Enterprise

Three siblings' poultry dream gets wings to fly

Jaoko

Benjamin Jaoko feeds their chicken in Yala. PHOTO | POOL

Benjamin Jaoko, 39, Samuel Opondo, 28, and Keith Odek, 24, saw a gap in poultry keeping, and decided to capitalise on it.

They established Modern Homestead Poultry Farm, in Yala, Siaya County.

“We mainly deal with poultry farming. We brood and supply chicks of all stages from one-day old to eight-week old,” Mr Jaoko says.

“We started this project in 2020 on the verge of the pandemic but it was our longtime dream and passion.”

They started with a capital of Sh10,000, which they used to buy 50 chicks and meet other costs.

“We started with 50 chicks which we bought from a local hatchery in Kisumu. We rear mainly Kuroilers a variety of improved kienyeji,” reveals the farmer.

“As the name goes it is a homestead project that needs just a limited space (home). We use Bidco feeds for our poultry. We normally feed them twice a day; that is in the morning and in the evening,” he notes, adding that they purchase poultry feeds from Bidco stockist in Kisumu.

Mr Jaoko says that currently, they have 1,000 birds, but there was a time they had about 1,500.

The young entrepreneurs do not sell eggs, instead they hatch them to get chicks which they sell to clients from various parts of the country.

“We sell chicks of all stages from day old to eight-week old,” adds the farmer.

The three siblings use free range and deep litter system of poultry keeping.

“We sell one-day-old chicks at Sh115 each, one-week-old chicks at Sh145, two-week old Sh175, three-week old Sh215,” says Jaoko.

They sell four-week old at Sh265, five-week old at Sh285, six-week old Sh315, seven-week old Sh340 and eight-week old Sh365.

“We use online marketing platforms and website to get our clients. These incldue Mkulima Young, WhatsApp, Facebook, Jiji, Instagram, Google, among others,” reveals Jaoko.

The trio has faced a number of challenges in their business journey. Pests and diseases such as Newcastle, are some of the drawbacks they encounter. Market uncertainty and high cost of poultry feeds are other key hurdles they grapple with.

Poultry manure is a spinoff from the venture. They use the chicken droppings to grow crops and the surplus they sell to other farmers.

“It is a good business that I know for sure, but needs dedication and passion that drives you. I would like to tell those who want to start to start don’t fear,” Mr Jaoko advises aspiring entrepreneurs.

“We plan to expand and grow and reach the entire universe, in a time when the world is leaving red meat. White meat is ideal for one to create a source of income,” advises the farmer.

Their earnings depend on market and the sales that they make.

“We would like to touch the community where we live in, subsequently our country and ultimately the entire world. We will be interacting with other farmers and helping where we can,” says the farmer.