Poultry farming booms in Kebbi

Poultry farmers complained that the hot weather and lack of major consumers such as hotels, restaurants and big institutions in the state have forced most farmers to depend on seasonal festivals such as Sallah and Christmas to record high sales.
Abdulkadir Ahmed, Chairman of the Birnin Kebbi Local Government Area chapter of the Poultry Association of Nigeria (PAN), said most of the Day Old Chicken (DOC) is supplied by agents from Otta farm in Ogun State and others from Ibadan in Oyo State, adding that they are expensive because they come through Kaduna.
Ahmed, who said he usually has up to 1,000 layers and between 400-500 broilers in his farm, is worried over high cost of feeds of the layers because they consume a lot.
He said: “However, there is high demand for eggs in the state despite the lack of good patronage for chicken. People here eat a lot of eggs.
“Most of the eggs are sold through tea vendors and households on a regular basis. I sell mine at the rate of N750 per crate as against N800. In fact, we cannot meet the demand because of lack of enough capital. The layers lay for over one year and we make up to 50 percent of profits from 75 percent productivity.”
The chairman denied allegations that poultry farmers in the state are using Panadol and some other unprescribed drugs on the birds, saying it is not true.
Ahmed said: “We do not give them Panadol or any other steroid. We only place them on scheduled vaccination of Gomboro and Lasota. DOCs are administered Gomboro in the first week, Lasota in the second week and we keep alternating until they are eight weeks.”
Aliyu Jajirma, a public servant in Birnin Kebbi and a poultry farmer, said he has been in the poultry farming business on a small scale since 2008 and he normally buys 50 broilers and keep them targeting Sallah festivals when he hopes to make brisk business.
He said: “Mine is not all year round, I only target festivals like Sallah and sell to people in the neighbourhood. They used to be on high demand during that period, but because I do not have enough capital, I cannot take more than 50 chickens because of feeding, vaccines and other expenses. You know they need a lot of care.
“But the association is making effort to access loan for poultry farmers from the Bank of Agriculture and we hope to take advantage of it to improve on the farming.”
Annas Kassim, 30, a Higher National Diploma (HND) graduate of Accountancy from Federal Polytechnic, Birnin Kebbi, said he has been in poultry business since his graduation in 2010, adding: “I inherited the business from my late father after fruitless effort to secure a job. I will continue with my poultry farm at Bayan Kaya in Birnin Kebbi even if I secured a job because there is a lot of prospect in poultry farming. The proceeds I make after every three months will far exceed what I will earn as salary from government work.
“I make as high as N300, 000 from every 1,000 to 1,500 broilers. Sometimes the profit drops to between N100, 000 to N120, 000 when there is high mortality due to epidemics. I lose about 70 birds on the average and a higher rate of not more than 150.
“We experience high rate of mortality during hot and cold seasons. In the hot season, we normally expose them under a tree shed in the day time and separate them in different rooms to allow for enough ventilation at night. As for the cold weather, we use to introduce a burning charcoal to raise the temperature of their rooms until recently when I managed to purchase the newly introduced heating technology at the cost of N280, 000. I engaged a veterinary doctor who looks after my birds.”
Sa’adiya Ishaq, a house wife at Rafin Atiku, said the poultry farm has made it possible for housewives to support their husbands, especially in the area of the children’s school fees and other needs of the family.
A senior veterinary officer of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture in Birnin Kebbi, Dr. Ayuba Agunu, said he has not received any report of farmers administering any drug outside the prescribed drugs on their poultry farm.
He said poultry farming is a developing industry in the state because people are aware of the economic gains, adding that even civil servants have gone into the business while those who are about to retire have also started establishing large scale farms for the poultry in the state.
The Director of Federal Ministry of Agriculture in the state, Mr. Kelvin Tekpat, said the Federal Government is presently processing facilities for both poultry and cattle fattening farmers that will enhance poultry and cattle breeding in the state.