Young people urged to venture into poultry farming

Broilers reared en masse in a farm. PHOTO/Courtesy.

Many young people are still struggling to get white color jobs but in Bidii Ward, Kwanza Constituency, Trans Nzoia County Mrs Edina Kerubo believes in self-employment.

Mrs Kerubo who started poultry farming four years ago says she now owns property that she did not have before.

She tried several other businesses that failed completely to pick up.

Mrs. Kerubo says she started only with ten chicks from Trans Queens and Kings Cooperative in Trans Nzoia County.

The cooperative sells chicks and buys mature chicken after four months from farmers.

Mrs. Kerubo says she buys one week old chick at Ksh 90 from the Cooperative which is cheaper compared to other companies that sells the same at Ksh 105.

She narrated that sometimes she buys one week old chicks then after three weeks she sells them at Ksh 200.

This she says is more profitable.

She says many farmers fear taking care of the chicks and prefer buying three week old chicks.

Trans Queens and Kings Cooperative has 1,634 direct registered members.

It also has more than 7,000 members through youths and women groups who have enjoined for marketing purposes.

Mrs. Kerubo says poultry keeping does not require a huge land.

A farmer can build a poultry house ‘upward’ as a way of creating more space on air.

She says chicks requires more attention like cleanness, vaccines and warm environment.

She uses a special pot(jiko) with holes all over it.

Charcoal keeps the chicks warm but if they stay in the cold for long they can easily die, says Mrs.Kerubo.

Speaking to The Scholar Media Africa, Mrs. Kerubo said that keeping pure traditional chicken (kienyeji) takes a longer time to mature.

Improved traditional chicken takes four months to mature and this increases income to the farmer.

When asked why there are several names for chicken, Mrs Kerubo says that they have different names because of the various companies but they are the same chicken with the same taste.

Mrs Kerubo says chicks feed on special feeds but after growing up they can consume any type of food like maize, omena, green vegetables among others.

The foods make them keep the taste of traditional chicken and makes them sweet.

Mrs Kerubo challenged farmers that apart from doing other farming they should also engage in poultry keeping for quick income that does not consume a lot time and other expenses.

Another farmer Peter Wafula now owns a new Probox just from poultry farming.

Wafula intends to increase the number of birds to target the Christmas festive.

“I want to increase my birds from 200 to 250 and by December they will be mature whereby I will be selling each for between Ksh 900-1000,” says Mr Wafula.

Poultry farming’s biggest challenge is the diseases.

Mrs.Kerubo says the poultry house needs cleanness always and does not require regular visitors.

If it is a must for them to check on your project then one should step in the disinfectant that should be placed at the entrance of poultry house first.

Poultry expert Mr. Joseph Kachili who spoke to The Scholar Media Africa said poultry keeping is very simple but if a farmer fails to follow instructions he may lose everything.

Mr. Kachili says chicken has two types of disease: bacterial and viral diseases.

He says bacterial diseases can be treated by use of drugs from the agrovets.

Examples of these diseases are Coccidiosis and respiratory infections.

Viral diseases are more dangerous and kill poultry if not vaccinated timely.

They include Newcastle, Viral Arthritis, fowl typhoid, fowl cholera fowl pox and Swollen Head Syndrome.

He says viral diseases have no cure and therefore farmers need to protect their birds early with recommended vaccines to keep them immune and more resistant to such diseases.

Mr.Kachili advises poultry farmers to avoid drugs that have stayed for hours after mixing with water in order to keep their birds safe.

Mrs Julia Ngeywa of Trans Queens and Kings Cooperative Society says they have linked poultry farmers to other marketers.

An example is Kuku Bora which has given them a target of supplying 2,000 birds per week.

She says they also sell their chicken locally and to other counties that include Turkana and Mombasa.

Mrs Ngeywa says they are looking  for an international market where farmers will be able to supply chicken and eggs through Trans Queens and Kings Cooperative and create self-employment.

She further says they have plans to open a huge chicken hotel within Kitale town for pure improved chicken.

She also revealed that they have a plan to have slaughter houses within Kitale and a huge refrigerated lorry that will be transporting ready chicken to the market.

Mrs Ngeywa challenged those unemployed including graduates to engage in poultry farming to generate quick income and once they engage in this agri business, no one will desire to be employed in his or her life.

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Trans-Nzoia correspondent for Scholar Media Africa

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