand for eggs from local chicken because of the nutritional values attached to them. And because their production is not massive in the country it makes local chicken a lucrative investment opportunity.
Ideally hens are bred domestically mainly for eggs and meat. Investing in massive production is a viable business idea because you can get meat, eggs, and hatch more chicks, which can also be sold at one’s wish.
According to Mr John Musajjakawa, the senior investment officer at Uganda Investment Authority, for this business to be profitable one would aim at producing about 30,000 trays of eggs annually and 3,000 off layers per year.

Revenue potential
“The revenue potential for this kind of investment is estimated at $135,000 (Shs486 million) annually,” Mr Musajjakawa said; adding that to achieve this, one should have at least an initial capital investment of about Shs3.5 million.
Mr Musajjakawa further said:
“This idea needs a lot of patience because in the first three months it demands a lot of investment yet there are no returns realised.”
There is no business without risks, he shares that if one decides to invest in this venture, the risk involved is majorly coccidiosis - which attacks birds.
The solution, he advises, is cleanliness, proper management and control of the business.
“There are extension workers and veterinary doctors in every district who offer free advice to farmers,” he said.
The government has continued to support agriculture through bodies such as the National Agricultural Advisory Services to advise farmers on how to rear poultry.
“There are extension workers and veterinary doctors in every district who offer free advice to farmers,” he said.
After getting the chicks from the hatchery, experts advise that they should be kept in the brooder in which they are vaccinated.
The chicks are then shifted to the main shelter in which they are fed for three months on growers mash.
Cocks are introduced to fertilise the eggs. Experts advise that it is at this time that noise is reduced, the birds are fed on greens and water.

Shs3.5m

The minimum initial investment capital in a chicken business if one is to achieve substantial revenue in a year

This article’s ideas and more investment concepts can be accessed on the Uganda Investment Authority website.