This article will expose all you need to know before going into the poultry business in South Africa. After reading this, you will get to know all you need to succeed in the competitive poultry business in South Africa. Let’s look at what a poultry farm means.
In this Article;
What is a poultry farm?
A poultry farm falls under the animal production category, which emphasizes rearing popular domesticated feather animals like chickens, turkeys, ducks, quail, and geese. A poultry farm’s end product includes eggs, meat, feathers, and organic manure.
Types of poultry
- Egg-laying poultry.
- Meat poultry.
- Dual (egg and meat) poultry.
How to Start a poultry farm in South Africa
Estimate Cost : R
Time Needed : 60 days
Steps: How to Start a poultry farm in South Africa
- Choose the type of poultry type.
In South Africa, the most popular poultry is chicken egg production and sometimes chicken meat production during the festive seasons. You need to know your market strength to choose a poultry type for your farm.
- Poultry skills acquisition.
After selecting your type of poultry, the next essential thing to do is learn about the selected poultry type, that is, if you will run the poultry farm business yourself. You can visit a well-doing poultry farm and apply to learn. Some poultry farmers may charge you some amount of money, and others may also do it for free.
- Get a poultry farm business plan.
After getting proper training in poultry farming, you need to get a poultry farm business plan. A poultry farm plan consists of a vital analysis of financial plans, market strategies, poultry housing, tools, equipment, etc.
- Poultry farmland acquisition.
After acquiring poultry skills, you should now know how far you need to establish the poultry farm far away from residential areas due to the bad smell that mostly comes from the poultry farms. Ensure the land is not a waterlogged area, as we've seen cases of water flooding poultry farms when it rains heavily.
- Poultry housing system.
Poultry housing systems include deep litter (intensive systems), extensive, free-range poultry, and battery cage system. The intensive system is best for raising commercial poultry birds. I wouldn't recommend the battery cage system because it requires a lot of technical skills and is also expensive. Aside from that, using the battery cage is also against farm animal welfare.
- Select a source for your poultry birds
Select a reputable hatchery source for your day-old chicks. Most farmers prefer importing day-old chicks from foreign countries, while others also prefer locally produced ones.
- Set up a poultry management guide
For a successful poultry farm, you need to set up a poultry management guide for effective farming proceedings.
Tools
- Feeders
- Drinkers
- Egg trays
- Coops
- Nest box
Materials
- Poultry medication
- Feed
- Water
Poultry farm resources to read
Here are some free poultry farm resources that will help you achieve a successful poultry farm in South Africa.
- Poultry space requirement.
- Broiler space calculator.
- Layer birds space calculator.
- Poultry feed changing strategy.
- How to brood day-old chicks.
- Price Of Poultry Feeders In South Africa
Running a poultry farm can be expensive. If you do not have enough money to build structures, you can start with the free-range system. Read, the benefits of the free-range system. Let us know what you think about this post. Thank you.
Sam is a blogger and an entrepreneur. More about Bio