This archive report was first published on 9 September 2019.
Published on September 9, 2019, a 70-year-old poultry farmer in Maekani, Machakos County, has found a lucrative business in hatching chicks using a paraffin-powered incubator.
Joseph Kyengo, the farmer, has been keeping chickens for eight years and has seen his business thrive with the help of the incubator. He initially kept 100 chickens for meat and eggs but found the business costly due to high feed and treatment demands.
Mr. Kyengo now maintains a flock of 20 Kienyeji hens and four cockerels, sourcing his fertilized eggs from the same supplier. He acquired the paraffin incubator from the Agricultural Technology Development Centre (ATDC) in Katumani, Machakos County, for Sh14,000, paid in installments.
The incubator has a capacity of 200 eggs and requires precise temperature and humidity control to ensure successful hatching. John Masila, an agricultural engineer at ATDC, explains that the ideal incubator temperature is 38°C, and humidity should be between 50% and 70% during the last few days.
Mr. Kyengo uses a pencil to mark the eggs, allowing him to track the hatching process. He checks the machine regularly to ensure it works smoothly, cleaning the paraffin lamp and wick to maintain heat distribution and prevent bad gases.
After 21 days, the chicks begin to break out of their shells unaided. Mr. Kyengo takes them out one by one, ensuring their fur is dry before selling them at Sh100 each when they are day-old. Two-week-old chicks sell at Sh150.
