This archive report was first published on 7 December 2019.
December 7, 2019
Farmer Hesbon Asava has found a way to cut the cost of production in small poultry farming by making his own chicken feeds.
Asava, who has been farming for over 20 years, started his poultry business in 1992 with an initial investment of Sh120,000.
He initially kept over 500 birds but quit in 2013 due to high production costs.
"It was a job in futility because I would buy feeds expensively but the price of eggs could not match my efforts," Asava said.
Asava then sought training on how to make his own feeds from various ingredients, such as maize germ, cotton seed cake, omena, and sunflower cake.
He now makes his own feeds by mixing and grinding maize grains, sunflower cake, omena, minerals, and pellets at a posho mill.
"The mixture is crushed at a normal posho mill," Asava explained.
By making his own feeds, Asava saves half the cost of commercial feeds, which currently costs Sh2,400 per 70kg bag.
Asava has also set aside half-an-acre for growing maize, which he harvests and uses to make chicken feeds.
However, experts warn that homemade feeds may not be suitable for chicks that require special feeds at a tender age.
"Chicks should be fed chick mash, then growers mash to boost their development," said Zachary Munyambu from the Kiambu Poultry Society.
