'Start small, and later scale up'

Breaking into the poultry industry doesn't have to mean millions in start-up costs. While large-scale commercial operations remain out of reach for most beginners, small-scale farmers are showing that it's possible to start with limited resources, turn a profit and expand over time.

- By Glenneis Kriel

For many aspiring farmers, poultry offers one of the quickest ways to turn a profit. Birds grow fast, markets are almost everywhere, and startup costs can be surprisingly low if you are careful. Small-scale producers across the country are proving that you don't need a fortune to get started – just a plan.

Take Angelo Marman, for example. A few months ago, he added a modest flock of broilers and layers to his vegetable fields, hoping the birds would help with pest control and enrich the soil.

What started as a side project quickly grew into something more. The chickens proved so lucrative that he persuaded his sister and father to start their own operations.

"I have found farming chickens to be the easiest and quickest way to generate extra farm income, especially if they are free range and people buy the live birds or eggs directly from your farm," he says.

Today, Marman manages 730 Ross broilers, bought as day-old chicks for R12 each, along with 45 Lohmann and Silkie layers purchased at point-of-lay for about R120 each.

By letting the birds scavenge in the fields and supplementing their diet with vegetable waste, he keeps feed costs to just R45 to R50 per broiler. The layers also receive crushed eggshells and seashells for calcium.

Within six to seven weeks, the broilers reach 2,8kg to 3kg, selling at around R100 per bird.

But the money, Marman insists, only comes if the birds stay healthy. "You need to practise good hygiene and biosecurity to keep your chickens healthy and have a mortality rate below 5%. I also add aloe to their water, as it acts as a natural antibiotic and helps with parasites."

The work is also demanding. On cold winter nights, Marman wakes at two in the morning to check on the chicks under their heat lamps. "It's not glamorous, but for me the rewards far outweigh the effort," he says.

FROM AN ASIDE TO FULL-TIME BUSINESS