8 FACTORS THAT DETERMINE THE COST TO START A POULTRY FARMING BUSINESS.

1. LAND.
First, you would need to purchase a good plot of land that would be suitable for farming. Farm lands are usually cheaper than lands in residential areas, so you may be lucky to get a very sizable plot at a very good price.

2. CONSTRUCTION COSTS.
The next stage after purchase of land is construction. You would have to build a cage to keep the birds in. There are different types of cages and with varying cost implications.

When you have decided on the most suitable one for you, then you can call in experts to give you a quote. You may also need to construct some building like stores for keeping equipment and supplies and maybe a security/farm house for farm laborers.

3. CHICKS.
The next thing you would have to spend on is getting chicks to start your farm with. As a beginner, you wouldn’t have chicks of your own yet so you would have to buy from other poultry farmers. The number of chicks you would need depends on the size of your farm and the capacity of the poultry housing you have constructed.

The price would also depend on the size of the chicks. Day old chicks are usually very cheap You may even get it for cheaper but you have to be careful when handling day old chicks because they are usually at a high risk of dying.

4. POULTRY EQUIPMENT.
This is yet another thing that is dependent on the size of your poultry farm and the nature of your business. If you want to hatch and sell chicks for instance, you would have to buy hatchery equipment. If you want to process meat for sale, you would also need meat processing equipment. The same thing goes for if you want to produce your own poultry feed yourself.
So as for cost of equipment, you would really have to sit down and decide on the nature of poultry farming you want to do and find out the type of equipment you would need.

5. VACCINATION.
Your birds must be given the necessary medical attention so that they can grow properly and produce efficiently. You have to include the costs of vaccination in your business plan. This cost would also include costs of drugs and payment to the medical consultant that would be called upon to give the birds the required medical attention.

6. FEEDING.
This is like the most important expense you would undertake in this business. Feeding is very important because the growth and productivity of your birds would depend on how well you feed them. There are different types of poultry feeds for different stages in the bird’s lives.
There is the starter for when they are little chicks, there is the grower for optimal growth and strength and there is the finisher for when they are getting close to the selling stage. You can budget to use commercial feeds but if you want to cut costs of feeding, you can consider producing your own poultry feed. Although this may cost you a lot of money for a start, it would save you a lot of money in the long run.

7. COST OF LABOR.
If you are setting up a commercial poultry farm, it is unlikely that you would be capable of handling all the tasks yourself. You may have to employ people to assist you and you would need to pay them.

8. OTHER EXPENSES.
You should also make out a budget for electricity, transportation, advertising, security, insurance as well as selling and distribution expenses. To get a detailed and accurate cost of setting up your poultry farm, it is advisable for you to carry out your own feasibility study.

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