Chinyere Anyanwu
There are so many value chains in agriculture that can generate wealth as well as turn one into an employer of labour, which by extension, will augment government’s job creation efforts. A look of at one of such agriculture value chains, poultry feed production, will form the focus of today’s piece.
Poultry (chicken, turkey, duck, geese, and all domestic birds which are reared for their meat or eggs) farming, in recent times, has gained traction owing to increased demand for healthier meat options. Consequently, this has resulted in increased production of poultry products, which means there is need to produce more poultry feed required to grow more birds.
Poultry feed production is, therefore, an area that needs more investors to venture into, whether on a small, medium or large scale. Though it might have its own few challenges just like any other business, it is an ever-present, ever-growing market because as long as people are consuming poultry products, poultry farmers will continue to need feed. It’s a business whose raw materials are locally available, including soybeans, whole maize, fish-meal, rice bran, sunflower cake, etc., with other important raw materials which are micronutrients and vitamins such as calcium carbonate, amino acid, enzymes, etc.
One doesn’t need to own a poultry farm to start poultry feed production but a poultry farmer will save a lot of cost and also make more profit selling to others if he owns a feed production mill.
Though there are different technologies for feed milling, including American technology, Brazilian technology, and Indian technology, among others, local technology is available as the equipment and machinery can be fabricated locally.
Types of poultry feed
Chick/starter feed: This type of feed is purely for newly hatched chicks. The right feed formulation for starter mesh is that which will ensure faster growth of the young chicks.
Broiler feed: This category of feed is mainly for broiler chickens, which are kept for their meat. The feed should contain body building nutrients such as protein, minerals and vitamins to enhance growth in size and weight of the birds.
Layer feed: This is a special feed produced for layer birds. The feed content helps the birds with vital nutrients needed for producing more and bigger eggs. The feed also helps in hardening the shell of the eggs.
Grower feed: This feed ensures the rapid growth and development of the birds. Grower feed is usually administered after the chick/starter feed (when the birds have grown to a certain level).
Broilers are reared for their meat while layers are reared for egg laying. There is need to produce different feeds that will meet the needs of these common breeds at different levels of their growth.
Equipment and machinery
There are various equipment used in poultry feed production but the most basic ones include:
A disintegrator or milling machine which will reduce all the various grains into the right mesh size; a blender or mixer which will ensure a uniform mixture of the required micronutrients and vitamins with the meshed grains; and the packaging line which is the machine used to package the finished product into bags.
Other machinery and equipment include sewing machine, industrial weighing balance, trucks for transporting raw materials and finished products, and power generators.
Location
For good success in the business, the mill should be located in an area with a lot of poultry farms. The feed mill should also be large enough to house all the machinery and equipment and also have a storage area for the finished products and raw materials.
Packaging
The way the finished product is packaged will determine if buyers would be attracted to it or not. Most new products in the competitive market attract buyers through their creative style of packaging and branding. Poultry feed is usually packaged in 50kg bags. Ensure to give details of the product name, ingredients and expiry date on the label of your product.
Marketing
There are several ways to market the product to the public. Advertisement is useful but the quality of the poultry feed is the ultimate marketing strategy. When people buy the poultry feed and discover its effectiveness in increasing the growth and productivity of their poultry farm, they would definitely come back for more and even tell others about it.
Company registration
To increase the public acceptance of your poultry feed you need to register your business with the relevant agencies (Corporate Affairs Commission) and acquire the required license from the relevant food control agencies. Poultry feed is one of the products that require NAFDAC registration before you can start manufacturing the product.
Training
Getting necessary training will ensure a good understanding of the feed requirement for poultry chicken of different breeds and at different stages, and age. There might be need to enrol in a training centre that educates prospective poultry feed producers on the right feed formulation and composition for different poultry animals at different stages. Alternatively, you could learn from seasoned and experienced poultry feed producers.
With additional materials from nextnaijaentrepreneur.com