How Lumu makes fat returns from poultry

As a child growing in the rural area, Charles Lumu had no real ambitions to be a farmer. As an accountant, he spent most of his time in the practice. But he grew up looking after the cows and chicken with his parents. Back then, his parents kept cows on top of crop farming.

Inspiration

Lumu’s story starts in a village called Nabuta in Mukono where he made the decision to start farming after amassing enough capital.

Four years ago, Charles Lumu engaged in poultry farming after attempts at dairy farming. It was after visiting progressive farmers in Mukono that he “saw the light.” He had earlier engaged in bakery and soap-making enterprises.

“When I bought land in Lwanyonyi, Nama Sub-county, I wanted to put it to use. I visited a farmer, who was doing impressive poultry farming. She was leading a comfortable life and making good money. I was totally impressed to start the business,” Lulu recalls.

Lumu is the bursar of Seeta High Schools owned by Education State Minister Chrysostom Muyingo. His work is obviously a high-pressure job that requires dedication. He made the decision to start targeting an additional source of income.

He did not resign from his job but started farming using his savings to build a brick chicken house at the extreme end of his one and a half-acre land. Without prior experience, to start off, he bought 200 chicken. He also hired a full-time farm manager to look after the business.

Progress

Having started with the deep litter system, Lumu changed to poultry cages. Towards the end of 2018, one of his friends was selling his system and he wanted to give it a try owing to its advantages. In each cage, he keeps three chicken which he can easily monitor.

“I can tell which chicken did not lay eggs while it helps a lot in disease management as few birds are caged together. On top of that, the feeds are not wasted while the water system is automated,” Lumu says.

His plan is to install a cage system that can take care of at least 8,000 chickens.

After several careful steps, he continued expanding and before the first coronavirus-induced lockdown, he had a stock of 5,500 layers.

“But because of the challenges of feed and falling egg prices, I sold off most of them to maintain a manageable flock,” he says. Today, he has more than 2,800 layers and the business is booming.

Despite being a greenhorn, key management practices have kept him afloat even though he faces daily challenges from common diseases such as Newcastle, coccidiosis and Fowl typhoid,” he says.

Lumu opted for the commercial layer breed from Kenchic which he says has a high peak egg production, a prolonged production period of up to two years, a good egg quality desired by buyers and an efficient feed conversion rate. The birds, he says, come into point of lay at 22-24 weeks.

“I asked around for the best breeds because a good breed is worth an investment,” he says.

Despite a busy schedule at work, he dedicates every Sunday on the farm to study his chicken, feeding, egg production and disease management. Whenever he is around, he engages in vaccination and feeding. “I have come to learn that chicken needs enough heat, lighting and plenty of water,” he says.

He also learnt the value of mixing his own feeds by buying concentrates.

Insatiable market

Lumu reveals that even with the closure of markets in Kenya and South Sudan, the market for eggs is insatiable.

“The market is available. Only the prices will decline when traders are not exporting,” he says, adding that since he started in 2017, he does not look for buyers.

“They come from as far as Busia and even within my community, the demand is always high,” he says.

Currently, he produces about 85 trays daily which he sells at a farm-gate price of Shs9,000. Roughly, he earns Shs800,000 daily.

Having reaped the benefits of poultry farming, he advises young people to consider venturing into poultry farming.

“Because it can create jobs for other people in the community yet it is paying. You cannot live off a salary alone. Everyone needs a side source of income,” says Lumu.

Lumu is continuing with his day job and plans to diversify into other agri-business ventures.

“I plan to start a feed processing plant and resume dairy farming,” he says.

He cut down on the flock size of ten cows because he did not have enough feed.

“I will need about four acres to grow pasture before I resume dairy production,” Lumu explains.

Lumu’s poultry tips

According to Lumu, those interested in poultry rearing need to get the fundamentals right.

“Many people can be interested when they hear about stories of making money but a successful layer production business must be well researched.

“Farm visits are a crucial issue before investing any money. One must understand the business,” he says.

Lumu explains that because it takes more than four months before layers can start giving back, one must have planned carefully for feeding and vaccination costs. “One needs to start small before they can expand. Expansion must be carefully planned,” he says.

On top of that, he advises farmers to maintain a clean environment to prevent the spread of diseases.

“That is one reason why I started using cages. Because it is simple to maintain hygiene,” he says.

From his experience, farmers must provide clean water in clean containers adding that there is no going around vaccination.

“This needs to be timely because an outbreak can sweep an entire stock clean,” he says.

In shelters where he is still practicing the deep litter system, he added laying boxes which ensure clean eggs. All his chickens in the deep litter system are also debeaked.

NOTE

Layer’s housing

Layer’s housing should be big enough so that the birds have space and are safe. It should be well aerated. The recommended measurements for 1000 birds are 34ft by 60ft, 300 birds 16ft by 25ft, 100birds 10ft by 15ft. These are just for the chicken house.

Marketing layers

Charles Lumu reveals that even with the closure of markets in Kenya and South Sudan, the market for eggs is insatiable. “The market is available. Only the prices will decline when traders are not exporting,” he says, adding that since he started in 2017, he does not look for buyers.