LIFE STOCK REARING

 livestock business has been recommended by agriculturalists, consultants as the easiest means of self-employment that can enrich practitioners since it doesn’t require too much money to invest into it. This edition on livestock offers you the opportunity of learning how to invest into a small scale farming called fish farming.
All over the world, agriculturalists are major promoters of any economy because they create job for themselves and also employ others. They are major suppliers of food products in their families and the society at large, thereby reducing hunger, poverty, unemployment etc.

1. CATFISH REARING

you don’t have problem starting this project. With the sum of N80,000 one can set up a small scale fish fingerling producing business. What one requires here is a hatching pond of (12ft by 4ft) that can be constructed into a shape of box by any experienced carpenter and plumber with 5 planks, nails and 3×2 woods then lay tarpaulin or thick water-proof material inside the box. Add clean water and start your hatchery activities.

However, if one prefers to go for Grow_out fish farming (raising fingerlings to table sized fish suitable for consumption), it will take about N300,000 to construct a standard concrete fish pond (16ft by 10ft) and stock it with 1,000 fingerlings and feed them till maturity (four to six months) depending on the fish species and age.

“It is advisable to buy fish juveniles of 18 weeks old than fingerlings of six to eight weeks. In addition, you don’t have to depend solely on expensive imported feed, since one can learn to produce local cheap feed.

“Catfish is very reproductive since six females and two males fish Broodstock can give you up to 20,000 fingerlings at a go. I have witnessed 32,700 at once in my farm, if you do not have a place to expand, you can start selling their babies (fingerlings) for N15 per one.

“An undergraduate or somebody who is unemployed can start with this amount and begin to make profits. If you buy them and rear for four to six months, you sell them and make more profits.

“Catfish is a popular and heavily demanded product. It is traditionally positioned as a semi-luxury product. Although relatively expensive, it is consumed by all classes of people. You don’t have to worry about  marketing your catfish because presently in the country, the level of demand is higher than supply.
I found out that, our academics curricular is not structured to make us business conscious, that is why people don’t understand the concept of private enterprise. After school, it becomes difficult to queue into business ideas. This is the reason why many people are unemployed is because they believe that while in school jobs are waiting for them. It is no more like that today, you have to create jobs for yourself and others.

The aim of every fish farmer is to breed a fish to one kilogramme  body weight or more in the shortest possible time, usually between four and six  months if properly done. Unit price for table sized are broadly N550-N650 per kg at the farm gate, N800-950 at the retail outlet, and N1,300-N1,800 in restaurants depending on the size. One gets more profit if operates a market outlet to cut off  shylock middlemen; I can assure prospective farmers that the profit expected from fish sales from experience is about 40 to 50 percent above what was invested.

2. POULTRY FARMING

Poultry farming in Nigeria has not only proven to be one of the most important aspect of farming but also a very profitable business opportunity for entrepreneurs and provides employment for the job seekers.



Apart from Pork and fish, Chicken is one of the major sources of animal meat and is one of the most popularly eaten meat. The major customers for poultry farms are hotels, fast food restaurants, beer parlours etc. So because of this high market demand, Poultry farming offers an opportunity to make big bucks for big investors as well as small scale farmers.

This article is will help you go through the steps and will teach you how to start poultry farming in Nigeria.

But before you dive into the guidelines for raising chickens, let me sound this note of warning to anyone that is planning to start his or her own poultry farm.

“Poultry farming is not an easy route or short cut to being a millionaire!” I have seen articles and studies that give unrealistic profits forecast on paper. I have seen a feasibility study give the impression that one can invest N750, 000.00 in poultry farming and realize over N10million in a year. That’s one hell of a cock and bull story! It is false! So if it is such misleading statistics that you are relying on, better you back down or better still; have a rethink! Yes, one can make over N10million a year in this business, Yes, you can make over 100% returns but you need to understand that there are factors and conditions that makes high profit expectation possible in poultry farming.

That said; let us go back to the purpose of this article “how to start a poultry farm in Nigeria”

If you are ready to get started in poultry farming, here are the basic requirements you need to set up your farm.

Research Your Product

As the “first things first!” saying goes, you will need to carry out a proper research on poultry farming.  You need to know the pros and the cons in the business, have all grounds covered before getting started.

Research on the following:

Various breeds of birds

What to look for while selecting day old chicks

What each breed eats

Their life span

How often they lay eggs if they are layers

How to care for them

Housing requirements

Chicken illnesses, symptoms, causes and cures

And other challenges

Land

If you are looking to fully get into poultry farming in Nigeria, I recommend that you acquire a plot or two of land. Buying a land to situate your poultry firm can be said to be the most expenses you will make in the poultry business but you should see it as an asset which it definitely is. Because if by any chance the business fails, you can sell off the land and recover some of your capital. Here are some tips to land acquisition for your farm.

You should acquire land in rural or remote areas. This is because land in such less developed areas is cheap. You can get 3 or 4 plots of land in the rural area for the price of 1 plot of land in the city. However, you will not have to bother with animal/human cohabit polices.

Make sure that the land you acquire is accessible so that your birds can be transported to the urban area for sell.

Housing/Coop

Housing for your birds is another important factor to consider before you can start your own poultry farming in Nigeria. Here are a few basic tips;

You should construct a well ventilated coop (hen house) for your chickens; well aired but not too warm. Your coop should be able to keep off rodents, snakes, cats and other predators.
Ensure there is enough space for the birds to move around. The space helps curtail an outbreak of epidemic.
Make sure that your coop is easily accessible, as you will need to make regular visits to feed, refill water and clean the coop.
Include a roosting area in your coop (if you have layers)
Employ a means for handling or disposing chicken manure/ waste.
Visit any reputable poultry farm to see how the house is constructed.

Chicken feed:

Your birds will need a properly prepared chicken feed that is the right type for their breed, age, for growth and sustenance. To make sure that your birds grow fast and stay healthy, buy quality chicken feed products. You can buy such chicken feeds in any animal product store close to you. As there are different types of feeds in the market, make sure you are buying the right kind of feed that suits your birds at every point in time (e.g. chick starter, Broiler starter, Layer feeds etc. There are locally made feeds. I would advise that if you will have to use these locally formulated feeds, be sure of what you are doing.

When it comes to feeding your chickens, here are a few basic tips;


*Birds eat small amounts of feed frequently, so fill the chicken’s feeders so that food will be available always. Or you can feed them at certain times of the day (morning and evening).
*Chickens do not eat in the dark so you must have the lights on for the birds to eat in the night.
*Make sure feed is stored in a dry cool environment
*Do not feed your birds’ moldy food. It will harm them.
*Make sure there is always clean drinking water.
*Check on the feeders and water troughs often; so you can remove chicken droppings from them.

Medication

To guarantee constant production of chicken and eggs, your birds must be regularly checked by a veterinary doctor to ensure their good health. Your chickens should be vaccinated to prevent all bird related diseases like bird flu, fowl cholera, fowl pox etc. I advise you have a personal vet doctor for your chickens.

Maintenance Tips

Clean out your poultry farm regularly and disinfect your coop on a regular basis to avoid diseases.
Use wood shavings for your coop floor.
If you are a starter in poultry farming in Nigeria, I recommend you start small and then grow over time.
A heat lamp must be available at all times in your poultry farm to keep the chickens warm, especially during the raining season.
Poultry business requires time and attention

Note that as breeds of chickens are different, so are their feeds and medication.
It takes just 6 to 8 weeks for broiler chickens to be grown enough for meat and 18 to 20 weeks for layers to start laying eggs. Layer farming can be said to be the most profitable of all poultry farming. This is because Layer chickens will do two things for its farmer; they will lay eggs which fetch money in the market, and when they have past their prime, they will be sold for the meat. Either way, poultry farming in Nigeria is and will always be a money making venture for anyone that takes the advantage.

         OR

Agriculture also called farming or husbandry according to wikipedia is the cultivation of animals, plants, food and other product used to sustain life. In this article, we will be looking at poultry farming, how to set up and operate a profitable poultry farm anywhere in the world regardless of where you are.

Before we start, let me first tell you one of the 2013 prophecies said by most ministers of God throughout the world. They said   “Our youth who think always of travelling should use the money to go into agriculture or foodstuff (Farming, Animal Husbandry) business because in the New Year, God will bless them. They will achieve greatness by transacting in agriculture and foodstuff and become successful in export and import business. The money I am talking about could be in the region of ($1,000, $1,500, $2,000)”… Now let’s get down to work


In this article, we will be looking at poultry farming, how to set up and operate a profitable poultry farm in Nigeria making over 10 million Naira or more yearly.

Poultry farming has become one of the most important aspects of agriculture in Nigeria for some reasons.

1. It create business opportunity for Entrepreneurs

2. It provides employment for job seeking citizens

3. It is the kind of business that can never dry up

4. It brings in lot of income

Chicken and its product (Egg) is one of the most pretentious food or meat in the world which we all agree to i think. You and I need the proteins derived from chicken to maintain healthy living. It is generally believed that every child needs not less than an egg a day for their normal growth while every adult needs like ten in a week; Poultry also provides meat for delicacies.

No tribe,religion or any country forbids chicken meat. Everyone likes it, that's why poultry products sell very fast and in high demand.

Apart from chicken been used as food, poultry farming is so much profitable. A good poultry farmer earns above N15 million per annum depending on how big the farm is. All these benefits are open to you if you start your own poultry farm today.


There are basically three types of chicken. They are:

1. The pullets popularly known as Layers: Layers are reared for egg production and most lucrative but more stressing compare to the other once.

2. The Broiler Chicken: Broilers are reared for meat production; The Broilers grows very faster and are ready for sale at 12 weeks from hatch.

3. The third is the cockerel: This is also reared for meat production. . Cockerels grow slower and can take up to twenty four weeks before they are matured for marketing.

Cockerels are reliable in terms of survival and withstanding bad weathers. They are more resilient, and can absorb shocks far better than Layers and Broilers.


Poultry farming requires having the right knowledge to be able to the right things to get the right result. It requires hard work and prompt attention to details. Poultry Farming is little capital intensive but if you are starting on a micro scale (Home back yard) where you have a small space at your back yard, it is not. I can say, starting small is the best way to enter and learn the business. If you wants to start on a higher scale, You need to prepare for this It’s all like trading money to make more money but be assured to get back whatever amount you invested in the business in multiple times within a short period of time.

Some people have the money to invest into the business but have no time to supervise the farm, instead they get people to operate it for them. Having money to set up the business is really not the problem but the problem is to have the knowledge of the business and that is what makes the business to succeed. If you are the kind that have the money but not much time, ensure that the person you give it to manage for you have the knowledge to know what to do at the right time. Be sure that he can be trusted; if you are not sure of the trust, please just keep your money in a fixed account.

Before you venture into poultry farming business in Nigeria, you need to seat back and do proper calculation and planning; make sure you have idea of all the costs involved.

In this article, I'll be endeavor to give you the ideas of what is involved so you can build upon it; through commenting, people can as well add their own ideas and findings to compliment the write up. So, I hope to make this article as simple as I can, and as we keep adding updates it may end up becoming one stop destination on information about poultry farming in Nigeria!

Currently they seem to be no high poultry farms in Nigeria like the ones we used to see in Europe, USA and other counties. Any investors who have the needed capital to venture into it will have reasons to smile within a short period of time. Till now, Nigeria still import chicken from other countries because the ones the local farmers produces are not enough to meet the demand of the over 180 Million citizens.

There is certainly huge market for poultry rearing in Nigeria but the question is: Who will take advantage of the opportunity in the industry to create wealth. Remember, the very successful and huge companies in the world also started from somewhere. Now, if you ready to get started in poultry farming, these are the basic requirements you need to set up your farm.

Listed below are the requirements

LAND:

The no 1 thing you need to get is a land. A plot of land of 120 x 60 square meters is okay for setting up medium scale poultry farm in Nigeria, at least for a start. Once you have a land that is big enough for your farm set up, almost half of your needs have been taken care of. Land is the hardest and the most expensive part of poultry business in Nigeria most especially, places like Lagos, Abuja and some other big city.

You may not be allowed to carry out Poultry farming in populated environment or residents due to the smell that is associated with poultry rearing and the subsequent health impact, my advice is that you look for land in a rural area or in farms. There you will get lands cheaper, stays out of trouble and do your production there, while your products will be transported to the urban area for sell.

It will be good if you can get your own poultry farm land and build a permanent farm rather than to rent. When you rent, the owner might decide to send you packing and relocating always comes with huge cost.

Chicken Cage:

is the second most important part of your poultry farm set up and it is not as expensive as buying or acquiring a land. There are so many ways you can build the birds house but make sure that the sizes of the building is spacious enough for the chicken to run around.

The house should be constructed in a way that you will be able to control the ventilation and air movement. Get a qualified engineer to do designing and building for you if you are going for large scale construction. Else, you can just visit any good poultry farm to see how the house is constructed.

When planning out your chicken house, always remember that space is very important. Don't compromise on this to avoid frequent loss of your birds through suffocation and contamination.

Day Old Chicks


Here, this is where the business starts. Buy chicks from chicken hatchery that mainly deals with the supplying of different species of day-old chickens. It's better to buy from the hatchery, Chicken hatchery usually produce good quantity of day old chicks through the use of incubators.

The estimated price for day old chicken in Nigeria is N120 - N250. Negotiate the prices with the sellers; you can get it cheaper if you're buying up to 500 chicks. You must buy your day-old-chicks from a healthy source. The productivity of your chicks depends on how healthy they are! Do not pay anybody money until you see the chickens you are buying 419s are everywhere trying to take advantage of people who have the money. Be wise with your money and pay only when the goods are supplied!


Raising hens from baby chicks requires you to check on them often during the first few weeks (Seven to nine weeks). It's really fun to watch them turn from downy, fluffy little balls into feathered-out, gawky adolescent pullets. A chick does not have the ability to maintain its own body temperature without an external source of heat.

Below are my outlines of taking care of chicks


After you have gotten your chick, once those baby balls of fluff arrive home, you'll want to have everything ready for them to settle into their brooder and stay warm and happy. Plan to check on them at least five times a day during the first couple of weeks of life, and less after that.

You'll need to monitor their temperature, keep them safe from pets, predators and over handling by children, keep their feed and water clean.

Make sure your baby chicks have everything they'll need on the first day home. As they get older, you will use different feeders, but for the first week or two, plastic chick feeders like the ones you see above will make life a lot easier for you. Light must be available at all time in your poultry farm to keep the chickens warm, especially during raining season when the humidity is always very low. Look for reliable source of power to supply your hens house with heat and light.

Chicks love to stomp in their feed, tip it over, and generally make a mess. They're also not terribly smart and can eat quite a lot of shavings or bedding while they pick spilled feed off the floor. These feeders are perfect. They're at the right height when placed on the brooder floor.

Caring For Your Growing Chickens. After the baby chick stage passes, you'll have young pullets and cockerels and, once they turn one year old, hens and roosters. Some basic daily chores involving keeping their food and water fresh and collecting eggs is the basis of ongoing chicken care, but you'll want to make sure they're protected from predators and staying healthy as well.


NOTE: Most layers will start laying eggs the moment they are 18 weeks old but some wait till they are about 22 weeks old. Whichever way, Layer farming is considered the most lucrative of all poultry farming because tow things are acqived from layers, they lay eggs which fetch good money in the market, and are equally sold for the meat.

A full crate of pullet eggs sells for about N600, while a crate of semi-pullet sells for N750 wholesale price. If your Layers are large enough to produce 10,000 crates of large eggs which sells for N750, you will be making at least N750 X 10,000 = N7,500,000 From eggs alone!

The chickens is also another big gain! A fully grown chicken sells for between N1,500 and N2,500 (N1,500 to N2,000 at wholesale price) depending on the size and maturity level. Therefore, ten thousand chickens will give you N1, 500 x 10,000 = N15,000,000!

What are you then waiting for? Go ahead and give it a try – am very sure you'll have reason to smile soonest!!!

3. PIG FARMING
How to Start a Pig Farming Business

If you are thinking about starting a pig farming business in Nigeria, then this article is for you. It contains a list of tips for beginners to carefully consider before setting up their farm. To become a successful pig farmer, you must have a goal just like most experienced pig breeders do – to make money. And if you want to make pig farming business in Nigeria a money spinning venture for you, then your sole aim when it comes to pig breeding should be to produce healthy and well rounded pigs.

You can raise pigs in a controlled or free environment, as a small – scale operation or a large – scale business. But whatever be the size of your farm, you would need good information as to how to efficiently raise pigs and run your own farm. Here are some issues that you should carefully consider for a successful pig farming business:

Choosing Piglets to Raise

In Nigeria today, our local breed is being overtaken by a crossbreed of exotic and local breeds. This is because crossbred pigs tend to grow faster, consume more feed and are healthier.  There are so many crossbreeds out there that could get you confused so when it is time to select your pigs, I advise you go with an experienced pig breeder. Also look out for these signs when purchasing a pig:

*Bright eyes
*A glossy coat
*If pig is alert and responds to its environment
*Good temperament; Do not purchase an aggressive pig
*If pig eats food with relish when offered to it.
*If it moves with ease and there is no sign of lameness.
*Find out if the pig has been dewormed and vaccinated. If you are purchasing young pigs, ask to see their parents, ask for their health information /history/ records – this can give you an idea of how your investment will turn out.

Proper Nutrition for Pigs

Pigs will eat just about anything that is given to them. However, if you want to raise fat and healthy pigs, it is important that you give them the right diet. Pigs need a high energy diet that is low in fiber and contains some protein. Therefore, pigs can be fed on farm grains, vegetables and meat. Corn is typically used to feed them but other vitamins should be added to the food to keep the pigs healthy. Pigs must also have adequate supply of drinking water daily.

Housing for Pigs

Pigs can be raised indoors in individual stalls, in pens or in barns. If they are raised outdoors they would still need shelter during hot and cold weather. The housing should have ample space for feeding and bedding.

Pigs need a dry bed, and protection from extreme heat and humidity. Pigs are sensitive to temperature, especially heat. So when housed indoors, temperature should be well regulated to ensure maximum productivity

Pig Farm Sanitation

For your pigs to be disease free and stay healthy, sanitation is very important. You should device a way of cleaning out and removing waste promptly from your pig house. I recommend that waste should be removed on a daily basis so as to keep the floor dry and reduce odour.

After 5 to 7 months, pigs will have gotten to ideal market weight of more than 200 lbs. They could be sold  or slaughtered for meat and sold in the open market.

Pig farming business in Nigeria is a viable venture. Do you know that a female pig can give birth to 12 piglets twice in a year and each piglet can be sold for N4, 000 to N5, 000? This is so true!

4. SNAIL REARING

Many people see snails here and there. Some people take it as meat. But quite a number don't know how to go about rearing them. This is made worse because snails, which belong to the family of animal called MOLLUSCA, is an hermaphrodite. It has both the female and male sexual organs; so one cannot really distinguish between the male and female specie of it.
Many who rear snails in Nigeria are also unwilling to let others know about the farming methodology. The techniques are often shrouded in secrecy. But the plain truth is that snail farming is as easy as ABC. The only thing the snails may constantly demand from you is your attention and care. They hardly fall sick. You don't have to buy their food and you may not have to spend much to create an abode for them. The beauty of it all is that the snails reproduce rapidly.
It is not an exaggeration to say that on the long run, you can make over 100 percent return on investment, if you convert a portion of land to commercial snail farming, observes a snail farmer. Snail farming is a three-in-one project that involves production of snails, vegetables and various kinds of fruits snails eat.
More so, you can make money from these three segments of the project. Anybody can manage including women and children, as snails are odourless, harmless and very easy to manage. Snails have economic value; it is very close to cash. You will not regret it if you have the right knowledge. The income is multifarious, as you make money from the snail
Commercial snail farming generates employment opportunities for youth, women, retirees and part-time jobs for even the employed. For the nation, it provides a ready avenue to reduce poverty, creates jobs and generates foreign exchange.
According to him, "to start the business is a function of the land space you have. You can start with N40, 000 to N50, 000, depending on the space of land you have. What you require using modern technology include blocks, rod, cement, sand; if you use these materials to construct the pen, it stands the taste of time.
30,000 snails are capable of producing hundreds of eggs, which hatch into snails. It is now possible to produce 1,000,000 snails worth more than N5 million twice a year. This is made possible because of the availability of very highly prolific ACHATINA ACHATINA species of snails, which lay 80-200 in one batch 2-3 times a year.
For instance, if I buy one snail from my supplier at N200 and put it in my farm, after three months it will grow and we can sell it for N300 or N350. In addition to that, it will lay eggs for you, so you make money from both the eggs and the appreciation of the size of the snail."
Some people use wood, bamboo, and after one or two seasons, they can be damaged by rains. But cement, rod, galvanised wire net, can last for a very long time. But we are talking about commercial snail farming, not just snail farming. We should move away from rearing snails in tyres, clay pot, boxes to the modern method of free- range system that you use rear 100,000 snails for local consumption and export.
Snail farming requires practical knowledge before venturing into the business, and this according to him, is because "snail business is knowledge base. If you do not have skills, you cannot go far and if you are involved in wrong principles, you will not do well. Skills are very important. If you do not have the skills, you can talk about snails farming for 30 to 50 years, the industry will not grow. We need to do a lot of researches.
I have done a lot of researches and I now know practically everything they like and everything they do not like. Advised those who have land, irrespective of the size, to invest on it rather than allow it to waste. "For people who have land, no matter how small, it is good to put something on it because land is an asset. I know that a lot of people have but do not know what to do with it.
Given my experience, no land should be wasted. If you farm snails on it, over time, whatever investment you put in it will come back. "I strongly advise people who are interested in snail farming to venture into it. It is something that investors can not regret. I have been practicing snail farmer for 4years. Also, the recreation you can get from it is something that you cannot quantify in monetary terms".
Nigeria's economic recovery programs have necessitated a radical shift from total dependence on government for job to self-employment. One such attractive area for self-employment is snail rearing. It is a great money-spinning business that can provide a substantial source of protein to complement Nigerian carbohydrate meals. Sadly Nigerians inclination to go into business in the fields where thousands have already made their fortune has led to the utter neglect of such lucrative area of snail farming in Nigeria or export at international market.