Breeding chickens is a process that can be started even if you have a small plot of land or a cottage, and for several reasons. First, it is beneficial from an economic point of view. Secondly, it is tasty, and most importantly, really useful and healthy food. In addition, the business idea of breeding chickens is practically waste-free, does not require special professional training, large start-up capital and the availability of knowledge.
How to breed chickens
In the poultry industry, the breeding of chickens both for the purpose of obtaining meat and as laying hens is a profitable business. With proper care and proper nutrition, the stock grows within several months and begins to actively lay eggs. If you create comfortable temperature conditions for the bird, this process can take place almost all year round and bring constant financial income.
If we approach this question from the point of view of home breeding, then the business idea of the project should be based on the following principles:
- destination – the end result of the event can be both meat and egg production. Depending on this, a specific breed is selected;
- seasonality – you can do it all year round, or you can raise livestock seasonally. In the second case, we are talking about a warm period of time – spring-summer;
- room – if the bird stays in it year-round, it should be equipped, a warm place, resistant to winds and temperature changes;
- the method of keeping is floor or cell. If the bird is not limited by the space of the cage, the number of chickens should be tied to the area of the shed.
No more than five individuals are allowed per one square meter of space. Perches must be equipped along its entire perimeter – they will be needed during the dark hours of the day. If the animal will be contained in a cage, the number of heads can be increased to 7 pieces. Experts claim that such breeding is better – chickens grow faster in cages, they are more active and gain weight better.
Conditions for chickens
How to keep chickens based on living conditions? It all depends on what idea we have chosen – the process will be continuous or seasonal. In the absence of suitable conditions, stop your choice on summer breeding. In this case, the maintenance and care process is simpler. Will need:
- canopy or light shelter;
- area for walking.
For seasonal breeding, the ideal option is a stock of young animals a few weeks old. Day-old chicks require more careful care and require a special room.
Well, those who can afford to equip a quality housing for birds can make it not only high-quality, but also beautiful. With a skillful approach, such structures organically fit into the general interior of the site and even become a decoration of the estate.
In addition to external attractiveness, there are also purely technical requirements for the construction of a chicken coop. We have already mentioned that there should be no restrictions on the area – this is a necessary condition for good livestock growth. Housing should not have drafts, for this all small gaps are carefully sealed.
In advance, you should also take care of nests – special boxes. For convenience, they are lined with hay. Pay attention! The box needs to be deep, it should fit 3-4 chickens at once.
If a primitive plywood structure is enough for the summer, then in the cold the house should be equipped with heating, lighting and a spacious area for walking.
Peculiarities of feeding
Feeders are installed in compartments:
- feed dry mixture;
- mineral fertilizers;
- mixed feeds
Each compartment must be fenced off with special grates – so the feed will retain its integrity and will not be trampled by the bird. Drinkers are installed separately. It can be a trough, at the bottom of which there is an ash-sand mixture.
Laying hens prepare food mostly by themselves. In addition to grain, potatoes and other root crops available on the site are suitable. You can add leftovers from your table. Industrial feeds are more recommended for those breeds of birds that are grown for meat sales.
Features and nuances
Let’s consider in more detail the breeding of laying hens at home, if the final product of consumption is eggs.
The main specifics of keeping livestock in this situation are as follows. The best floor breeding method. The final product and source of income will be eggs. In order for their number to meet the established standards, not only external walking is needed. The possibility of internal floor movement is extremely important. And given the specifics of their feeding, it will be difficult to ensure this with the cellular method of maintenance.
It is also necessary to remember that the floor for laying hens should have additional insulation – the cold will have a bad effect on the egg-laying process.
In order for the business to develop successfully and the income to be regular, it is important to choose the right hens that will be engaged in breeding offspring. A good individual is determined by the crest. It should be beautiful, bright and big. The color is deep red. The abdominal part of the bird must be well developed: a massive stomach is a guarantee that the chicks will not freeze. And finally, character – do not be surprised, it is no less important than everything else. The calm demeanor of the laying hen will not allow her to leave the perch often and for a long time, leaving the eggs without maternal supervision. This process is long – about 40 days.
Now a few words about the rooster. He is assigned not the last role in this case. For home breeding to be profitable, you need a large, healthy and physically active representative, otherwise a large number of eggs risk remaining unfertilized.
Breeding chickens for meat
If our goal is to get a quality product and, as a result, a high stable income, some points must be taken into account. In order for the breeding of chickens for meat to give the greatest profit, at least two dozen individuals of a special broiler breed are acquired at the same time. If the area allows to place a larger number of them, then the best solution is at least 50 pieces. However, for such a number of birds, capacious cages and a good area for walking will be needed. It must be remembered that territorial restrictions, as well as unbalanced nutrition, negatively affect the growth of broilers and their weight gain.
You can feed the bird with special compound feed or grass and food from the yard. Usually, poultry farms use compound feed with the addition of growth hormones, as well as antibiotics – to prevent diseases. Such a breed of chickens must be intensively fed and fed: for 1 kg of feed eaten, the chicken should drink from 1.5 liters of warm water. Green, fresh, finely chopped grass is also recommended (except poisonous celandine). Broilers eat a lot – a small flock of chickens can eat 1 kg of feed per day, adults – up to 6-7 kg. Moreover, you need to feed small chickens 8 times, and for monthly individuals, morning and evening feeding is enough. Broilers are slaughtered for meat between 8 weeks and 5 months. It is impractical to keep broilers longer: after 5 months, they hardly gain weight, and their meat loses its properties.
How to ensure the reproduction of chickens
In order to minimize possible financial losses, it is preferable to buy chicks that have already strengthened. The optimal age of an individual is at least 3 months. Firstly, the sex of young chickens is practically not determined, and secondly, the risk of mortality of young chickens is several times higher than that of adult birds.
In order not to have to buy additional chicks, you should also have roosters – at least 1 per dozen chickens.
The sale of chicken meat, as practice shows, is always relevant and profitable – it is not affected by the economic situation in the country, the drop in the level of income of the population. The product belongs to a low price category, at the same time it is necessary and is used practically every day in the diet of every person.
Business plan for breeding chickens
A business plan for breeding chickens is simply necessary if chickens are raised for profit. Therefore, the instructions for organizing a small household should consist of the following basic points:
- preliminary analysis of the idea. It is necessary to decide whether it will be profitable, to analyze costs and possible income. Experts in the field of poultry farming note that the most effective way of conducting business is a comprehensive approach to business, i.e. raising both laying hens and broilers at the same time;
- availability of start-up capital – we are talking about the amount of at least 15 thousand hryvnias;
- activity registration procedure. First, you can start a trial project – engage in subsidiary farming exclusively for yourself. In such a situation, registration will not be required, while there will be an opportunity to understand and correct all errors and shortcomings in practice. If everything goes according to plan, the next registration of the FOP or LLC is mandatory. The absence of a state permit for business activity contradicts the norms of the current legislation. And it is extremely difficult to find sales markets for products without supporting documents;
- production plan – purchase of materials for the construction of the shed, its internal equipment. Then fodder and livestock are bought. The production process has been launched and has entered the active phase of activity;
- sales markets – it’s time to start looking for points where you can hand over finished goods. These can be shops, commercial facilities, markets. With the proper quality of meat and eggs, poultry farms will not be a serious competition – people are used to trusting domestic producers more;
- payback – normally everything takes about a year. After that, income should exceed expenses. With a skillful approach, you can get a net income of about 200,000 hryvnias from the invested 30,000. It will be possible to achieve such results with zero-waste production – everything is handed over: meat, eggs, feathers, down, droppings – as organic matter;
- possible risks – they must be taken into account and minimized. But even with the most careful care, an external negative factor is not excluded – part of the livestock can be lost due to illness.
From an economic point of view, a profit equivalent to 200% of costs is a normal indicator of profitability. It is worth noting that with a well-prepared business project, proper maintenance and proper nutrition, the income will be higher. Domestic production of chicken meat and eggs is one of the most profitable areas of animal husbandry.
The benefit of such an activity is obvious – costs are minimal, care is minimal, special knowledge and skills are practically not required. The risks of losses are not great. This is an ideal solution for families who want to earn additional income, but do not have large financial investments and large areas for breeding larger animals – for example, sheep or pigs.