The Reason Why You Should Treat Your Poultry Farm as a Serious Business

Introduction

I get the impression that many poultry farmers in Ghana do not fully understand the amazing potential in poultry farming. When we hear of success stories such as Darko Farms, we tend to associate such success with luck or unlimited funding sources but there are some small yet crucial details that the majority of poultry farmers in Ghana tend to ignore which could pretty much determine whether they would become a success or not.

Never compromise on-farm hygiene

I find it surprising that after visiting many poultry farms in Ghana, I realize that they lack the most basic biosecurity feature, the footbath. This simple feature could save a farmer thousands of Ghana cedis if it is installed but a lot of farmers take this for granted. This kind of negligence could easily open the floodgates for dangerous pathogens to enter and infect birds thereby affecting farm productivity negatively. Also, always be sure to sanitize your hands with 70% alcohol before touching your birds as your hands could be a suitable reservoir for germs. Finally, ensure that shoes and clothes worn to the farm are separated from normal clothes. Once again never compromise on hygiene as it could potentially cost you your business.

Watch out for the amount of feed you give to your birds

You must know by now that the quality and quantity of your produce is as good as the quality and quantity of feed you give to your birds. Therefore, there must be enough feeders and drinkers and each pen to ensure that every bird can get access to the right amount of food and water. Furthermore, be sure not to overfeed your birds as this can lead to them being overweight and prone to cardiovascular problems. Again, overfed layers tend to lay fewer eggs on average so it is very important to give your birds the right amount of feed – not too much not too little.

You must ensure that you store feed and other materials properly

Another thing many poultry farmers take for granted is the proper storage of materials. Poultry feed is usually made up of maize which serves as a carbohydrate source therefore, it mustn’t come into contact with moisture as this could stimulate the growth of Aspergillus moulds. This kind of moulds produce dangerous chemicals known as aflatoxins, which cause cancer and liver damage in humans – you could imagine what could happen to your birds. Also, ensure that drugs and other vaccines are not exposed to direct sunlight since this could reduce their efficacy.

Never assume you are superhuman and therefore can manage everything

Yeah, I know that you are very passionate about your business and all but when your farm grows beyond a certain point, typically above 1000 birds, you must consider hiring experts to manage certain aspects of your business. In the very beginning, you had very little going on in terms of financial transactions since you had a relatively small amount of birds but now you have many customers, some purchasing your items on credit and others paying for your products in advance – at this point, you’ll require a professional bookkeeper to keep proper financial records for your business activities so that you can easily track the financial performance of your farm and also avoid disputes. Furthermore, other professionals such as a human resource manager, marketing executive and possibly a farm manager will come handy.

Lack of proper control measures 

Employees could make or break any business. This is why you should safeguard your business from potentially irresponsible behaviours from employees which could jeopardize it. One thing you should be very serious about if you are running a poultry farm is theft. You should always ensure that proper records of your birds, feed, equipment and money flow is properly kept to prevent or reduce theft and fraud. Also, put in control measures to ensure that your driver buys the exact quantity of fuel you have provided money for. It is very easy for drivers to pocket some of the money meant for fuel and since fuel cost is a significant expense, you must ensure that you get exactly what your money is worth.

Lack of passion for the job

My friend, if you are looking to make a quick buck, then poultry farming may not be your calling. This business might take anywhere between three to five years to be profitable enough to provide you with the kind of lifestyle you desire therefore if you are not passionate enough, it is very easy to give up when faced with challenges.  However, if you are not passionate about poultry farming, but still want to reap the benefits of this giant and fast-growing industry, you could always employ a farm manager to run things for you while you make money.