Enterprise

Student learns money lessons keeping poultry

chicken

Mr Benjamin Ong’aria feeds his chickens at his farm in Tangakona Village, Busia County. PHOTO | KENNEDY OKWACH

As many youth complain about lack of employment, one from Busia County has resorted to agriculture for a living.

Benjamin Ong’aria from Tangakona Village in Busia County ventured into poultry farming to pay his university fees.

Today, the third year Bachelor of Education student at Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University has 100 chickens.

Mr Ong’aria ventured into the business in 2009 after completing his Diploma in Community Development and Social Work.

The 31-year-old said that due to years of frustrations and lack of employment, they formed a group for youth empowerment.

“A group of 25 youth came together and formed Spider Development Network. Various groups trained us on different business projects,” he said.

“My breakthrough came when the Agricultural Sector Development Support Programme (ASDSP) trained us on commercial poultry farming and linked us to Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organisation (KALRO).”

Disappointing start

Mr Ong’aria had saved Sh20,000, which he used to build a structure to house the chicks, fencing and buying basic materials like feeders.

A local KALRO distributor gave him 100 chicks which was his starting stock.

“The distributor was sourcing for market and the profit I made was used to clear a loan while the capital was used to buy new stock and feeds,” said Mr Ong’aria.

Despite a disappointing start where he lost over 300 chicks to diseases that nearly forced him out of farming, he never gave up.

He now rakes in profits of between Sh30,000 to Sh70,000 per month from selling the chicken which he keeps for two months then disposes. “Due to my inadequate capital, I am unable to satisfy the huge demand for chicken in Busia County,” Mr Ongaria said. He buys the chicks, the improved kienyeji type, at Sh60 each and sells the chicken after two months at Sh300.

His target market is local farmers who rear the chicken for eggs or meat.

The young farmer said that he uses about Sh6,000 on feeds weekly. “I plant sukuma wiki which supplements my poultry farming. I feed them on the vegetables and also sell the greens to local people,” he said.

Mr Ongaria said that he chose Kienyeji chicken because they are resistant to disease, mature faster, produce more eggs than the traditional varieties and have high quality meat. He feeds his stock at 7am, at noon and around 4pm.

“I feed them on over 1,500 kilogrammes of feeds for at least three months which loosely translates to Sh50,000,” he said. To cut costs, Mr Ong’aria tends the chicken and attends classes as he has not employed a helper.

Mr Ong’aria vaccinates his poultry, together with his neighbours’ stocks, at least once a week to keep diseases and pests at bay.

“This is meant to create a free zone because due to interaction, when neighbours’ chicken contract diseases mine will also be infected. This is a fowl protection strategy,” he explained.

Embrace farming

Mr Ong’aria vaccinates his stock seven days after purchase against Newcastle disease.

After 10 days from the first vaccination, the fowls are again vaccinated against Gumboro disease and the process is repeated in the third week after the first vaccination.

“After six to eight weeks, we give them a fowl pox, fowl typhoid and fowl cholera vaccination. This protects them from diseases. When I started I lost over 300 three-month-old chicken due to disease,” he said. To control pests he ensures that the chicken cage is kept clean with frequent change of sawdust.

Despite a ready market, Mr Ong’aria complained about the high cost of feeds.

“Currently, a 70 kilogramme bag of chick mash retails at Sh3,300 and 100 chicks feed on 210 kilogrammes for two months. But I am also forced to supplement the feeds with food leftovers, which I buy from local eateries for Sh100 daily,” he said.

“Let us change our mindset from white collar jobs and embrace farming. There is money in farming because there is a ready market,” he urged youths. “Let them accept to toil and get dirty from farming as the rewards are enormous. I am sure few employed youth make Sh30,000 to Sh70,000 in a month,” he said.

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