A poultry farm is of huge advantage to its owner. Whether you’re rearing your birds for a commercial or domestic purpose, there’s something to benefit from your investment. However, this branch of agriculture requires in-depth knowledge to thrive in it.

From laying the first stone to utilizing a marketing strategy to grow your poultry farm, let’s take you through every step, and make you a pro poultry farmer.

Below is how to start your poultry farm:

1. Decide Your Type of Poultry

Poultry farming is a broad one. You may choose to breed broilers or layers depending on your purpose for starting the farm. If it’s to raise eggs, then layers are an ideal choice. Contrarily, if you want meats, broilers would do. Moreover, you may decide to incubate eggs and raise chicks too.

The following are some of the options you have:

• Egg and meat processing
• Egg production (Layers breeding)
• Meat production (Broilers breeding)
• Chicken farming (Hatchery)
• Poultry feed production

2. Choose the Type of Bird

There are different types of birds you can rear in your poultry farm. However, for the sake of management, and ease as a beginner, you should start with raising two or three varieties. 

You can start by raising easy to breed birds such as layers, guinea fowl and broilers. Others include geese, turkey, pigeon, quail and goose. Also, familiarize yourself with the benefits and requirements of each bird before choosing.

3. Go for a Logo

Poultry farming isn’t all talk. Going for a logo will leave a good impression on people about your business. Start this process by finding a suitable name. Ensure it’s not already in use by others so that your business name can stand out amongst competitors and in the minds of customers.

Also, ensure the name of your poultry farm describes the kind of farm you run. Put your logo on all your business materials like cartons, business cards, and your official social media pages and websites.

Talking about websites; create a business website for your page so that people from all parts of the world may easily see and reach you.

4. Choose a Farm Location

There are several factors to evaluate before choosing where to site your poultry farm. Ensure that you don’t locate your poultry in a place where people can easily perceive the harsh odors emanating from your farm. 

If you’re only raising domestic birds in your backyard, ensure that you clean up the area as often as necessary. And also, consider the wind direction of your location so that neighbors aren’t affected by the smell from your poultry. However, if you’re starting a commercial farm, locate your poultry out of town where other poultry farmers wouldn’t have problems with the noise and odor.

You also have to consider the presence of road and electricity amenities on your site if you’re going commercial. Furthermore, choose a leveled site for your poultry. And also, chose an area with a sound drainage system so that erosion doesn’t affect your farm.

5. Build House

Build your poultry house with consideration for your birds’ need for space. You can rear them using a floor plan or cage system. Also, remember to ventilate and light your poultry house appropriately to ensure their comfort.

6. Labor 

If you’re rearing between 100-500 birds, you can effectively manage your poultry farm. Conversely, poultry with more birds requires more laborers. However, secure cheap laborers since you’re just starting.

7. Get Your Finances Ready

Poultry farming requires a decent amount of capital. You’ll be needing funds for farm equipment like drinkers, incubators, perches, brooder or heaters, feeders, lighting system, and even fund to acquire your chickens. If you don’t have a land of your own to build your farm, you’ll need money for rent to obtain one.

So decide how to get your fund, whether from banks or personal savings.

8. Sell Your Farm Products

Selling your farm products require some business acumen. Figure out a marketing plan you’ll like to implement to get your product to those who need it. Know the demand and supply situation of your business. Figure out where your product is in demand and approach them to meet their supply.

 While doing the most for your poultry, remember your house – buying a whole house generator that powers most household appliances would do you good during a power failure. When thinking about your budget, you can decide to purchase a portable inverter generator; it’s also  quiet and wouldn’t disturb you even while functioning. So get any of these machines to live comfortably.