This archive report was first published on 17 July 2019.
What I've Learned from One Year of Chicken Farming in Kenya ¶
As I reflect on my journey into chicken farming, I am reminded of the words of wisdom from a good vet who visited my farm: 'Get rid of all your remaining stock, clean up the premises and leave it vacant for at least three months before you bring in any new stock.'
My poultry adventure began as a hobby about six years ago, with 30 hens and three roosters. However, for two years running, I couldn't rear the chicks beyond two months, and they kept dying despite vaccinating them. Mortality at two months was as high as 80 per cent, and one farmer even told me that the birds had been bewitched.
But I didn't give up. In October 2014, I got my first order of 100 day-old chicks from Kalro, Naivasha. For two years or so, things seemed to be going well. I was able to control diseases and even started formulating my own feeds, which lowered the cost by about 30 and 40 per cent.
However, things started going haywire when a disease diagnosed as infectious coryza (or acute respiratory disease) struck my flock. At the peak of this infection in December last year, I had lost 594 (a 72 per cent death rate) of the flock. My dream of becoming a major supplier to supermarkets came a cropper.
But I learned from my mistakes. I cleaned up the infected chicken pen, disinfected it, and left it vacant for three months before bringing in a new stock of day-old chicks. So far, I have only lost 41 chicks (7.4 per cent mortality at nine weeks) mainly as a result of the cold weather.
Now, one year later, the cost of livestock feeds and the raw materials remain high despite policy initiatives by the government. The 50kg bag of chick mash, growers and layers mash is retailing at Sh2,150, Sh2,160 and Sh2,290 respectively, which is still too high for most farmers.
According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation, the poultry industry in the country is worth $6.3 billion. But to grow the industry and protect it from cheap imports of eggs and chicken meat, the cost of feeds has to come down.
As I look to the future, I remain optimistic that my venture into poultry farming will eventually pay dividends. With the right support and policies in place, I believe that the poultry industry in Kenya can thrive and provide a sustainable source of income for many farmers.
