Poultry farming has always been an interesting option for small entrepreneurs. It does not require a lot of capital to set up, it is easy to manage and most importantly, its returns are always lucrative.
Today, we are going to talk about one breed of chicken that has been doing some magic in Kenya and Uganda over the year – Kuroiler Chicken.
What is Kuroiler Chicken?
Kuroiler is a genetically improved breed from India. This variety of chicken is derived from crossing coloured broiler males with Rhode Island Red females. This is a dual-purpose breed since it can be used for producing eggs and meat.
Benefits of rearing Kuroiler as opposed to other breeds
(1)They grow faster than ordinary chicken
The maturity period is about 10 weeks compared to local breeds that take several months or even up to a year to mature. At maturity, Kuroiler chicken weigh about 3.5kg as compared to other breeds that weigh 2kg.
Courtesy/
(2)They are scavengers
Kuroiler chicken perform quite well under what experts call “scavenging conditions”. You can feed them on animal or plant remains. Unlike other breeds, you don’t need to spend a lot of money to feed them.
(3)They are as good as indigenous chicken
As we all know, indigenous chicken produce tastier meat than modern breeds. Also, indigenous breeds are known for laying yellow york eggs which are extremely nutritious. Kuroiler chicken are just like indigenous chicken, their meat is tasty and they lay yellow York eggs.
Courtesy/
(4)High production
One thing about this chicken is that despite being a hardy breed, it is not encumbered by low productivity. While indigenous chicken produce about 40 eggs per year, Kuroiler does about 150 eggs in the same period.
While ordinary chicken weigh 2kg, Kuroiler weighs 1.5kg more. The only disadvantage with this breed of chicken, however, is that they don’t incubate and hatch their eggs. As such you would need to purchase an incubator for the job.
How much do I need to start?
You can manage to start with as little as Ksh10,000 but we would advise you to think about a bigger budget. Normally, if you want to make some decent profit, think about starting with at least 200 chicks.
The best budget to start with would be Ksh100,000. Things to consider:
Land – do you have land available or you’ll hire? You need at least 120 X 60 square meters minimum.
Cages – it is important to build durable cages for the chicken
Feeds – you need to feed your chicken well if you want to boost productivity
Market – market is always available so long as you have quality and quantity
Rules and regulations – Consult with your county government or Ministry of Agriculture officials on these…normally there are no stiff regulations to chicken farming
Sources of funding – The Youth Development Fund normally gives interest free loans for poultry farming
Profit – You can expect to double up your initial investment in 5 months.
Related Article: With watermelon farming it takes 100 days to grow Ksh40,000 to Ksh400,000
Lastly
How did you find today’s article? Kindly share your feedback with us via the comment box – we would like to hear from you. Else, share the article with your friends so they can learn something new too.
