A visit to a chick’s brooding farm at Kangundo Poultry Farm in Nakuru town is an inspiring story of young farmer Oscar Mutinda who has ventured into chick brooding as a business on his farm.
The success stories in poultry production have gained popularity among many Kenyan farmers. Some of these farmers have already ventured into different production processes of poultry production. Poultry production is a well-organized process that involves several stages to ensure the smooth growth and development of poultry for the ultimate production of meat and eggs. The process begins with the careful selection of high-quality breeds, followed by meticulous hatching and brooding of chicks, and finally raising of chicks to maturity.
Oscar Mutinda a young farmer who runs #KangundoPoultryFarm from Nakuru town has identified a gap in the supply of quality F1-improved kienyeji chicks in the Kenya market. “In Kenya, it’s difficult to find a farmer with a good hatching and brooding system for F 1 quality improved kienyeji chicks, ” Oscar said. “The production cost of such quality chicks in Kenya is a bit expensive as compared to Uganda, ” Oscar added. Therefore, Oscar specializes in importing F-1 quality improved kienyeji chicks from Uganda which sell to farmers across the country.
Oscar said, “I not only ventured into chick brooding as a way of generating income for my family since there are no white color jobs for youths but also because I had a passion for poultry farming”. Being motivated by big poultry firms such as Muguku firm, Oscar has a big dream of one day becoming the major supplier of chicks in the country.
Preparation before receiving the chicks in the house.
Before receiving the chicks in the house, Oscar does a thorough preparation in the house. “First we do general cleaning, we wash the room, fumigate, and finally, we spread the pine shavings on the floor to prevent cold from the young chicks and finally set brooders,” Oscar explained.
Welcoming the chicks in the house.
Upon reaching the house, Oscar counts all the chicks to confirm their number as ordered. He also checks on their health status. After confirming their number, Oscar administers multivitamins and liquid paraffin to all the chicks to reduce the tiredness from a long journey. “The journey from Uganda to Kenya is long and the chicks are tired upon their arrival, therefore we gave them liquid paraffin and multivitamin to ease their tiredness, ” Oscar said.
Oscar started by importing 400 chicks and since then he has been making progress in the number of chicks he imports. Currently, Oscar does not have a large structure to accommodate many chicks but he is soon planning to do more brooding. “I take a maximum of 1500 chicks due space, but we take more if the orders are higher,” Oscar said.
Methods of Brooding Chicks.
Oscar uses different brooding methods for his chicks. He uses brooder jiko for his day-old chicks, this is because brooder jiko has a higher heat capacity required by the day-old chicks. For his two-week-old chicks, Oscar uses a brooder pot. This is because week-old chicks have started growing feathers, and therefore they do not require as much heat as day-old chicks. Oscar also uses electric build for his brooding chicks. When I asked him which brooding method is the best, he replied,” I prefer brooding jiko not only because it is economical, but also because it can be used by farmers in remote areas where electricity is a challenge.”
Feeding schedule for the chicks.
Oscar feeds his chicks with starter crumbs from a day-old chick up to eight weeks old. “I use starter crumbs from Unga feed because they boost the growth of chicks very first”. Oscar said. Oscar feeds his chicks thrice a day, in the morning, afternoon, and in the evening. Due to the high prices of commercial feeds, Oscar is planning to start his feed formulation soon if the business picks up well to reduce production costs.
Diseases in chicks brooding.
Oscar said, “Although it’s a rare condition, chicks are hardly affected by diseases, but in some cases, chicks may come with infectious coryza, eye diseases for which I use eye drops”.
Vaccination protocols for brooding chicks.
Upon the delivery to his clients, Oscar sends a vaccination program. Farmer needs to follow this program carefully to minimize the mortality of the chicks. “The chicks that we deliver are vaccinated update, therefore a farmer should carefully follow the vaccination program we send them,” Oscar said.
Breed that Oscar broods.
Oscar only kept two main improved kienyeji breeds.
Sasso F1 breed which is brown to whitish.
Kuroiler F1 breed which is black.
The market for brooding chicks.
Oscar says that the business is good and there is a ready market for the improved kienyeji F1 breed chicks nationwide. Oscar distributes his chicks as per order all over the country using public vehicles. “I use public vehicles means to distribute the chicks because it is cheap and convenient”. Said Oscar. More interestingly, there is free delivery for customers who order more than 50 chicks. Oscar sells his chicks at;
Day-old chicks at 110KES,
One-week-old at 150 KES,
Two-week-old chicks at 170 KES, and lastly
One-month-old at 220 KES.
Challenges Oscar faced in the brooding chicks business.
“The greatest challenge I face is the mortality of chicks due to congestion during transport from Uganda to Kenya”. Oscar said. This is a challenge he says encounters more often, which he terms a loss. “The mortality is approximately 0.05%,” Oscar said.
In an attempt to reduce this mortality, Oscar says that soon, he will start doing the whole process himself. Right egg collection to hatching and brooding in his firm.
Another major challenge Oscar faces is the high prices of commercial starter crumbs feeds. Therefore, Oscar is looking for an alternative way of making quality feeds for his chicks.
Oscar is a young and enthusiastic individual who is passionate about helping the younger generation and farmers who have an interest in poultry farming. He trains the beginners who are interested in venturing into poultry farming before selling them the chicks. Oscar is always open and welcoming to all his clients. If you’re interested in starting a poultry production, you can reach Oscar on his Facebook page #Kangundopoultryfarm. You can also visit him at his farm in Nakuru town. You can also call him at 0716277676 for any inquiries.
