Teacher delves into thriving poultry farming

Mwalimu Jackbed Njue, a senior education official in Embu County, rears improved kienyenji (indigenous) chicken farming which are raking in tidy sum every month. “I started this project two years ago and it has grown from a handful of chicks to thousands of mature birds,” she says. Madam Njue started in January with 300 day-old chicks and through hard work and determination, the project grew in leaps and bounds and today she has 4,000 chicken at different stages of development, among them 600 layers. She rakes in Sh30,000 every week from the sale of day-old chicks, eggs, mature chicken, manure and training fee for young farmers.

So how did she start? To void pitfalls that many upcoming farmers face, before she forayed into poultry farming, Ms Njue researched intensely on chicken rearing. “Many farmers venture into farming without key information and the project flops in less than six months. To avoid that scenario, I read widely on poultry keeping online and magazines like this and visited successful poultry farms. My focus was how to tend to chicks from day one to maturity, feeding, housing, vaccination, disease management and marketing matters,” the farmer points out. To set the ball rolling, she bought the parent stock from a reputable supplier and began her project at her two acre parcel of land in Gachoka, Embu County. Always research “I sourced the KARI improved kienyenji chicks that made my initial stock from an established poultry farm. I looked at their history and records to ensure they are disease free. Before I brought the stock, I ensured everything was prepared; the brooder, source of heat- (charcoal jiko), proper feed, water and farm hand,” she says. Initially, the area where her coops stands had huge thickets but she cleared it all and left only trees to protect the farm from the scorching sun.
Read more at: https://www.standardmedia.co.ke/business/article/2001257945/teacher-delves-into-thriving-poultry-farming